Readers here (and in my Construction Marketing Ideas book ? the key chapter is excepted in the Design and Construction Report published yesterday) know that I advocate you should align your marketing initiatives with your strengths: That is, the qualities and skills which you enjoy and where you have real natural talent. When you develop your strengths, you are more able to sustain the process. Simply put, if you enjoy your work and are really great at it, you can keep the pace.
I also advocate linking your strengths to relevant client-focused associations. This is because in the association environment (business or community) you can if necessary escape your occupational/?title? limitations through voluntary contributions and at the same time connect with potential clients.
But your reaction to these suggestions may be to sigh, and say: ?Look, in this business there are two ways we get new clients. First, repeat and inbound referrals. And second, the bidding war, public tenders and open jobs. Every time I?ve spent a cent on marketing or marketing consulting, I?ve ended up with nothing but a hole in my wallet.?
And you are right. Because even if you do everything right, you are going to feel that your marketing cost in time and effort is inordinately expensive, at least compared to the ?cost? of accepting spontaneous inbound repeat and referral business. That is why I advocate ensuring that your marketing initiatives are as fun as possible.
Take this blog, for example. If I didn?t have natural skills in writing and journalism, I would be foolish to struggle with the need to post daily on the topic, ever day of the year. But I enjoy this stuff and (with not a bit of false modesty) I am really good at it. So it isn?t work.
The rewards of this writing have come slowly, gradually and on the surface I could have probably attained more immediate results by spending an hour a day on cold calls. But would I wake up each morning looking forward to ?work? and the blogging opportunity ? and now the growing residual and follow-up income from this activity?
I hope your work life (and marketing) every day focuses on your strengths. If you can?t make an immediate change ? sometimes you have to do stuff you hate to put food on your family?s table or maybe you are constrained from changing careers because of things like health care insurance restrictions or embedded pensions ? take that hour a day for personal development and spend it doing something you really love and are great at doing. You?ll be happier, and much more successful, at marketing if you follow this simple advice.
