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Procrastination is something many of us struggle with.
Some of us make lists, moving unpleasant or difficult items regularly to the bottom of the lists. Some of us never make lists; we just conveniently keep forgetting to deal with things that we find bothersome.
If you are doing your regular work, often times the “marketing tasks” get pushed down on your to-do list. Marketing tasks somehow don’t feel as urgent as the client who is coming to your office in five minutes or the patient who needs immediate attention.
But, the truth is, that putting off marketing decisions, marketing tasks or even delaying budgeting for or paying for marketing is really like leaving money on the table.
You cannot depend on all of your clients to be your clients forever. Moreover, you cannot assume that their fees and costs of doing business with you are going to be constants. Very few companies and practices can really ignore the reality that obtaining new clients, customers or patients is the most important component of a solid business plan.
So it’s time to quit procrastinating. Start with following these steps:
- Move a marketing discussion to the top of your to-do list.
- Engage a marketing professional, and at least begin the conversation. Try to be sure that whomever you hire “gets” you and your business.
- Be sure to state what you feel are your most pressing marketing needs, but allow the marketing professional to also give you some advice to what they see as your most pressing needs.
- Be sure to follow through with what is asked of you, whether it is reading copy of revised website materials or engaging staff to get their opinions as to what marketing materials work best in your office.