Handling emails, filing, problem solving (unless you are solving clients' problems), administrative trivia, surfing the 'net, sorting your Outlook files, paying bills, fiddling with your website, creating brochures... are a waste of time. These tasks don't put women entrepreneurs closest to the money; they pull them away from it!
Do you know what most women entrepreneurs bring with them when they start their own business?
The notion that being busy means being productive.
Nothing could be farther from the truth!
As I warn my business coaching clients, this faulty (and even dangerous) notion is a hold-over from the days of working at a j-o-b.
You see, at a job, you're paid to show up and stay busy. What people do at their jobs is rarely connected with actually bringing in new clients or making money.
But when you work for yourself, EVERYTHING you do MUST be tightly connected to getting and keeping new clients. Period.
Which means handling things like most emails, filing, problem solving (unless it's solving your clients' problems), administrative trivia, surfing the 'net, sorting your Outlook files, paying bills, fiddling with your website, creating brochures... are a waste of time. These tasks don't put women entrepreneurs closest to the money; they pull them away from it!
Here are my top favorite tasks that I do nearly every day to put me closest to the money:
Small Business Marketing Strategy #1: Write an article.Not crazy about writing or not sure what to write about? One of the tips I shared in a recent Success Circle Marketing Makeover call is to write like you are having a conversation. Pretend you are chatting with a good friend about a very specific topic.
Small Business Marketing Strategy #2: Send a "thinking about you" card...or two! Why not surprise a client, referral source, another woman entrepreneur or prospective client with a friendly "keep in touch" card? They will feel special...and think you are too!
Small Business Marketing Strategy #3: Send a press release written as a mini-article.Think a press release is only to announce an important event? Nope! Take one of your articles, trim it down to 250 words and add your author's bio. You can use this strategy to send one a week.
Small Business Marketing Strategy #4: Record a free audio tip for your website.Even better, transcribe it and post it on your website as a viewable option. Google will love your site for adding fresh content.
Small Business Marketing Strategy #5: Make your first (or next) information product.Keep it simple and get your information product done now! The credibility and leverage you gain will tremendously boost your business. Example: one of my Platinum Inner Circle clients created a $9.95 eBook on a popular topic. The result? This woman entrepreneur received dozens of sales and several new clients worth many thousands of dollars. Nice!
Small Business Marketing Strategy #6: Ask to be interviewed or to interview an expert.Interviews are easy to set up. They increase your credibility, widen your exposure and raise your expert status, whether you're the expert giving the interview or conducting the interview. Choose someone you respect. Call to ask for the interview (you'll be surprised how often you'll hear "yes".) Then record the interview and offer it as a mp3 file on your website.
My business coaching challenge: make a stand for doing ONE small business marketing strategy each day, and then integrate your action into your daily routine.
This is how you'll go from being busy to becoming successful... with a lot more time to enjoy!
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