I frequently hear professionals say, I dont market my services; I rely on word-of-mouth to get business. They dont seem to realize these two statements are contradictory - if they are getting plenty of referral business, they have marketed their services quite well! The issue is not a decision of whether or not to market your services, but is instead a decision of whether to assume responsibility for it and become more effective at it.

Actions you might not realize are marketing decisions:

What you name your business

What information you print on your business card

How you let people know you are available

How your resume or company brochure looks

Who answers the telephone and how

How you dress for encounters with prospective clients

How you respond when someone asks what you do

How you treat not only clients and prospects but also

employees, associates and competitors

All of these factors contribute to the image people form of you and are far more critical to the success of your business than you might realize.

For instance, does your business name indicate what services your business performs? If it doesnt, is your business name accompanied by a tagline that states your field of work?

Does your business card provide all necessary data such as the type of work performed and your complete contact information? As a marketing consultant reviewing and analyzing professionals marketing materials, I see cards with important information omitted, such as the email address and even telephone area codes. Ive seen two cards with no zip code after the address. What do these cards say about the professionals, i.e., what impression does their marketing create?

Particularly if you have chosen not to advertise your services, how did you announce that you had opened a business or practice? However you did it, and whether you did it effectively or not, it was a marketing action.

YOU'RE NOT ALONE

Fortunately, youre not expected to already be knowledgeable about marketing, any more than you would expect people in other professions to be proficient in your discipline. Marketing help is available from books, magazines, the Internet, knowledgeable friends and marketing professionals. The key point is to realize that the decisions and actions that create others perception of you should be planned and well thought-out, as they constitute your marketing.

Prospective clients have no way of knowing what quality of service you will provide, so they must take clues from the appearance of your business card, stationery, resume or brochure and other materials; your physical appearance and grooming; your manners and communication on the telephone; and even your promptness in returning phone calls.

The quality of your materials influences the perceived value of your services. Printed materials, whether produced professionally or on your personal computer, dont have to be costly, but they should be error-free. Typographical, spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors in printed materials are inexcusable. We all make mistakes as we compose, but correcting, editing and proofreading are the second half of the job.

It is critical to have someone else proofread your writing and composition, because we all have difficulty finding our own mistakes. I frequently notice errors in professional brochures, even some that are quite expensively prepared. I have to conclude that not enough people proofread them.

YOUR OFFICE TALKS

Often the initial impression you make on a prospective client results from the phone response in your office. If the phone rings several times before being answered by a person or a recording, the caller feels that his time has been disrespected. If the person answering is flippant, cold or, worse, rude, your image has been tarnished, perhaps permanently.

The time it takes you to return calls received by someone else, on your voice mail or through an answering service is also a factor in the prospects view of your services. An inquirer cant help but associate your promptness or tardiness with your perceived work ethic and respect for deadlines.

In addition, if you determine that you cant or wont accept the engagement, are you as polite and as helpful as possible under the circumstances? You may not want this case, but you do want this person to be a referral sourcethe most effective kind of marketing.

APPEARANCES DO MATTER

Dressing for success doesnt necessarily mean wearing a suit, or stockings and low heels for a woman if her suit has a skirt. What it does mean is deliberately deciding what to wear for encounters with prospective clients, keeping your impression in mind. Whether the most effective look would be a business suit or other attire representing your profession or trade is an individual decision, but make it a conscious decision, because it matters. Perhaps a person could be sloppy or careless in appearance and be meticulous in work performance, but the prospective client has no way of knowing thathe can only conclude by what he sees and hears.

DOES YOUR DRY CLEANER KNOW WHAT YOU DO?

When asked what services your company provides, do you respond briefly, completely and smoothly or do you stammer, give a terse, incomplete description or ramble? Articulating your area of expertise and services is the core of marketing. Compose a brief statement that explains your work, using words people outside your profession will understand, and practice saying it aloud.

Business owners dont always realize that their services are publicized, either positively or negatively, by individuals they might not consider referral sources or detractors. Employees discuss their work with others. Competitors speak either respectfully or resentfully about you, based, at least in part, on your attitude and actions toward them.

Remember that when you interact with another person, regardless of who the person is, you are marketing yourself and your services. You are enhancing his picture of you, or you are diminishing it.

Performing marketing is NOT optional. Marketing is the actions, whether deliberately strategized or unplanned, that communicate the availability, quality and value of your services. Marketing shapes the image people hold of you and your business and reflects your judgment, thoroughness and professionalism. You can take charge of this message and make it contribute to your success.