Most prospective clients contact me because they don’t have enough clients and aren’t making enough money. The first thing I always ask is, “How much time are you spending each week on marketing activities?” It’s not unusual for the answer to fall somewhere between none and an hour or two a week.
And here in lies the problem. It is impossible to grow your business, get more clients and make more money if you are not investing enough time each day and each week to marketing activities.
Marketing generating activities might include: networking, writing your blog or book, creating content, following up with prospects, creating workshops, speaking etc.
So how much is enough? Many successful entrepreneurs will tell you that spending four hours a day is the ultimate amount of time needed to grow your business. In working with clients I encourage them to spend one full day on marketing related activities.
You may be asking yourself, “I’m so busy and overwhelmed now, how will I ever find the time for a day of marketing?”
Here are some suggestions to help you not only find the time in your schedule for marketing, but also some ways to be sure you stick to it.
1-The first step is to look at the things you are spending time on now. Is it time to hire an assistant and delegate some of your administrative tasks to them? Do you have a bookkeeper? What other activities are you spending time on that aren’t revenue generating activities? Is it time to hire a housecleaner? Also, what activities are you involved in that you should STOP doing so you can make the time? Committees, volunteer work, watching too much TV, and spending too much time on Facebook are some of the common culprits.
2-Next you need to determine where in your schedule you want to plug in the time for your marketing related activities. Is it a few hours every day, or would you rather designate one full day as your business development day? Either way works, it just depends which option you feel you can fully commit to.
3-Once you’ve decided when you will spend the time marketing your business you must actually put the time in your calendar, and commit to making that time sacred. You cannot book clients in that slot, or view it as “free or down time”. It is an appointment you’ve made with yourself and your business that cannot be broken. This is the most crucial step.
If you want to make more money in your business, you must focus your time (all of it) on actions that have a direct result in your business making more money. Everything else should be delegated, outsourced, automated and systematized.
 Mandy works with talented, bright, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own.Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” at www.mandyschumaker.com. Or contact her at 207-653-6977 |
