For quite a while I was noticing that others in my field did not seem to have any problem finding clients while I struggled to get just a few. I often wondered what the magic bullet was that they had and I didn't? As a self-employed professional it has been a long hard uphill battle solving this problem but I found out that it is not magic and there is nothing special that my competition was doing. It is all based on your principles and how you act on the every day events that happen.
Marketing your business can be the most challenging and the most rewarding thing you can do. Finding the niche that fits your creative or professional talent is only one aspect of a successful marketing strategy. Its an idea, a passion for that idea and the desire to see it through that will win out over failure.
There are 5 things you can do that will make you successful in finding the markets and the clients/customers that you need to succeed.
- Find what it is that makes you successful and then act on them effectively and consistently: Consistence is the number one key to any successful plan. If you are not consistent the product or service you are trying to sell will not appeal to the markets.
- Be persistent and never give in to negative thoughts or peer pressures: When you begin moving in any direction with purpose rather than randomly, you will find that there is an energy that develops and things will begin to happen. When you take yourself seriously and focus on that path with consistent, focused energy you will start to see results in unexpected places.
- Find your niche or that one thing you have that no-one else has and everyone needs: Without a niche and a defined direction to travel you end up lost with no set path to follow. This results in things not getting done, thoughts that lead down empty paths and confusion.
- Market your results, not the process: People want to see the results, not the process you take to get there. This is a point I cannot stress enough and one that many find themselves doing without even realizing they are doing it. When someone asks you what you do, don't focus on how you do it focus on the value of what you do to them.
- If you are struggling to find clients/customers, look to your family and friends for help: One of the most powerful resources we have is the people around us that know us best and it is also one of the least accessed resources that we think of using. Talk with your family, friends and peers and let them know what you are doing. Chances are they will recommend you to people you would otherwise not have known to market to.