Tell me if this an accurate description…

• You’re busy, very busy!
• You won’t even think about doing any marketing unless it makes perfect sense and has a very real chance of producing RESULTS… fast!
• Although hiring a marketing group or ad agency is a ridiculous fantasy you know something has to be done because adding clients and customers asap is your number one priority.
• You’ve heard stories of small business owners using web technology like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, video and email marketing to boost their business even as the economy declines but you have zero experience and even less of an idea of where to start.
• You are great at what you do, you give your all to your customers and just need an effective way to introduce your services to your market.

You want more clients but maybe you are not sure marketing on the Internet will work for your service-based business.

That’s understandable.

I bet you have been previewed, tested and trashed more marketing and business building opportunities than you care to remember.

Me too.

As a consultant to all types of service providers and small business owners, I have developed a theory that I think explains why most of these business grow so slowly or fail to grow at all.

Let me explain by first telling you what I almost always hear first from would-be cleints… Can you guess?

“I know I need to do things to bring in more business but I spend all day taking care of clients and rarely have the time or energy for marketing.”

This is exactly what a client recently told me when I asked what he does to generate more calls and more clients. I always ask this because I want to find out what really prevents people from marketing themselves and their businesses. What really prevents them from achieving their income goals.

I have worked with dozens of small & medium sized business owners and, although this is the most common response, I honestly don’t believe that lack of time or energy is really what prevents business owners from being successful at marketing.

So, I always ask another question:

“When you do get even a small amount of time to sit down and do something to generate more calls or clients, what do you do?”

The conversation that ensues usually turns into an acknowledgement of the following…

MY THEORY: Service professionals & client-based business owners don’t like marketing because they worry that the effort (and money) spent on marketing will go unrewarded.

And, sadly… these worries usually become realities. Unproven and inconsistent marketing causes these businesses to struggle to add clients and customers, piling more and more expense and pressure on the service provider.

To make matters worse, the current state of the economy has pushed many service providers to the brink of extinction!

Smart, proactive marketing is now, more than ever, imperative if you want your business to survive.

You know this is true but, if you are like most, the pressure to increase your marketing efforts combined with the stress that comes with not knowing what or how to do it can be absolutely frustrating.

The Silver Lining in the Gray Clouds of Uncertainty & Economic Turmoil

Yes, right now, nothing short of a revolution is occurring that is drastically changing the way practically all businesses get more business, especially service/client-based businesses.

The days of expensive print ads and living off business cards are all but gone. Your clients and customers use digital means to seek, sort and select their massage therapist, spa, lawyer, dentist, accountant, realtor, chiropractor, interior designer, pet groomer, roofer, remodeler, etc…

What is so great about this shift? In my opinion, there are two really great ways this shift helps you.

First…

Most business owners are slow to respond to this digital shift. Even though it is almost 2010, many are still dropping thousands on Yellow Page ads that yield only a handful of calls each month. Most businesses don’t do much more than print business cards and pray that someone asks them for one. This “delayed reaction” gives you an opportunity to jump way out in front by establishing your presence online… where people are actually looking.

Second…

The old methods of marketing were expensive and very hard to measure. In contrast, marketing online is, by and large, very inexpensive, if not free, and, in most cases, your efforts are measurable. This takes the stress and worry out the equation. Once you know a few Internet marketing strategies and tactics, you can put them in place with confidence that they will produce measurable results.

“The people that used to try and sell me a $10K Yellow Page ad are now offering to build me a website for $20K”.

This comment did not surprise me because the client’s service-based business is the kind ad agencies love. His market is relatively small and his cost per transaction is huge. The ad agency knew that reaching his small market would be cheap and just one sale would bring them a fat reward. Unfortunately, most businesses are not in the unique position of having a small market and a high priced product so a full-service marketing agency is simply not affordable.

So, what can you do?

Why not find out more about our Charter Membership or just jump right in and do the Demo.