Ciamos

Bernadette Doyle

Do any of the following sound familiar?

• 'My appointment book looks empty. I'd better do something to drum up business fast'

• 'When I'm working on a project, I stop marketing and selling, then when a contract comes to an end, I can find myself in a lean patch'
• 'My income is unpredictable. There is a lot of 'feast and famine'.'

If any of these comments resonate with you, then you're not alone. I would estimate that over 90% of the people I meet are marketing themselves REACTIVELY, i.e. they only start looking for business or opportunities when the pipeline is empty. That's not good for a couple of reasons. First because by the time things have reached this critical stage your expectations and needs are unrealistic, cash-flow has dried up, so you have little or no budget to transform the situation, and your desperation drives prospects away like a skunk at a laydees tea party. The good news is every one of these situations can be prevented - with a little planning on your part.

I want something different to you. I'd like to help you manoeuvre yourself into 'prospect abundance' a position where the demand for YOU and what you offer outweighs your ability to supply it. Because then you truly will be master or mistress of your own destiny. Does that sound like an impossible dream? It doesn't have to be.

Marketing is not rocket science. There are certain steps you can take to ensure a steady stream of prospects.

You need a system! A 'system' can be as simple as a postcard that you send to a client after the first meeting, or a letter that gets sent out 6 days after the intial enquiry. Or a system can be more complex, for example a timed series of a dozen or more different communications with a group of prospective clients. Regardless of complexity, being able to say that you have a system in operation means that you have a specific, effective strategy being carried out with religious discipline and without your constant supervision. Good systems are the heart and soul of good marketing.

Most of the people I meet have very few, if any, true systems. Their marketing efforts are random, haphazard and reactive. Not surprisingly, so are their results. 'Spray and Pray' is NOT an effective marketing technique. Lots of business falls through the cracks because of chaotic, confused, inconsistent follow through.

The trouble is, trying to explain the importance of marketing systems to someone who is desperate for business is a bit like trying to teach a drowning person how to swim. And, I won't hide it from you, setting up systems takes effort.

But, in my experience, the pay-off is huge. The time you invest setting up good systems will reap dividends over and over again.

But only if you put them in place.

One of the most important systems you can put in place is a prospect contact system. This will increase the frequency of your communication with prospective clients, demonstrates consistency, helps you to benefit from the principle of persistence - but without getting burned out, helps you to benefit from the principle of 'top of consciousness' and prevents prospects from being lost or forgotten.

I recommend that you plan for at least 10-12 contacts per year with every person. And preferably a mixture of types of communication. So don't just restrict yourself to email. It could be a mixture of letter, phone, face-to-face, newsletter, article reprints and postcards.

Put this in place, and I promise you, the results will by far outweigh the efforts and costs of putting it in place. But make sure you start now. Don't wait until it's too late!

© 2007 Bernadette Doyle

Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at www.clientmagnets.com