Client Attraction Should Be Your First Priority (Unless You Want To Go Broke)

Let’s face it, most solopreneurs put marketing on the back burner, something they get to only once they’ve put out all the fires that need to be put out, once they answer each and every e-mail in their inbox, once they’ve sent every client what they promised to send. Yes, it’s really important to do all of these things; however, you’ve got to realize that if you don’t MAKE the time for your Client Attraction (i.e., Marketing), then you’re simply not going to attract all the clients you need. Make sense?

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be difficult. Over the years of coaching thousands of self-employed professionals to attract more clients, I’ve created a few systems to keep you on track and make Client Attraction a priority. What we’ve got to do is have you clear the decks and get rid of the “leaks” in your day.

How much time per day should you really allocate for marketing? I recommend my clients spend up to 4 hours of marketing PER DAY the first 6 months to a year in business, or whenever they need a new boost of clients. Many people gasp at that number when I first share it with them, because they usually spend no more than 4 hours per MONTH, if that. No wonder they’re having trouble attracting new clients!

First-time clients tell me they just don’t have the time to devote that many hours to marketing. Well, since I’m always trying to find solutions to problems, we have to look at what’s taking up your time now and there are usually several non-essential things that are eating up your time. I call these the “leaks” in your day. Here’s what I mean: if you’re spending your valuable time working on non-business items during the day, then you may want to consider putting a “pause” button on these for the first 6 months of working on this Client Attraction System?.

It might mean stepping down from that Board of Directors position that doesn’t really serve you, taking a leave of absence from that time-consuming project that isn’t giving you a return on your time investment, not going to the grocery store during the day, and just deciding you will go to the gym before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. every day, instead of smack in the middle of your workday.

Remember, it’s much more difficult to attract new clients when you’re not out there sharing with people what you do; networking, writing newsletters, articles, sending mailings, following up with potential clients, asking current clients for referrals, or working on presentations or seminars.

OK, then, so let’s get really clear on what your day should look like. During the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (or whatever you consider your regular work hours, I’m not picky about that), there are only 2 things you should be working on:

1. Client work (the stuff that actually makes you money)
2. Client Attraction and marketing (the stuff that gets you clients)

Everything else has to go (for now) or can wait until after 5 p.m. I know, this is drastic to some, but it just has to be something you strive for, at least for the short term.

After 6 months or a year, when you start seeing consistent results in your Client Attraction, you’ll be able to decrease the number of hours you spend on marketing each day and reinstate some of the things you enjoyed doing beforehand, but had to put on pause for awhile. However, you might just be so happy to focus only on Client Attraction and client work during the day that, as for many of my private clients, you’ll decide never to go back to the old way of doing things.
Your Assignment:

Clear the decks. If you know you need 4 hours of marketing per day (that’s what I scheduled per day to fill both of my private practices to capacity in less than 8 months each), then you’ve simply got to make room for it. Your business-and livelihood-depends on it.

Take a pad of paper and write down all of the different things that take up your time every day. Include every curricular and extracurricular activity. Be a hard grader! This is not the time to be forgiving. We’re looking for change, not excuses.

Once you’ve done that, underline or check off the things that can go for at least the next 6 months, to give you the time and space to make your practice what you want it to be: FULL.

Then do it. Make a commitment to eliminate the things (for the short-term) that eat up major amounts of time each day and week. Now, don’t get depressed. Remember, this is not forever; it’s just for right now, a few months, until you get all the clients you need. Then you can slowly start adding things back in. I did. This mantra kept me going for the first 6 months: “A strong focus now creates a different future later.”