I often write about marketing as it relates to more sales oriented businesses, but for those of us whose home business involves consulting or working with fewer clients on a more intimate or long-term basis, marketing involves networking, finding and cultivating clients on a more long-term basis. For many of us, this can be the most challenging part of our work.
Most of us get into consulting or freelancing because we love the work and we’re good at it. We are not necessarily gifted at sales and marketing. In fact, the actual details of getting the work done can be so consuming, it can be tough to even find the time to search, send out inquiries and proposals, and do the cultivating necessary in finding new work. We get in a groove handling our “have to do” work and before we know it, find that we need more clients and we haven’t been doing anything to attract them.
The best time to do the “fishing” for new contracts and clients, of course, is before we desperately need them. It is a good idea to build searching, queries, proposals, etc. into your daily or weekly work life instead of saving it up for when you are running out of clients. By putting a little energy into networking and searching on a regular basis, you will start to develop a process for marketing yourself and your business services that is incorporated into your ongoing operations. I have found that it helps to have a database of contacts and to keep good records of who I have contacted, when, etc., and it also helps to keep my CV and price list updated. This way, it is easy for me to respond to inquiries or contact a prospective client with information about my services and skills.
Also: Filling a Void
Turning Specialized Knowledge Into a Home Business