Breaking The Old Pattern Of “We Have No Marketing Funnel!”

Today’s Blog is a perfect example of what a Blog is – an online Personal and Business Journal. It is a reflection of where we are and where we want to go.

During the years that it has taken to build our practice while investing our time in clients first and foremost, developing a vision, developing coaching programs & systems and business systems, as soon as the practice got to a certain level, the marketing and sales would all grind to a halt because there was no marketing and sales system.

We would experience what most entrepreneurs experience with the ups and downs of sales, cash flow and moods along with that. You could here me exclaim; “We Have No Marketing Funnel!”

We are really seeing our labor starting to bare fruit as a result of drilling deeper and deeper into our niche and prospecting using the web site, e-newsletter, blog and public speaking.

Above all, referrals and prospects are coming forward on their own with requests to work with us.

Thanks for allowing me to take the time to honor this milestone while I am taking the time to savor it. I’m surprised at myself this morning as I just got 9 ?Ǭ? hours of sleep which is rare and a way to celebrate our success.

We are starting to experience a “tipping point” with the marketing funnel as we are also getting calls to speak to associations and companies.

Although this time in momentum is sweet, this is also a time when most small businesses take their feet off the gas and turn the air conditioners on and stop their marketing efforts forgetting to continue to fill the funnel. There is some inherent thing going on because most entrepreneurs are motivated by fear which is what motivation is all about. As soon as the fear goes away everything stops. One must be inspired by a vision of what they are going to do and who and how they are going to help. A new article topic.

We can’t savor this experience of success too long as we must continue to manually fill the funnel through referrals and finding associations and companies that are looking for speakers. The web site, e-newsletter and blog will help to follow through.

We are doing this by creating a manual discipline to contact 20 advisors a day by was of a phone call or e-mail. It is surprising how little time this takes when it is first and foremost in ones focus.

At the same time we are tracking sales goals, conversations booked with prospects, prospects indicating an interest in a conversation and the numbers look good and we have momentum that will carry us for months. !! We have 12 speaking gigs booked in the next 90 days. 🙂 I’ll say it again 12 speaking gigs booked in the next 90 days!!!!

Here is an opportunity for me to check in. Everything right now is excellent – in fact it is outstanding. What we are working on here is September and into 2007.

So as we savor this plateau to take a moment or two to give thanks for the results that we are creating for our clients and ourselves, there is much to do to continue to build our marketing funnel;

– Stay true to our vision of speaking, writing and coaching
– Stay true to our niche
– Invest our time in our clients first and foremost
– Continue to ask for referrals and opportunities to speak
– Contact 20 advisors a day by was of a phone call or e-mail who are referrals and prospects indicating an interest in a conversation
– Review our Hot List and track sales goals, conversations booked with prospects, prospects indicating an interest in a conversation
– Pay attention to asking for the opportunity to present Sales & Team Building Workshops
– Research associations, company and trade show speaking opportunities
– We are speaking at Pro-Seminars in Richmond on March 20th
– We are speaking at Pro-Seminars in Saskatoon on March 24th
– Follow up on Pro-Seminars attendees
– Kim Black is working on our new Web Site
– Blog daily and publish our E-Newsletter on April 1st
– Hire a stenographer to transcribe articles
– Apply for CE Credits
– Update our Public Speaking Folio & Web Page
– Submit articles to Advisor.ca, Advocis & Horsesmouth
– Form Strategic Alliances
– Create a trade show booth
– Create a marketing CD
– Write a book
– Create referral gifts

So there you have it. All we have to do is budget the time, ask what can be delegated and act. The above list may look daunting and it is nothing in comparison to how far we have come. Onward – Upward.