TIME FOR THE MAIN COURSE

The Daily Actions in the Main Course section of the menu are activities directly aimed at getting you clients. The Main Course items are grouped into categories that match the stages of the Universal Marketing Cycle: filling the pipeline, following up, having sales conversations, and closing sales. Because the possible activities for filling the pipeline are so varied, that area is subdivided into six sections, based on the marketing strategies each activity uses:

Direct contact and follow-up

Networking and referral building

Public speaking

Writing and publicity

Promotional events

Advertising

You will be selecting seven or eight Daily Actions from the Main Course menu (or of your own design), to reach a total of ten Daily Actions all together. The first rule to follow in making your choices is this: Don’t read the whole list! Look solely at the category that pertains to the marketing cycle stage you are working on. And if your chosen stage is filling the pipeline, look only at the sections relevant to the marketing strategies you have chosen.

Icons that indicate which of the six Get Clients Now! marketing strategies each activity is related to appear on the left-hand side of the menu. For a key to the strategy icons, refer to Chapter 4. Some actions are applicable to only one strategy, while others could relate to several, depending on how they are used.

Here are two different approaches to making your selections:

1. Just pick ‘em. As you have worked your way through the exercises in this book, you have already learned quite a bit about marketing. You know where in the Universal Marketing Cycle you are stuck or need more work, what marketing strategies you plan to use, and which missing ingredients you need to be successful. Maybe you already have enough information to make choices from the Daily Actions listed on the Menu for your marketing cycle stage. When you are ready to begin using your selected actions, you can read more about them in the marketing recipes in Part III of the book.

2. First understand the theory. Each Daily Action on the list represents an activity that has been proven effective in professional services marketing. Sometimes the purpose of an activity will be immediately apparent. It’s difficult to misunderstand what “spend 1 hour each day cold calling” is about. Other activities are more subtle. For example, “have lunch or coffee with a center of influence once per week” is listed for closing sales because this activity will simultaneously increase your visibility and credibility. When a prospective client hears about you from someone she respects, it can greatly increase your likelihood of closing the sale.

If you want to understand more about the purpose of the Main Course activities before making your choices, read now the specific chapter in Part III of this book that describes your chosen stage of the marketing cycle. You can skip any sections that relate to marketing strategies you will not be using.

Is one of these approaches to selecting Main Course actions more successful than the other? Actually, no—the difference is in you. If you are comfortable shooting from the hip, use the first approach. It’s quicker and easier. If you don’t like to commit to a course of action until you have thoroughly evaluated your choices, use the second approach. It will increase your level of commitment to the actions you choose.