SECRETS OF BUILDING AND MAINTAINING MARKETING MOMENTUM
By Charlie Cook
Some people seem to steadily increase their income while
others just make enough to pay the bills. What's the
difference between the people who make millions and the
people who struggle all their lives to get ahead?
If you want to attract more clients in order to build a
more profitable business you need three things. You need
clear goals, knowledge of how to market your business
and a plan of action. Your marketing is like the
proverbial three-legged stool. To function effectively,
all three legs need to be solidly in place.
Without clear goals you won't move forward. Without
marketing knowledge you'll waste your time instead of
pulling in many more clients. Without a plan of action,
your marketing won't get done.
Setting Your Marketing Goals
Staying on track can be a struggle, whether you are trying
to stick to a diet or get your marketing in shape. How can
you get started and maintain your marketing momentum? What
you need to do is make a commitment to specific marketing
goals.
Winners set both large and small goals, and they put
specific goals in writing. This last task may sound
superfluous but it can make a big difference to your
success.
One of my goals had been to write a book, a task that
seemed overwhelming. Of course, no one writes a book all
at once, they are written a page at a time. With a
short-term goal of writing three to five pages a week,
I made steady progress, wrote three books and have
outlines for two more.
Take a piece of paper or fire up your word processor and
make a list of goals for yourself and your business.
Include both long and short-term objectives. When you
write your objectives where applicable include who,
what and when.
The easiest way to get started is by beginning with your
long-term objectives and then getting more specific. Ask
yourself the following questions.
- What are your five-year goals for your business?
- What are your marketing goals?
(They could be skills, knowledge, new prospects or new
customers.)
Be as specific as possible when answering these questions
and defining your goals. For example, you might say, "I
want to have published eight training manuals, be earning
two thousand dollars a day and working less than 40 hours
a week in two years."
In addition to setting broad and long-term goals, you need
to set small and short-term goals. Define your annual,
monthly, weekly and daily goals. Once you've got them down
on paper, take a copy and thumb tack it over your desk.
- What's a one-month marketing goal you can accomplish?
- What's a one-week marketing goal you can accomplish?
Some days you'll feel like you're on a treadmill going
nowhere and your long-term goals continue to be out of
reach. When this happens, try two things. First look at the
list of what you've accomplished in the last week, month
and year. Second, with your larger goal in mind, circle the
next finite and easily completed objective on your list and
get going.
Every time you complete one of your objectives, no matter
how small, you're that much closer to reaching your
long-term business goals. If you're writing a book, each
page you write puts you that much closer to your goal.
- Could you improve your marketing by clarifying your
long and short-term marketing goals?
When you have clear goals and track your marketing
accomplishments, it is easy to stay motivated. As you make
progress, revise your goals and you'll continually improve
your marketing and be more successful.
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2004 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.
The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals
and small business owners attract more clients and be
more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing
Guide, '7 Steps to Grow Your Business' and the
'More Business' newsletter, full of practical tips you can
use at
http://www.marketingforsuccess.comccook@marketingforsuccess.com
