Action creates reaction. AKA get stuff done.

Over the past three years on the The Small Business Big Marketing Show, I’ve interviewed 120 highly successful small business owners who have used marketing in some remarkable way to achieve their success.

They might have worked hard to ensure the quality of their product is world class (listen to episode 114 with Tom Dickson of Will It Blend fame); they might have been clever enough to secure millions of dollars of free exposure via guerrilla marketing (listen to episode 99 with Kym Illman from Messages On Hold) or they may have created a stream of on-going quality content that laser-targeted their prospects (listen to episode 116 with Mia Freedman from Mamamia fame).

But here’s the kicker. None of their marketing success just happened.

Mia didn’t wake up one day to 14,000,000 monthly pageviews. Kym didn’t turn the TV on to see his logo blazoned across the TV screen during the Olympics. And Tom didn’t just create any old blender in the hope of eaking out a living.

Uh-uh. They all took risks. Every one of my guests did. But even more importantly, they took action. Their mantra? “Get stuff done”.

You see action creates reaction.

Action moves things forward.

It changes the status quo.

And that’s a mighty good thing.

Far too many business owners are stuck working flat out on the day-to-day of their business that they just don’t find the time to take action around their marketing. And then they are heard complaining that marketing is a waste of time. It doesn’t work. You need big dollars for it to have any impact. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, I’m not pointing the finger, as in years gone by I’ve been as guilty as anyone in this regard.

So, what’s the solution? Well, without sounding smart, the solution is … to take action! But that’s easier said than done. So here’s five ways to help you move your marketing (or any aspect of your business) forward:

1. Draw a line down the middle of a whiteboard. On the left hand side write everything that’s taking up headspace. Then choose just one point and write it on the right hand side. Then, act on it.

2. Acknowledge that there are certain aspects of your marketing that you’re just no good at, and bump them off to someone else. A common one is copywriting. Copy is important and it bogs many business owners down. Get on to eLance.com and find a writer to add to your virtual marketing team.

3. Lighten your load. Head back to that whiteboard and delete some of the ‘stuff’ on the left hand side. Be brutal. It’s weighing you down, you know. Focus on less ideas and action them. One at a time.

4. Reassess your expectations around what to expect from taking action. If you’re expecting overnight results then change that … Instead, expect results within a month or two. That way, you’re less inclined to be disappointed, and more inclined to move things forward.

5. Do the simple things first. I find this builds momentum. You get a sense of achievement, which encourages you to take more action. As this feeling builds, take on more of the harder things.

Trust me. Every successful person I speak to – and I speak to many – share the common trait of being an action taker. Without exception. And there’s no reason you can’t increase your success by doing the same. Go!