Image by lululemon athletica via Flickr

You’ve created your vision for your family life and business. You made a list of goals, and you’ve identified systems that can help with efficiency, time management, and overall household peace. Now it’s time to break down your systems and goals into smaller tasks and start implementation.

Step 1 – Prioritize Your Goals

To prevent you from getting overwhelmed, take your list of goals and prioritize them. But where to start, you ask? Here are some ways you can do it:

• What needs to happen first in order for other goals to be completed?
• What will be most exciting to do first?
• What is the easiest goal to reach (or the hardest)?

You could re-write your list of goals in the order they will be completed. Some people choose to write each goal on a sticky note and put them on a board in order of priority.

Step 2 – Break Down the Larger Goals into Chunks of Smaller Goals

Not all goals will require this step, but some of your goals may require a lot more time or tasks to complete than others. For example, say you want to schedule social media posts for a week at a time, but you need an automation system first. A smaller goal would be choosing and setting up an automation system, before you can begin writing and scheduling your posts.

Step 3 – Complete a Timeline or Calendar for Completion of Goals

For each goal, decide how long it will take to complete each one, and create a target date for its completion. Be sure to consider how much time you will have available to dedicate to working towards your goals. Will you work three hours a day at once, or two hours in the morning and one in the evening? What will your schedule be like?

Step 4 – Break Down Your Goals Into Action Steps

The next step would be to take each larger goal and break them up into action steps. You may want to do some mind-mapping. Another method is to work backwards from the goal by first writing down the last step to be completed to reach the goal, then writing down the step that comes before that, and before that, until they get to very first step.

You may also want to notice whether tasks will be completed only once or multiple times. For example, setting up your automation system is a one-time task. Sitting down to schedule your posts will be a task you’ll do multiple times over the course of the summer.

Step 5 – Schedule Or Delegate Your Action Items

By the time you finish writing down all your tasks, you should just be able to plug your tasks into your calendar. I haven’t talked much about breaking down your personal goals, but I think it is very important to schedule tasks for your personal goals before your professional goals. This includes any self-care activities.

I realize for birth pros who are on-call, births are going to trump the personal activities. However, still go ahead make your family and personal goals your first priority. By the nature of your work, duty calls when your clients need you. However, you still need to live your personal life. Have backup plans in place, for births as well as for changing family plans. Each situation will dictate what backup plan will be needed when you have to attend to your clients.

Once your personal goals are accounted for, add in your individual business tasks, taking into effect how much time you will have to dedicate to each action item. Some people like to group similar tasks to be more efficient. For example, they might research two different topics or set up email templates and send out marketing emails in one sitting.

Now, there may be some action items that you can outsource. You may decide that having your home cleaned weekly is important to you, so you’re going to hire someone to do it with you because that means you’ll have more time for your family! You may hate keeping track of your books and decide to hire a bookkeeper to help you, or a virtual assistant to take care of scheduling your social media and blog posts that you’ve written. You can even delegate some action items to your kids!

Step 6 – Have an Accountability System to Complete Your Goals

You have come all this way… make sure you actually take ACTION and work towards your goals to keep your business running smoothly while dedicating time to your family. Have a way to keep yourself accountable to your family and to your business.

Once you get all your tasks in your calendar, make sure you look at them daily, and dedicate the time to do them. Ask your spouse or a friend to check in with you at certain days and times and ask about your progress. Have your kids remind you that today is the day you promised to take them bowling.

Step 7 – Celebrate and Enjoy Your Summer

When your systems are in place, you will discover how much more efficient you can be when you have to work on your business. With schedules in place, you’ll know exactly when you’ll have to time to work and what needs to be done. Your kids will appreciate the predictability of their days, knowing what the agenda is for today, tomorrow and next week. You will all have activities and events to look forward to, and your life will feel more at ease.

Celebrate when you hit important milestones and meet your large goals. And most of all, enjoy the freedom you will have knowing you are organized and will be able to dedicate time to both your family and your business. It does take some initial planning and work to get started, but it will really be worth it. Here’s to keeping your sanity and having the summer you envisioned!

These posts may also inspire you:

1. 5 Steps to Summer Sanity: Family Vision (Part 1)
2. Five Steps Summer Sanity: Your Systems (Part 4)
3. 5 Steps to Summer Sanity: Goal Setting (Part 3)

Image by edgeplot via Flickr

So far, you have created a vision for family and business, and you’ve set some attainable goals. How are you going to get everything done and feel great at the end of the day? It will take a system. Or two. Or three.

When my week runs smoothly, it is typically the result of me creating a plan and following through with it. All events have made it into my calendar and I refer to it throughout the day. I have made a menu plan that works around our schedule, bought the groceries and have the recipes out and ready to use. I’ve made a list of goals and tasks for the week and have been diligent and focused in my work. I’ve built in some self-care activities to reconnect with myself and others.

What makes my plans work so well has everything to do with the systems I’ve put in place and the rhythm those systems have helped create in my life. “Failing to plan means planning to fail” happens to me, that’s for sure!

Step 4 is to determine what systems need to be put in place to help with planning, organization and efficiency for your home and business. The two part process includes assessing what systems you currently have in place, and then identifying any new systems that will help you thrive.

Assess current systems

You probably already have some systems that work very well for you, and there are possibly some that no longer serve you. Our business, our kids and even we grow and change, and making adjustments to the way we work and live help us be more deliberate and conscious as we go through each day.

Here are some questions you can ask to help you examine your current systems:

• Does your current way of living and working make it easy to meet your summer goals?
• Do you have all the tools and resources you need?
• What’s not working for you right now? Are you disorganized? Is your space cluttered? Have your kids outgrown clothes/toys/etc.?
• Do you have childcare options available for the times you need to work?
• Do you have a good time management system?
• Do you have an accountability partner to help keep you on task?
• Are there any systems that have worked for you in the past that you can brush off and start using again?

Determine what systems need to be put in place

So, you’ve looked at what’s working now and what systems would be good to start using again. Now it’s time to think about brand new systems that can help make your life easier this summer. This will take some planning, but it will make your days and weeks run smoothly. Here are some examples:

Systems for Business

1. Have a specified area in your home to work on your business, along with the tools and supplies to make working easy and even enjoyable.
2. Schedule your work hours and keep them.
3. Create jobs that your kids might help you with. I’ve had my kids help with collating papers and putting together files, shredding paper, data entry, and setting up my classroom.
4. Saved email templates to answer common questions.
5. Updated class dates, rates and FAQs on your website so you can refer people there for more information.
6. Pre-made sets of client folders, interview packets, and class confirmations to mail or send out.
7. An updated marketing plan that outlines the strategies and tactics you utilize to market your business.
8. A monthly marketing calendar to plan all marketing activities for the next 2-3 months.
9. Use a blog post planner to jot down post ideas, and a blog calendar to schedule them. I like the blog planner from Productive Flourishing, and the blog calendar from Blog Energizer (you’ll need to sign up to get free access to the site). Both are free!
10. A social marketing calendar to pre-plan your Tweets and Facebook posts. I use the above-mentioned blog planner and calendars to plan and schedule my social marketing posts too.
11. Use a free service like Hootsuite or TweetDeck to schedule your social marketing posts for days and weeks ahead. (You will still want to interact often with your audience in real time, but a scheduling tool can help keep you in front of your fans and followers).
12. Make a checklist of your administrative tasks and how often they need to be done. Add those tasks to your calendar. I LOVE the Planner Pad paper-based calendar to track and schedule my action items.
13. If you have a smart phone, what apps can you get to help improve your productivity? My favorite iPhone app for business is Trip Cubby to track my mileage.

Systems for Family Life

1. Make a family calendar that can be posted where everyone can see the schedule.
2. Have a plan for childcare for the hours you are working.
3. Take your list of activities you created and schedule them into your week. I like to plan activities in the morning to get us up and out of bed and making the most of our day. I’ll probably also wake up earlier than the kids to get a little work out of the way each day.
4. Have a list of chores for your kids to help around the house. It’s so much easier to direct them to the list than it is to nag at them to empty the dishwasher or scrub the toilet. It’ll also help keep your house tidy.
5. Plan play time, sleepovers and outings with friends.
6. Allow for lots of downtime. Boredom often leads the way to creativity, and it’s wonderful to see what kids come up with.
7. Have materials and instructions available for projects the kids can do on the fly.
8. Create limits for screen time. I’ve found too much screen time makes my kids irritable and hyperactive. It’s almost as if after a long period of sitting, their minds have to catch up with their bodies.
9. Sign the kids up for your library’s reading program. Barnes and Noble and other book stores also typically have a reading program with various incentives.
10. Create weekly menus and get the kids involved with the shopping and cooking.
11. If you have a smart phone, find some apps to help keep you organized. For iPhone I love PageOnce (to track banking and bills), GroceryIQ (grocery list creator that syncs with online account), SnapTell (price comparison for books), HeyTell (makes your phone into a walkie talkie), and AroundMe (to find stores, restaurants that are, well around you).

What other systems do you use or want to create? Please share in the comments or on the Inspired Birth Pro page on Facebook.

Tomorrow we’ll wrap up this series and talk about breaking down your goals and creating the systems you want to implement.

These posts may also inspire you:

1. 5 Steps to Summer Sanity: Family Vision (Part 1)
2. 5 Steps to Summer Sanity: Goal Setting (Part 3)
3. 5 Steps to Summer Sanity: Breaking It Down (Part 5)

In order to move forward, it’s important to create structure in your LIFE. This will help you immensely in giving you the mental and emotional space necessary to invest in your business.

If you’re not sure what I mean, perhaps these questions will help you:

• Do you have a time management system that helps guide your day?
• Do you feel peaceful in your home environment? Is it a place that’s comfortable for you (tidy, organized, filled with objects and people you love)?
• Do you have a positive relationship with money (is it coming in, is it sticking around, do you know where it is and where it’s going)?
• Are you nurturing your sacred relationships?

You may notice that these questions don’t necessarily relate directly to your business. In reality, it’s all very deeply related. What happens in your personal relationships with time, home, money and loved ones can affect your ability to focus on your business.

If you feel overwhelmed and frustrated about a certain area of your life, think about a system or process you can implement that will help you feel calm and confident about that. For example, I have recently been frustrated with my use of time. I have a solid system for keeping track of my appointments, and I’m good about creating to do lists. For the past few months, my personal tasks and responsibilities been taking precedence over my business building tasks, so I feel unbalanced in both areas. Basically, I have not been as effective with prioritizing what needs to be done in my business, making a plan and focusing on it.

Recently when I met with a friend, I saw her using a Planner Pad and asked to look at it. I’ve tried so many kinds of paper-based planners and haven’t loved them. I think the Planner Pad could work for me. I just received it yesterday and will begin using it next week, and I am very excited. Ultimately, my intention is to have a more streamlined way of combining my personal and business to-do lists with my calendar so I can focus appropriately and be more productive when I devote time to my business.

Your business is just one facet of life. Sometimes I see my business as one of my children. It demands my time and requires a certain amount of emotional and mental presence in order to develop and grow. By identifying and creating peace in areas outside of my business, it opens up stagnant energy (frustration and overwhelm) that I can dedicate to my practice.

Here are a couple of coaching questions to help guide you:

• What is an area in your life that, if you implement a new process or system, will free up time and energy to positively focus on your business?
• What one change can you make today to create a new system or modify an existing one?

I’d love to hear what you plan to do!

These posts may also inspire you:

1. Preventing Burnout from Attending Births
2. Getting Your Books Straight
3. 10 Tips for Taming That Paper

Although I’ve had my own business for ten years, I’ve never had a good grip on keeping track of my mileage. I could never remember to write down the miles in those little booklets, and basically what I’ve done is estimate miles based on the appointments I kept in my calendar. I bet I lost out on mileage deductions over the years for all the small trips I made.

In July, I researched and decided to try Trip Cubby, an iPhone application created by App Cubby. For $4.99, it’s been well worth it!

I simply add a new trip, type in what the purpose of the trip is, my destination, the odometer reading on my car, and whether I should be paid for this trip. Once you add your first trip, your starting mileage is pre-populated in the odometer start field with the ending odometer reading from the previous trip.

At the end of every month, I email the trip information for the month to myself, and App Cubby sends me a CVS file with all my data. It’s going to make tax time infinitely easier!

App Cubby also has a syncing feature that allows your data to be saved on their servers in case your phone goes on the fritz or you want to sync the information to other phones.

I’ll still have to figure out my mileage for the first half of this year, but next year is going to be a breeze!

Do you use another type of smart phone and use a similar app to track your mileage? Let us know about it!

These posts may also inspire you:

1. Use Online Map Software to Help Track Mileage
2. Ten More Top iPhone Apps for Busy Mompreneurs for Work, Life and Play
3. Five Steps Summer Sanity: Your Systems (Part 4)

I love my iPhone, and I’m always searching for great apps to make my work and my life more efficient. The most recent list I came across was the Top 10 iPhone Apps for Busy Mompreneurs for Work, Life and Play on MOMeo Magazine. I don’t know that I’d call them the top apps to have, but I do actually use two of the apps mentioned – Shazam for tagging songs that I want to buy later, and OpenTable for making restaurant reservations.

Here are the apps that I use most frequently for work, life and play:

1. Toodledo – This to-do list is for those who love to compartmentalize their lives into different categories. This is perfect for the busy birth professional and mom! Set up different folders for work, home, and family tasks. Identify goals you would like to meet and link specific tasks to help you achieve those goals. Group tasks by priority or due date. The combinations are endless. What I also like about Toodledo is that you can link and sync it to a free online Toodledo account. There are even plugins or add-ons to get access to your Toodledoo account through your email, Google, Firefox and more. Basically, there’s no excuse to not have access to your to-do list if you have your computer or phone nearby. I don’t typically like to pay for apps, but this one is worth it for the syncing capability. $3.99
2. Trip Cubby – I will admit that I’ve been terrible about keeping track of my mileage. Every year I depend on my calendar to backtrack where I’ve gone and calculate the miles I drove. It’s worked, but I’ve missed out on expensing a lot of miles for all the little trips, like going to the post office or the office supply store, and other random errands. This year, I’ve developed the habit of tracking my mileage real time using Trip Cubby. I record where I’m going, the purpose of the trip, and I enter the starting and ending mileage. At the end of the month, I email myself a log for all the driving I’ve done, and it arrives in my mailbox as a neat and organized spreadsheet. Yay! Another app to pay for, but well worth it. $4.99
3. Paymo.biz – In the last few months, I started doing some contract work and am paid by the hour. I was so glad to find Paymo.biz, which is an online timekeeping program and invoicing system. You can create a free online account that allows you to create clients, projects and tasks so you can track not only your time, but what you did during that time. If you have contracted to work a certain number of hours for a client, you can also track the total time you’ve worked for a client. The free version of the program allows you to send up to three invoices each month. The iPhone app allows you to clock in and out, and you can also edit times you’ve already worked. This data will automatically sync with your online account. Free
4. USAA – Not useful for everyone, but if you bank at USAA and have an iPhone, you just have to use this app. What I love the most about it is the ability to deposit checks by taking a photo of the front and back of them. Is that cool or what? No more trips to the bank to deposit checks! Free
5. Grocery IQ – With Grocery IQ, I am able to scan the UPC code of many national brands of products and add the price and aisle I find it in. I can create a list of favorite items, create lists for each store I need to shop at, and once I put the item in the cart, I can check it off. It keeps a running tally of what I can expect to spend, which helps with budgeting, and at the end of the trip, I can check out. I can’t say that this program is saving me lots of time yet. I’ve only been using it for a couple of months, so I’m still organizing and adding to my lists. Even with the scanning capability, there are lots of products (like the store brand products) that are not in the database. However, it has been valuable to have a list of prices for future reference and the running tally of what I’ll be spending while I’m shopping. It’s also helped me identify prices that are wrong in the store’s system! Free
6. SnapTell – Such a simple program. With the phone, take a picture of any book or media product, and the program will tell you where you can buy it – online and locally. I use it any time I find a great birth or business book and it tells me the cheapest place to buy it. Brilliant. Free
7. RedLaser – Another shopping assistant. Scan just about any barcode and find out where to buy it on or offline. If SnapTell can’t find it, RedLaser usually can. I use this for everything from office supplies to vitamins to cleaning products. Free
8. AroundMe – This app is a must have if you’re traveling for work or play, and it’s also handy in your own town. Open it up to search for nearby restaurants, gas stations, restaurants and more. Sometimes if I have time to kill between a client meeting and picking my kids up from school, I’ll use AroundMe to look for a coffee shop to hang out at for an hour or two. Select a location and it opens up Google Maps so you can get directions or a phone number. Free
9. LivingSocial and Groupon – If you’re lucky enough to have either or both of these services in your area, you need these apps on your phone. LivingSocial and Groupon sends out daily emails with coupon savings from a local business, usually for at least 50% off of their services. Buy their deal, and your coupons are saved to your account and are accessible through their iPhone apps. No need to print out a coupon, just show your coupon by opening up the app. Save money and paper, and get some great deals! Free
10. Fandango – My family likes going to the movies, and Fandango is a great app to see what’s playing at a theater near you. You can order tickets through the app too, yay! Free

Do you have any iPhone apps that help you to save time and money? I want to know what they are!

And, if you have another type of smartphone and have some favorite apps, I’d like to welcome you to write a guest post, so contact me about it!

These posts may also inspire you:

1. Time Management Strategies for Work-Life Balance, Part I
2. Mileage Tracker for iPhone Users: Trip Cubby
3. New Thoughts on Time Management Based on the Numbers 3, 6, and 9

1. Set goals. You don’t necessarily need to create a 10 page business plan with financial projections and detailed market research for your birth business. It does help, however, to create goals spanning out 6-12 months, and maybe as far out as 3-5 years. What is the ideal number of clients you will have each month? How much money do you want to be making in a year? And what steps do you need to take to get there?
2. Identify the important roles you play in real life. For example, I am a childbirth educator, birth doula, a business coach, a mother, a wife, and the shuttle bus driver for my kids between home and school and all their activities. Within each role, I have a number of responsibilities and need to make time for them all.
3. Create a schedule and start with the “big rocks” first. Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” has written and presented a demonstration he has big container with pebbles in it. He has an audience member try to put in several large rocks, and it’s impossible to fit them all in. He has another container of the same size with big rocks in it. When the audience member pours in the pebbles, they easily fill in all the cracks and all the rocks and pebbles fit. This is a metaphor for scheduling the “big rocks” first, or the activities that mean the most to you for the roles in your life. The rest of your responsibilities can then be fit in the spaces of your schedule.
4. Schedule in regular time for personal renewal. Self-care is critical for maintaining energy and emotional and physical health. Be sure to schedule time for yoga, lunch with a friend, or those music or art lessons you’ve been wanting to take on a regular basis. Define what your self-care “big rocks” are going to be so you can be sure to nurture yourself and the important relationships in your life. You will find that the time you invest in your self-care will give you huge returns in your energy level and business and household productivity.
5. Create structures in your life to support your family and your business. A structure is a system or routine that you follow to ensure certain areas in your life run more smoothly. This will help you to sustain your energy and create more time for the things you enjoy. An example is a structure for getting your house clean. Will you do it? Will your kids help? Will you hire a housekeeper? Another structure would be for your business and how you track your paperwork.  Will you keep paperwork in a binder or manila folder? What information will you include for each client, and where will it be stored? Will you print out several sets of paperwork at one time or on a per client basis? Yet another structure can be created so you can find care for the kids when you get called to a birth. Is there a list of people to call? Do you have backs packed and meals made while you’re at a birth? What does each child need if going to a friend or relative’s home?

The initial time investment that it takes to do these tasks may seem large, but by creating supportive structures, understanding your roles and responsibilities, scheduling time for self renewal, organizing your responsibilities by priority, and identifying goals to move towards, you will find that you are more focused and productive when you work, and your time outside of work is more rewarding and less stressful.

I’d love to hear how these tips help you in your life. As always, feel free to add a comment or send me a note!

These posts may also inspire you:

1. Incorporating the Big Rocks Into Your Life
2. What’s Working and Not Working For You?
3. Where Do You Fall Short and What To Do About It

What should you include in your interview packets? Here are some suggestions:

• A welcome letter on nice stationery or letterhead
• A list of your packages/services with rates
• A copy of your agreement
• A list of references
• An article or two, especially one that you have written about any special services that you provide.

I typically put these forms into a colored manila folder and attach my business card to the outside of the folder with a paper clip. During the interview, when I get to the point where the people I’m interviewing ask about my rates, I simply whip out this folder, open it up my list of services, and show and tell. I end the interview by pointing out the letter of agreement and references.

So today, take a moment to create several interview packets. Not only will you not be rushing around pulling them together when you need to be running out the door to your next interview, but you will impress potential clients by your organization and professional presentation of your materials.

These posts may also inspire you:

1. How to Organize Birth Doula Client Files
2. 5 Tips For A Great Doula Interview
3. Client Attraction Tip – Light Your Creative Spark

Image by adesigna via Flickr

Work-Life Balance. It’s what I encourage both my doula and coaching clients to strive for, but admittedly, I could use some help in that department myself. I love what I do and consider my work my passion. It’s difficult for me at times to create boundaries around my work when I lose myself in it.

However, after having experienced two bouts of illness over the last two months, my body has made it abundantly clear that it is time for me to really walk my talk.

For the home business owner, time management is critical for maintaining peace of mind and peace within your family. It’s important that you be as productive as possible in the time you set aside for work so you can enjoy life more when you’re away from it.

Here are two questions to think about:

Based on your goals and aspirations, how many hours would you like to work each week?

Take into account time needed in your office to work on administrative tasks, time taken for interviews, client visits, workshops and networking. How many births would you like to attend each month, and how much time aside from the birth will be required per client? You should also consider other responsibilities and obligations that you have, as well as the minimum amount of time you’d like to have with your family. Remember there are only 24 hours in a day, and a chunk of that is required for basic self-care like sleeping and eating.

What days of the week and what times of day will be best for you to engage in work activities?

I like to do as much as possible while my kids are at school. I do my best to limit evening activities to one per week, and weekend activities to twice per month. It doesn’t always happen this way, but it helps me to limit myself so I don’t commit to too many activities and overburden my family by being gone too often. What would be ideal for you?

When answering these questions, it really helps to consider your values regarding your self-care and your family. When you are clear about nurturing yourself and your family BEFORE you consider how much time you’ll dedicate to work, it’s easier to say “no” to people and things that call for your attention.

What kind of adjustments to your schedule to help you make the most of your working time?

These posts may also inspire you:

1. Time Management Strategies for Work-Life Balance, Part II
2. 5 Ways to Maximize Your Time Working At Home
3. New Thoughts on Time Management Based on the Numbers 3, 6, and 9

So how do you get your name out to other professionals? Back in August, I wrote a post about Ronnie Noize the idea of developing a “Team 100″ List. Here it is again with a link to an excellent article she wrote with step-by-step instructions for building your referral network. I will also be posting a reprint of an article by author C.J. Hayden with another way to build your Team 100 List.

What is a Team 100 List?

The Team 100 is a list of 100 people with whom you have a professional relationship. These can be fellow colleagues in your field, other birth professionals, and any business owners who you would like to refer your clients to, and who could reciprocate the favor by sending clients your way.

For step-by-step instructions on creating your Team 100, read this article by marketing coach Ronnie Noize. Ronnie also has other great articles about marketing and business building and will be a great resource for you.

These posts may also inspire you:

1. Expanding Your Professional Network
2. How to Get People Talking About YOU
3. Give Thanks To Those Who Have Helped Your Business

When you think about selling a product in a store, people can see it, touch it, and sometimes sample it. It’s easier to experience a product than it is to experience a service. As a birth professional, you should develop a marketing strategy that allows people to get to know you, like you and trust you.

C.J. Hayden, author of the book “Get Clients Now”, has identified six strategies businesses need to take when marketing their businesses. She also points out that these are listed in order of effectiveness:

1. Direct Contact and Follow-Up (O)- contact by phone, in person, fax or e-mail.
2. Networking and Referral Building (O,C) – making contact with others who can help you to promote your business, in person, on the phone, or online through forums or through social media websites.
3. Public Speaking (V,C)- making a presentation, serving on a panel, leading a meeting or workshop
4. Writing and Publicity (V,C)- articles featured in print publications, on your website, blog or article directories, having articles written about you or being interviewed on radio, tv, or online through podcasts, tele-gatherings or YouTube.
5. Promotional Events (V) – participation in trade shows, free demonstrations or workshops, an event you co-sponsor, or networking events.
6. Advertising (V) – includes all the various ways one can promote a business in print, online, or other forms of media.

C.J. also identifies three types of impact each of these marketing strategies give to you – Outreach, Visibility, and Credibility. In the list above, I have put the type of impact each strategy gives you in parentheses.

The Marketing Cycle

All businesses have a marketing cycle that goes like this:

1. You fill your “pipeline” with prospective clients (O, V)
2. You follow up with prospective clients (O)
3. You get a presentation – ie: personal interview, or they see or hear you at a workshop or class (O, V, C)
4. You close sales (O, C, V)

Throughout this cycle, you utilize various marketing strategies that generate a particular impact. You’ll notice I put the type of impact required for each step in parentheses.

For example, you may do a combination of all six marketing strategies to attract new clients. Your prospective clients may be referrals from someone you have networked with. They may have found an article you wrote for a local paper, saw an interview done on you on a local news program, or perhaps they discovered your website through a Google search. You follow up with them in person, by phone or email. You build a relationship and build credibility through an interview, or they see you present as a guest speaker or read articles you have written. Finally, you close a sale through direct follow up.

Create a Marketing Plan

In order to successfully and continually attract prospective clients and close sales, it is wise to create a marketing plan that includes a combination of the six marketing strategies. C.J. Hayden offers free downloadable worksheets at her website, which can help you devise a 28-day marketing plan and tracking worksheet to help keep you on track during the month. This worksheet will help you identify your marketing goals for the next 28 days, the marketing areas that you feel need the most work, and the specific tasks you need to take to meet your goals. The tracking worksheet will help you track your marketing activities to help keep you inspired.

An additional resource that may be helpful for you is her book, Get Clients Now! to learn effective ways to implement these strategies and make the most of those free worksheets. If your local library does not have carry this book, but has online access to NetLibrary, you may be able to get free access with your library account to read an older edition of this book online.

Take Action

1. Go to the Get Clients Now! website and download the free worksheets to create your marketing plan for the next 28 days.
2. Think about the strategies that you’re weakest in and decide on one activity you can do over the next 28 days to strengthen that marketing strategy.
3. Complete the marketing worksheets and start building your pipeline!

Over the next few days we will take a look at different marketing methods. Please feel free to share your thoughts about marketing by writing a comment below.

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