Most coaches would say that their number one priority is coaching. But, most solopreneurs put marketing on the back burner, something they get to only when they’ve put out all the fires first. Of course, it’s really important to do all the urgent things in your business, however, you’ve got to realize that if you don’t take the time for your marketing activities, you’re simply not going to attract all the clients you need.
So your number one priority has to be marketing. By marketing I mean activities such as networking, writing newsletters, writing articles, sending mailings, following up with potential clients, asking current clients for referrals, or working on presentations or teleseminars.
When I tell a client that they need to spend more time marketing, I usually get one of the following objections: and here are some solutions to those:
1) I need a product first
You may be thinking, “Oh, but I have to develop my program first so I know what I have to offer.” But that’s not the way to think in today’s entrepreneurial world. You can actually develop the marketing for your program first and then develop the product/program as you share it with clients. It’s enough to just develop an outline of what your steps are in your program and what the results will be when your client completes that step.
Then you can take that information and create a sales page to start selling your program. You only need the first step fleshed out to start with a client and then you can work out details of the subsequent steps a little at a time. This will give you some income as you develop your product instead of waiting until it’s all done.
2) There’s not enough time to market
You’re absolutely right about that. You could theoretically spend all day marketing with all the opportunities available to you. That’s why you need to choose a few venues for marketing and work them until you see results and try to automate as much as you can. Here are two hints to help with this: First, don’t try to do a little bit of everything, such as all the social media sites. Just pick one of two things to focus on at first and then add more as you get more efficient at them.
For example, you if you like to write, you may want to set a goal to write one article a week, use it for a blog post, and pick one for a monthly newsletter. Next you could add posting your articles in article directories, Twitter and Facebook. Then you could set some time aside every week to develop a PowerPoint presentation using some of the material from your articles. It’s easier when you go in baby steps.
Second, get some help. A virtual assistant can do a lot of the marketing that doesn’t have to be done by you, such as posting. This is one way to “automate” some of your marketing. In my business, I write my materials, and then give them to the VA and she knows what to do with them because I have designed a system for her to use.
Another way to automate is to use one of the many services out there such as social media management, pre-written articles/blogs, and video-making services. There is pretty much a service online for just about anything that you don’t want to do yourself.
3) I don’t want to appear too “salesy.”
If you want to get clients, you are going to do something to stand out from the competition. The best way to do that is to just be yourself and promote your outstanding qualities. Most of us were brought up to not toot our own horns and consequently, we have lost some of our grasp on what makes us so special. Take some time to think about what your strengths and gifts are.
What do you do that no one else is doing? Why are you so special? What is your unique gift that you came into the world to share? Know that you are very special and that you do have something absolutely amazing to share with your clients. When you joyfully share with potential clients what you bring to the table, your innocent authenticity will not be perceived as being salesy, but rather your genuine interest in helping others while living your full potential. You will then not only feel more authentic and comfortable with the process, but also inspire that client to let you help them reach their full potential too.
As the New Year approaches, rethink how you spend your business time and make a commitment to increase the amount of time you spend in marketing activities so that marketing becomes your number one priority.
