There are business owners and professionals who are constantly busy with meetings, making calls, and networking and by the end of the day they still feel nothing was accomplished or closed on a deal.
You would think with all that hard work they'd be making lots of money right? Wrong? Many business professionals are putting in the work, but not making the money they need to pay the bills.
We were all taught to work hard for the things we want out of life? Well, why is it that some business owners hardly work at all and seem to generate a lot of business and income to live comfortably? They work smarter! Working smarter means you have to change the way you think.
This may be difficult for some because we get stuck in the same routine even if it is not getting us the results we want.
Keep a daily log for a few days to determine how you spend your time then identify those time wasters and eliminate them.
Working smarter means building relationships to get in the door with clients and be willing to go to meetings, make warm calls, and do lunch with referral partners instead of printing ads and sending direct mail letters.
Are you putting in too many hours, or spending too much time trying to get clients, or not working with a focused action plan.
Instead of spending a lot of time trying to persuade clients of your worth, target a niche market whose needs you have clearly identified.
If your networking doesn't connect you with enough prospects, look for new places to network.
Stop spinning your wheels with implementing several different marketing strategies and focus on 2-3 that will get you the best results.
Even if you don't see results immediately, don't become frantic and add more marketing activities on top of what you have started.
Measure the progress of the strategies you have in place and adjust them as you see needed.
Create a more focused action plan.
Determine how many customers you need each month to make a living and how many prospects you need in order to turn them into paying customers.
Consider the time and money you are spending to bring in clients then determine what marketing activities will fit into your budget and time constraints.
Once you've found the right mix of strategies and activities stick to it.
Tips on working smarter oStart with calling people you have relationships with to get referrals instead of making cold calls.
oEstablish realistic goals that you can achieve each day that will get you closer to the results you want.
oUse email filters to help you sort out the junk mail and newsletters.
We spend hours in a day reading and responding to emails.
Emails that you don't have to read right away, set up folders so your emails will go directly there.
oSet time limits on how long you work on a specific task.
Spending too much time on one thing can become frustrating.
oSave tedious administrative tasks for later in the day, or hire a part-time helper to get you on track with these tasks.
oTake breaks, eat healthy meals, and exercise so you can be energized and less stressed.
oOrganize and prioritize.
Work on the items that are your top priority.
Keep your desk, files, and notes organized so that you can easily locate what you need when you need it.
For more tips and information on how to work smarter, get more clients, and develop focused strategies, contact Tarsha Polk (The Marketing Lady) at tmarketinglady.
com.