Marketing: Know your seasons
by Joan Friedlander

Fuel for your business

Like many capable business owners and professionals, you are probably great at what you do and not so great at — nor thrilled about — marketing your services. We sometimes seem to spend more time marketing than actually conducting business. I have met more than one entrepreneur so turned off by their conceptions of marketing and what it takes, that they find themselves completely stumped and floundering.

There are many great ideas about how to effectively market yourself and your service-based business, and as many rules as there are marketing experts. Consider these:

• You should be out networking 3-4 nights a week
• Public speaking is the key to marketing success
• You need a 30-second commercial that will attract attention
• You need a user-friendly, interesting, information-filled Web site
• You need a good PR person
• You need to write (brilliant) articles
• Tell everyone you meet what you do — even at the grocery store!
• Follow-up is key, etc.
  

The list goes on. All are true, yet in their entirety can be overwhelming. After all, you have your own style, strengths and talents, an aversion to certain activities, and you have limited time and resources.

If you are not going to market 24/7, then what amount of time should you spend? If there are at least 100 marketing activities from which to choose, which are best for you? And just when should you be doing what?

Identifying and leveraging seasonal cycles
If you've been in business for a few years, you've probably observed a rhythm to your business. You may have noticed times when interest in your products or services seems to pick up without much effort on your part. If you look closely, it's likely that some of this ebb and flow coincides with the seasons and artificial markers in life.

For example, let's look at how the winter holidays impact business.

• Most retailers and gift/product-based businesses generate as much as 80% of their revenue between Thanksgiving and New Year's, so this is the time they pour on the advertising dollars — buying bigger newspaper ads, running more promotions, and buying more TV time. Some companies advertise on TV only at this time of year. These companies are leveraging the natural cycles of their business opportunities and don't expend time and resources to the same degree at other times
  
  
• For service-based businesses that cater to individuals, the winter holidays probably are not a prime time for new business. People are too busy. Vacation, family and holiday commitments virtually derail them from normal business. People may meet with you in November and December, but more than likely they won't commit to anything until January.
  
  
• My business experiences a natural fall-off between October and December when some clients are ready to take a break or wrap up their coaching. This provides me an opportunity to prepare for new business and to take time off, and is an ideal time to meet prospective clients, schedule speaking engagements, prepare new programs, etc. This way, come January, when people are ready to set goals and focus on business again, I am ready.
  

Other seasonal markers
Spring breeds increased action for people. The sun is coming out and everyone is ready to emerge from the sluggishness of winter. It's time for spring-cleaning and a great time if your services support people in “clearing out the cobwebs.”

September marks when children return to school, people return from vacations, and the world gets back to work — if only for a short period. Clients who start with you at this time either will be short-term or move easily through the holidays.

Summer can go both ways, and seems to be more individually based. I have had clients begin coaching in July, and July has been good for new memberships in an association to which I belong. Summer is also an important marketing and selling time for product-based business impacted by the winter holidays.

Relief from the 24/7 marketing compulsion
By thinking about when and how to focus marketing activities throughout the year, you can corral the marketing “beast” and gain relief from the 24/7 marketing compulsion. Check out Fuel cells for tips on how to focus marketing activities within your own business.

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Fuel cells

Track your business seasons

Once you understand the “seasons” of your business, you can plan better for and know when to focus on certain marketing activities. This can help you avoid a great deal of frustration and needless expenditure of time and resources.

• Step 1 — Answer the following to evaluate the life cycle and value of your clients and customers

1. Do my customers purchase services from me over a long period, or do they buy once?
2. How many products does one customer buy?
3. How long does the average customer stay with me?
4. How much does the average customer spend with me?
5. How much money do I make per gig?
6. What is my monthly income and how does it change from month to month?
   

The shorter the cycle, the more frequently you need to focus on marketing activities that generate new prospects. The less money you make per client, the more clients you need. The results can be a real eye-opener — potentially affecting how and when you market your services, as well as how you decide to do business in the future.

• Step 2 — Plot your monthly revenue on a spreadsheet (If you hire someone to track your income and expenses, ask for his/her help).

Start your spreadsheet by listing clients or customers with whom you contract over time in the left-most column. Then, plot your monthly income for each client across the page. Do this for the last two calendar years for best results. This will help you determine the average life cycle of your clients. (If you have been in business less than a year, this is a great way to get to know your business. Consider this a head start.)

If you offer different products or services, list them separately down the left-hand side of your chart and show the months going across. In this way, you can evaluate the value of your different products, programs, and/or clients and customers, which will help you know when you need to focus on marketing.

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Fuel for your soul

Consider these words of wisdom:

“Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” 
— Thomas Carlyle

“They see the pattern, understand the order, experience the vision.” 
— Peter Drucker, “The New Society” 

“The world appears as a complicated tissue of events, in which connections of different kinds alternate or overlap or combine and thereby determine the texture of the whole.” 
— Werner Heisengerg, “Physics and Philosophy” 

“How can you say luck and chance are the same thing? Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterwards.” 
— Amy Tan

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