It takes time: what to expect when marketing your new business

When you are starting a new business, the first couple of years involve a lot of hard work to attract clients. That’s no secret. But sometimes business owners come to me about how hard they are working and that nothing is happening yet. That’s why I tell people starting a new business is like planting seeds in a garden. You don’t plant the seeds and then reap the harvest immediately. It takes time for your plants to grow. This is called the Law of Gestation. There has to be a gestation period when the roots go into the ground, the seeds sprout and the plant matures to produce fruit. Your marketing needs to be seen by prospects many times before they decide to call or hire you. They are looking for value and social proof. That’s when clients start coming out of the woodwork. Then, while the marketing is working on one level, the Universe is rearranging itself on another level to help you attract clients. Both things are taking place simultaneously. If you feel a lot of pressure for where the money will come from, you can do what I did: I took a part time position. The job only lasted three months, but it gave me a few thousand dollars that helped bridge the gap until the money from my business started flowing. Since it was only part time, it didn’t eat up all my time. There were still plenty of hours to do the marketing I needed to attract clients. Not having to worry about money in the beginning can make a big difference for you. The part time job helped me stop living in fear about money. This meant I had more energy to attract clients, and feeling more confident and positive are highly attractive to prospects. There is no embarrassment with getting a part time job to tide you over. I recommend this to many new business owners since I’ve been there and know what it can be like to feel the monetary pressure. Invest your time in planting all the marketing seeds you can manage. Be sure you have chosen the right target audience and then meet as many people as possible in that group. Before long, your perseverance will pay off, the leads will turn into new clients and your business will blossom. Your Assignment: Are you being consistent in your efforts to market your business? If not, create a system to follow like clockwork. Select a day for your newsletter and stick with that. Pick the same week each month to send your warm letter to your network and prospects. The more reliable your marketing efforts are, the more they will produce results.