Why You Don’t Need a Muse to Master Marketing

There’s a movie I like called The Muse.

Albert Brooks plays a screenwriter named Steven Phillips who has lost his “edge.” Everyone says he’s past his prime.

So Steven gets a Muse.

Not a figurative muse. A literal muse — as in a real-life Greek goddess, a daughter of Zeus.

Her name is Sarah Little (Sharon Stone).

She’s worked her inspirational magic all over Hollywood. Martin Scorsese relies on her. Rob Reiner says he couldn’t have made “The American President” without her. Jack Warrick sells one blockbuster screenplay after another, thanks to Sarah, he says.

Jack (played by Jeff Bridges) is Steven’s pal. Jack never gets stuck like Steven. When Steven asks how he does it, Jack reveals his secret inspiration.

“If you’re lucky enough to be with her, you’ll write better than you ever have in your life,” Jack insists.

So Steven connects with The Muse..

…and he pens a brilliant screenplay that the studio loves.

Here’s the thing, though: Sarah Little isn’t a real-life Greek goddess. She’s just a con artist who escaped from a psychiatric hospital in Ohio.

Steven penned his great screenplay without magic. That Muse? She was just a beautiful, blonde placebo.

When it comes to marketing small businesses, I know a lot of people who remind me of Steven.

They think marketing is some magic art. They imagine they don’t have the creative flare to write great copy and tell powerful stories. They think they need a muse.

That’s a myth — as far-fetched as Zeus and his nine daughters.

Marketing genius Dan Kennedy put it this way: “When I got into advertising, I thought it was a creative exercise. It is not that at all. It is a methodical exercise.”

Now THAT’s inspiring. Here’s why…

Everyone can master a methodical exercise. You don’t need to be an “artiste.” You don’t need some creative gift woven into your DNA. You don’t need a muse.

You just need to learn the method. Follow the steps. Deliver the goods.

I teach business people how to discover and deliver powerful stories that captivate prospects and inspire them to buy.

Discovering the story isn’t magic. It’s a process. Ask the right questions. Look in the right places. Discover the story.

Then you assemble the pieces in structures that have been repeated countless times — structures that you can learn and master.

No hocus-pocus. No Greek goddesses. No problem.