If all else fails, just do something.

A Good Plan, Violently Executed Now, is Better Than a Perfect Plan Next Week.

George Patton

Perhaps I’m just a bit frustrated.

It seems like conversation after conversation advisors and others waiting until everything is perfect before just taking action.??I love the Patton quote for that very reason.???

Marketing is very much along these lines with just about everyone.??Clearly it separates the top performers from the rest.

A mentor of mine in a board of directors meeting once rather humorously had new members get up one a time, over and over repeat:??“There are men in the ranks who’ll stay in the ranks, why, I’ll tell you why, simply because they can’t get things done.”

The complaint starts with something to the effect of:??“I’m not happy with the quality of new clients that I’m getting.”

My response:???Ok, well who do you want?

That usually creates a blank stare.??

Maybe they end up with well, 50-60 years old with $500,000 or more to invest.

Ok, so you really haven’t thought about it very serious right?

The next complaint tends to be “I’m not getting enough new clients”

Ok, what are you doing to market your practice???

“What do you mean?”

Well, try it differently, where are most of your new clients coming from?

“Word of Mouth”

Ok, what Referral Systems are you using to create referrals?

Usually the answer is, well usually I ask if they know anyone who would need my services.

Well……

I might suggest that you start towards higher level of success just by taking some action. On marketing your business EVERY DAY.

Brainstorm for a minute and figure out how to “rifle shot” your efforts on a narrow group of people with who you can be the go to expert.

A place to start is with your current clients.??What do the ones that I like to work with have in common????What do they do???What’s their background???BTW.??Who are the ones that I should fire that I really don’t enjoy working with???Don’t go get any more of those.

Next, what are your hobbies and interests.??What organizations do you belong to and participate in????What did you study in school????Did you have a career before getting into being an advisor????Is there opportunity in any of those groups of people.

This could go on and on (and, in fact in my new book there’s a whole chapter on Niche Marketing and “Fishing in the Right Pond.”

Next question.

Once figuring out who you would like to work with, how do I go round them up in groups.????If I am going to target conservatives or liberals, a particular religious group, a specific profession, or someone with a particular hobby then you want to figure out where they hang out.

You can take a look at target magazines – could I write an article or be a columnist????Maybe I should advertise in that media.??Maybe I should buy their subscriber list (or, a portion of it) to market to directly?

Or, I could figure out if they have meetings, conventions, other gatherings.??Could I be a speaker or contributor?

Well, I could go on and on.

I’ve had years exploding my business and, those of others by getting to 100’s or 1,000’s all rounded up at once rather than one at a time.

Well, regardless of the who and the how – TAKE ACTION NOW.

Do at least ONE THING everyday to promote your business to the right people – preferably with a lot of LEVERAGE (lots of them at a time.)

Take a moment and pick up my newest book... it's available at Amazon.com or at Barnes and Noble (BN.com)