Getting clients can be challenging. But it’s an important part of being in business.  What often happens though  is some businesses are just so desperate to land those first paying clients or get more good paying clients, that they appear desperate and needy.   Not the professional look you want!

You hear it often, the feast or famine of running a business.  Sometimes you are so busy you can’t see straight and other things, you can hear a pin drop.  That’s usually when you go into desperation mode and the result is not pretty.

So what is desperation marketing?   It’s marketing when you are so desperate for clients that you throw everything you have out there, with no general direction.  You show up on Facebook and instead of your usual great postings, it’s pitch after pitch after pitch of you needing work.   You share in every group you belong to on Linkedin and again instead of that great content you normally post,  it’s hire me now, I lost a client and am available.   People can feel this desperation and it  rarely works.  In fact, it usually has the opposite effect with potential clients doubting your worth and value.  Now we aren’t saying you shouldn’t be out there, you should.  It’s just when you seem too needy, it can hurt you more than help you.

Here are some tips to avoid desperation marketing and get clients now:

• First and foremost, you need to not panic.  The most important thing you can bring to the table right now is your confidence and knowledge that you can do a fabulous job.  Often when the pipeline runs a little low that’s the first thing that we lose, our confidence.  Read your testimonials, talk to a friend, and above all else truly believe that you can make a difference for those that trust you.  Now get marketing!

• Create a marketing plan that is doable. Write down exactly who you want to target and what services you want to provide.   Now write down how you are doing to get those clients with the money you have.  A workable plan is so beneficial to getting clients.  Need help here?  Email me for my handout on creating a marketing plan at diana@virtualwordpublishing.com.

• Write down daily how long you work on marketing daily.  And be honest.  What you might discover is you think you are marketing a lot, but when it’s in black and white, you are putting in a few minutes here a few minutes there.  Write it down and also write down exactly what you did and the results.

• Write articles and like in our previous blog postings do all you can with those articles (including creating a pitch from them, adding them to your newsletter, sending them out to quality sites, etc. )  Write a press release.

• Host a teleseminar.  Make it a freebie so more sign up.  Let them see the value you offer and then give them a killer discount on your services.  Nothing that will break your bank, but something that will have them saying, “Nice, I can do this.  Just make sure it’s an introductory offer.

• Spend time and review your Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter profiles.   Each day choose to improve on them.  Take some classes to see how to do that if you aren’t sure.  Now everyday get more social.

• Consider a paid Facebook ad or promotions or a Google ad.  Know your budget, but often this can lead you to being in front of other who you don’t normally see in your day to day business dealings.

• Network more. Both online and offline networking.  Fine-tune your soundbytes  about your business.

• Ask for referrals.  Tell your inner group that you are looking for clients. It’s okay to mention that you are looking for new clients.  What happens here is many aren’t aware that you need the work and once they are, they might have the perfect connections.

• Change your mindset. Be confident you will land new clients.

• Hire a Virtual Assistant Coach or a PR Coach who can help you achieve your goals.  They can review your marketing, give you honest feedback, provide you with ideas you might not have considered and so much more.

Hopefully these tips will help!   Love to hear your tips.  Share away!

Until next time, happy marketing.

Diana Ennen is the President of Virtual Word Publishing, www.virtualwordpublishing.com, offering marketing services as well as entrepreneur advice and PR and VA Coaching.  The author of 5 books, including the best-selling book, Virtual Assistant the Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA.  Feel free to use this posting as long as bio remains.