Do you ever find you have trouble fitting in your client work?  No, it’s not a trick question, let me explain.

I’m a business coach, so my work involves spending time meeting with my clients and working on their cases outside of our meetings.  I also produce and deliver workshops, write articles and e-books and deliver teleseminars.  My time is very precious and there never seems to be enough of it.

But by far the most important activity I do is the marketing of my business to get more clients. 

It’s a very tricky balancing act fitting everything in and I don’t always manage it very well – which can result in the well-known ‘feast or famine’ syndrome that we all try so hard to avoid.

And there’s something else that has to be factored in.  Marketing isn’t just about showing up at a few networking events or putting an over-priced ad. in the local directory (while this may work for some businesses, it doesn’t tend to for professional services).

If you think about your prospective clients as a shoal of fish and your marketing activities as a fishing net, it stands to reason that the wider you cast that net, the more clients (or fish) you are likely to catch with your message.

Marketing consists of two types of activity – passive and active.  Passive marketing includes things like designing your brochure and website, writing newsletters and articles, advertising and competitor research. 

Active marketing includes networking, making phone calls, meeting with prospects, doing training, giving talks, going to trade shows and exhibitions, running direct mail campaigns (as long as they include the follow-up calls).

I’ve noticed that business owners tend to only do those activities they feel comfortable with.  So the more introverted don’t like networking or making phone calls, but they’re very happy to spend ages getting the brochure or website just so.

Others are much more comfortable dealing face to face, networking, meeting, giving talks but hate putting pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard).

In order for any business to succeed, it has to include both passive and active marketing activities, perhaps outsourcing those you don’t like doing!  If you’re worried about the expense of that, reframe that thought and regard it as an investment in your business.  And, just think of the extra revenue you could be missing out on by NOT making the most of your marketing efforts.

So, cast your marketing net wide to ‘catch’ more prospects, and make sure that you use as many different activities (passive and active) to get your message across.

© Louise Barnes-Johnston, 2008

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