No time, no money and too overwhelmed to market? No problem!

The success of your service business depends on your ability to consistently and effectively market your solutions. So why is it that so few solopreneurs are spending the necessary time and energy on marketing? In my coaching work, these are the excuses I hear most often:

1. “I don’t have enough time to market”
2. “I don’t have enough money to market my business”
3. “I’m too overwhelmed to market”

If you find that you have similar thoughts running through your mind, I have good news for you! There are simple strategies you can tap into to bust through these excuses and find the time, money and organization that you need to market consistently. Once you put these excuses behind you, you’ll be able to create the successful business that you’ve always wanted.

• “I don’t have enough time to market” – When you own your own business, you often wear a number of different “hats” each day. From following up with clients to planning new programs, to doing the actual work of your service business, your day is packed with various tasks. But marketing is an essential activity that you have to make time for on a monthly, weekly and daily basis. By diligently setting asides specific blocks of time to work on your marketing, you can easily create massive visibility for your work in just a few hours each week. With just a bit of planning, you’ll be able to fit marketing no matter how busy your schedule seems.

• “I don’t have enough money to market my business.” – If you’re thinking of marketing in terms of sending out direct mail pieces, buying advertising space or printing flyers, you may think that you don’t have enough money for marketing. While it’s true that there are many marketing activities that cost money, there are dozens of free to low-cost ways to market your services. For example, leveraging social media and hosting teleseminars is not only very effective but completely free. Don’t try to reinvent the week and make the process more difficult than it needs to be!  By implementing low-cost marketing methods you can increase your reach even on a budget.

• “I’m too overwhelmed to market.” – If this is your mantra, it’s time to change your perspective about your business. No matter how busy you are with your current clients, you need to  market consistently to keep your pipeline full and your income steady. The solution lies in your creating s specific marketing plan to achieve your goals and then working that plan. In doing so you will avoid getting distracted by irrelevant opportunities and feelings of overwhelm, because you will be taking action on the RIGHT activities week in and week out.  This will help you feel more positive, in control and less overwhelmed – all while you are consistently enrolling ideal clients into your practice.

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right” – Henry Ford. We are all gifted the same amount of time each day.  What you choose to do with that time is entirely up to you.  But know this, you will not grow your business and achieve your goals if you don’t market your solutions.  So you can’t afford NOT to invest time and financial resources into connecting with the people that need what you have to offer.   Don’t allow excuses to stand in the way of your ability to create the profitable and successful business you deserve!

YOUR ACTION PLAN FOR THIS WEEK

1.       Take note of how you spend your work day. Chances are you can eliminate common time wasters to create at least 1-2 hours that can be spent on marketing each day.

2.       Make an appointment with yourself, within the next seven days to block out time to create your marketing plan.

3.       During your appointment with yourself, research ways to automate your marketing. For example, create a schedule for updating your blog and pre-plan your monthly posting schedule and how/where you will distribute that information.

4.       Schedule time each week to implement your marketing plan. Don’t leave this to chance or allow anything to interfere with this appointment.

5.       Keep going! Once you’ve taken the time to establish a marketing plan, keep taking action and work your plan week after week.