The feast or famine syndrome is something all independent consultants, freelancers, or self-employed persons in general have to deal with. It's the nature of business, particularly in some industries, such as healthcare. Fortunately, there are steps you can take that will make the peaks and valleys of your cash flow a little less significant.
The problem that most consultants face is that from time to time, business starts pouring in and time becomes scarce. Many entrepreneurs tend to put marketing on the back burner when things get brisk, because they think they can't handle any more business at that time anyway. As a result, marketing gets neglected until business slows significantly, and then rushed, unplanned, and last-ditch marketing efforts are thrown together in an attempt to bring in enough business to pay the bills.
What most freelancers fail to realize is that creating a marketing plan that should be followed no matter what, and sticking to it, will result in a much steadier stream of business and income. You will never eliminate the feast or famine syndrome entirely, but you can learn to plan and prioritize in such a way that a slow month or two isn't a major issue. Having a basic marketing plan that is to be followed through consistently over a period of time, and having planned, well thought-out activities that are to be utilized to ramp up your marketing campaign during slow periods is the best way to keep your consulting cash flow more consistent.
Conveying a consistent message repeatedly and regularly to a target audience over a period of time is the most effective way to deliver your marketing communication. Whether your typical marketing plan is planned ahead for one month, three months, six months, or a year or more, it should be broken down into manageable pieces that are to be completed in regular intervals. This is to ensure that your efforts will be spread out pretty consistently, and not conducted in brief spurts. By planning activities that you will utilize on a weekly basis, you will ensure that your audience will have an opportunity to receive your message at least monthly, which depending on the nature of your business, may be frequent enough to keep your business top-of-mind.
Consistent marketing efforts don't have to require a significant amount of your time or a lot of money. Many independent consultants primarily use free or nearly free methods of marketing their business with great success. Marketing strategies such as networking, maintaining an up-to-date website or blog, an article marketing campaign, and sharing your expertise on online discussion boards are all free or low cost ways to bring in new business. They are also all easily broken down into manageable goals and small commitments of time, and these are the types of marketing strategies that you want to focus on for your basic marketing plan.
In creating a weekly marketing plan, you should choose three or four activities that you would like to complete each week, and set a realistic goal for yourself that you are willing to commit to without fail. You could commit to writing two articles per week and submitting them to online article directories or to trade publications in your industry. You could set a goal to update your website or blog at least three times each and every week, or attend at least one networking event per week. You could set a goal of making a minimum of two new business contacts each week, using a combination of in-person networking and online social networking.
Ideally, your plan should consist of several types of marketing activities, but if your schedule truly does not permit that level of commitment, a minimum of two. Think about yourself and the marketing messages that you encounter each and every day. Seeing an advertisement or a mention of a business might impact you if the message is a good one, but seeing that same business again in a different medium or different context the very next day might make you think that this particular business must be doing quite well to be that prevalent in the media. A perception that a business is well established or does high quality will typically favorably influence potential clients or customers.
Be sure to have a back-up plan prepared in advance. There will still be slow times, and when you have extra time, you want to have well thought-out strategies that you can tap into. Trying to plan and execute marketing tactics at the last minute, during periods of stress, can only increase your anxiety. It's important to maintain a positive attitude as an independent consultant, and you don't want your clients or potential clients to pick up on your negative vibes.
While strategic planning might not be your favorite activity, having a consistent plan will allow you to stay more organized, more focused, and more able to devote your undivided attention to the needs of your clients. Your marketing message will be consistently delivered to your target audience, and your slow periods won't be as severe. When those slow times do come, your back-up plan will be waiting to be implemented, and you'll be back to being busy in no time.
Some years ago, I had a good friend who was a minister, and every Sunday he would scan the congregation, checking to see how many people were there. He took it personally when people didn't show up, and he was correct in his assumption that people came to see him and hear him preach. Whatever else they felt about that church, HE was the church. When he left, a lot of people stopped attending. Just like ministers, when you have a professional practice, YOU are the practice. People associate the practice with you, and they come in to the practice because of you.
Whether you intend to associate, or to work as an independent contractor renting space from someone, or to start your own solo practice, you need to think about how you will market yourself to people in your community so they will come to your practice.
It's all about KNOW-LIKE-TRUST. People first have to know you; they need to feel they know who you are and what you stand for. Then they have to like you; they have to feel that there is a connection between you and then through this "liking-ness" finally, they have to be led to trust you. Trust only comes by interacting with people over time. So how will you develop this Know-Like-Trust thing?
First, you have to decide who you are and what makes you special so people can get to know you. But people won't know how special you are unless you either tell them or they figure it out from talking with you. You can communicate your uniqueness just by talking about your interests and passions. In communication, when you tell someone a fact about you, this empowers them to tell you a fact about them. This exchange of personal information grows into a conversation and into knowing. You can also get people to know you through advertising. For example, include your photo in your ads; tell about yourself on your website, and include photos of your family. But "getting to know you" is only the beginning.
Next, you have to get people to like you. This may be difficult or easy for you, depending upon your personality. People like people who:
Smile
Look them in the eye
Sincerely listen and respond
Evidence compassion
Say, "I like you"
If you're not now comfortable with the interpersonal thing, you'll need to work on this. Practice smiling at people and looking at them for a second or two. (Don't look too long, or they'll think you're staring.) Learn to listen. A very wise person once told me, "You learn nothing when you talk, because you know what you're saying already. You learn when you listen." And listen actively. Active listening is the practice of paying close attention to a speaker and asking questions to ensure full comprehension. Active listening also helps promote a relationship, because people like people who care enough to listen.
What about this "I like you" business? Well, the "world's greatest salesman" (as attested to by none other than the Guinness Book of World Records) is a guy named Joe Girard. Joe sold used cars better than anyone else because he understood the KLT principle, and worked on it every day. He knew that people like people who say, "I like you." So he would say this. But the trick, as he knew, is to mean it. If you're not sincere in saying you like someone, they'll know immediately and be turned off.
But knowing you and liking you are still not enough. You must get people to trust you. The only way to gain trust is over time. And trust is about two things: professionalism and integrity. Your professionalism must be evident everywhere in the community. Do you look like an unshaven bum when you go to the store on a Sunday morning? If you're the soccer coach, do you show up for every practice prepared and enthusiastic? If you're on a Rotary committee, do you pitch in and work hard?
It's also about integrity. The root of the word "integrity" is "integer." If you remember your math, an integer is a whole number. So integrity has to do with wholeness. It means your whole life is unified; it means what you say and what you do are in congruence. It also implies completeness. Are you completely honest in your dealings with clients? With vendors? With other professionals in the community?
The sooner you get busy creating that personal marketing plan, by working on the principles of Know-Like-Trust, the faster you'll be able to gain patients when you start into practice.
Both Arstringfellow & Jean Murray, Mba, Phd are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Arstringfellow has sinced written about articles on various topics from Tax, Building Brand Identity and Tax. Angela Stringfellow is a Marketing Communications Consultant. She frequently writes about marketing strategies for those interested in ?>Starti. Arstringfellow's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.
Jean Murray, Mba, Phd has sinced written about articles on various topics from self improvement and motivation, Strategic Planning and The Beach Resort. Copyright 2007 Jean Wilson Murray, MBA, PhD.Dr. Jean Murray has been advising small business owners since 1974. As the founder of Planning for Practice Success, she specializes in assisting health care professionals with business plan construction and st. Jean Murray, Mba, Phd's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.