Completing the picture

Marketing is a puzzle of paradoxes.

If you achieve perfection, you don't have to look for clients; in fact, you turn away people you don't want to work with. High volume and margin sales are "converted" with a few emails, a phone call, perhaps, and maybe a handshake. You smile all the way to the bank on the repeat and referral business, or you hit a publicity jackpot, where a major publication or website writes wonderful things about your business, and people simply want to do business with you.

Much of the time, however, we feel trapped at the other end of the picture: Making cold calls to people who want nothing to do with us, spending thousands of dollars on advertising or leads services, for no results, and fighting like dogs for clients who simply push harder and harder for a "better deal".

When you are at this, frustrating, place in the marketing curve, you may be tempted to grasp at straws, and scammers (including some less-than-ethical lead generations services are among this group) play their game and hit you when you are down.

The question is, how can you get from the less-perfect-place you maybe at now, to where you want to go, reasonably quickly?

I could share my standard advice here, but realistically, your best results will come with the simplest effort; reconnect with your current and former clients, and think about how you can connect and communicate with their friends and colleagues. Think multi-media and creatively about how you can give, share and support the group, and you'll be much closer to success.