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Marketing Planning

There's one piece of information that can come as a big surprise to many business owners. It is that being a technical expert at what you do isn't good enough to attract all the clients you want.

It's important to realize that you must become an even better marketer than you are a coach, designer, organizer, etc.

But marketing your business doesn't have to be overwhelming. The trick is to create effective marketing rituals that are easy to follow through on each day.

Here are six marketing rituals I use to make sure my marketing gets done so I continue to bring in a steady stream of new clients.

Schedule it, don't wing it
I use a "marketing calendar" which lists the marketing actions I'm scheduled to take on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. This way, I don't have to think, I just have to act (and, there's less likelihood of putting off taking action since it's on my to-do list for the day).

Save the Excuses for Something Else
It's too easy to say, "I'm not ready yet", "I don't know enough yet" or let other excuses get in the way of marketing (unless you're like me and you love marketing, chores like washing dishes or folding laundry can provide happy distractions from making outbound calls or writing your newsletter).

If you use an excuse to get you out of exercising you just end up with a few extra pounds around your middle. But if you use an excuse to get out of marketing you can end up with no business! So save the excuses for something else that isn't as important and get into action.

Track—and Celebrate!—Your Progress
If you track some very basic information you'll quickly see your progress, what's working and what needs to be tweaked. I track the number of articles I write, new newsletter subscribers, website visitors, sales by dollars and average dollars per sale, all on a simple piece of paper using my old fashioned mechanical pencil. Real high tech stuff here.

Find Something About Marketing You Resonate With
Marketing isn't a cold, unfeeling activity. It's connecting with people, making new friends (my clients are now my life-long friends whom I adore!), helping people, being a valued resource, it's an opportunity to express your uniqueness and more. Choose ONE aspect of marketing that resonates with your soul, then let yourself feel that feeling with each marketing action you take. Trust me, it will make a big difference in what you accomplish AND in your results!

Use the Power of One
The Power of One means doing one marketing action each day. You can send one email, make one phone call, write one article...your choice. Just do it!

Be a Marketing Hero
I don't love taking vitamins or eating broccoli but I do it because I know the health benefits are worth it. Ditto with your marketing. The benefits of more clients, greater prestige and pro-fitable opportunities are well worth the momentary stretch of your comfort zone.

Try making your marketing a ritual, see how quickly it becomes part of your daily habit, then enjoy the rewards of new clients and breakthrough growth for you and your business!