Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross

Your business is only as solid as your cash flow.  And, your cash flow better be positive… which means: you BETTER have paying customers. Your business is only as strong as you have customers knocking on your door.

As small business owners, we concentrate on SO many things.  Often times, it is easy to focus on the things we like most, the things that come easiest to us.  For many of us, this focus is on our craft, our art, our talent.  We started our business because we love to take photos, or play with paper, or design weddings.  But, we may not be as strong in other areas: selling or promoting.  There are probably days that we choose to work on our craft over choosing to sell, or promote.

ALWAYS be PROMOTING

I love movies.  And, the classic film Glengarry Glen Ross paints a brutal portrayal of the cutthroat salesperson.  Alec Baldwin’s character gives a killer performance as Blake, a corporate executive, who is sent to motivate salesmen in his company.  He delivers the iconic line “Always Be Closing”… as in… you must always be closing a sale.  (Here is a clip of this famous scene.  Warning: VERY explicit language.)

Well, in order to have a sale to close, you first need to promote, and then you need to sell.  The first step needs to be PROMOTION.  ALWAYS be PROMOTING!

One hour each day

Every single day, you must carve out at least hour to work on promotional and marketing activities.  (If you prefer to block out one day a week instead, I’m OK with this.)  This “promotional hour” is a MUST.  Why?  Because without any leads, you have no sales. Without any sales, you have no cash. Without cash, you have no business.  It’s that simple.

What do I consider to be a “promotional activity”?  Anything that can lead to a potential inquiry or consult.  Here are some examples:

  • Email 10 vendors to arrange a coffee date (new contacts and old ones)
  • Send 10 thank you notes to people you admire
  • Arrange a venue/site visit  (get to know the catering manager at a venue)
  • Call a fellow colleague and ask them how they are promoting their business – brainstorm together
  • Follow up on clients who’ve inquired and not yet replied to you (I do this every 3-5 days until I hear back from that person)
  • Organize a networking event
  • Join a networking group; attend a group meeting
  • Volunteer at an event
  • Attend a networking event
  • Create a fun “mailer” – something catchy and fun for people to learn more about you and your business

In my opinion, these are the “low-hanging fruit”.  (They also happen to be inexpensive or FREE.)  Relationship building leads to referrals. Referrals are the greatest source of business for small business owners.  Notice that I did not list social media.  I assume that if you are reading this blog, you are doing plenty of social media networking.  Social media networking is a MUST for businesses today… and, I think most of you are doing a great job at this.  It is the tried-n-true “person to person” promotional efforts that need some building… and will bring you a lot of bang for your buck!  (More on this tomorrow.)

Be Strategic

Be intentional with your meetings, your visits, networking events, your volunteering.  Make it a point to meet the people who will be a best match for your business and your client.  You don’t need to network with every single cake baker in your city.  You need to network with the cake bakers that do business with YOUR TARGET MARKET.  (If you haven’t read our post about defining your customer, read it here.)

In a nutshell: make sure that each day has some time devoted to promoting, selling, and closing… your cash flow will thank you for it.

What do you think?  What is a GREAT way to spend your time promoting?