Marketing every day is easier than you think…..
Several weeks ago I had a client call me rather panic stricken. He had finalized his new unique value proposition, was diligently using it, and was having NO results finding new projects. His work had dried up! What had happened? He was sure it was because his clients were not resonating with his new UVP.
We talked about it and I listened to what he was saying and it sounded really good to me. In fact his new UVP was 100% better than his old one. It was short, clear and talked a lot about exactly what he is good at and passionate about. Truly great. So, what was wrong?
I did not hear from him again for about a week. When we talked he told me that he had brought in some new projects and was talking to a few new clients …and that they all LOVED his new UVP and that with each one of them, he was able to use it to have a deeper conversation than he usually had with prospects.
Then he told me that the problem he identified was that he had not done principle # 6, Market Every Day during the winter months, December and January, because he was busy, busy, busy with a plethora of projects- he was just too busy. The result? He had not filled his pipeline and, when he completed those projects in late May and early June, there was no new work to fill in.
“At least”, I told him, “you now know that the average time for you to bring in new business is about 5 months, and you can plan accordingly.”
Five months to bring in a new project is not unusual. Many projects just take time to take shape. And, we all know that when the client is finally ready to hire you they want you last week. But, that is just the way it is.
Here is what you can do. When I say Market Every Day, I mean spend some time, maybe not a lot, but some, say 15 minutes or half an hour, making phone calls, answering emails, making and following up on inquiries. Write an article and send it to all your clients. Have someone send out a news brief that pertains to the clients in your area of specialization. Invite a past or prospective client to coffee. Do some internet research on a topic of interest to your clients and send it out. There are a million small things you can do that will help keep your pipeline full and keep your name front of mind with past and prospective clients.
I urge you to take time EVERY DAY to do some small bit of marketing. Keep yourself actively marketing. It will prevent the awful ups and downs – feast or famine- that can happen to you when you wait until one chunk of work is done before you look for another chunk of work. Build marketing into your daily schedule.
What do you do to market every day? Please share what works for you so everyone can benefit and together we can be Better, Smarter, Richer!
