ith the volumes of email you may be receiving, create email folders within your email program to handle the mail sorting. Almost every email program contains the ability to design custom email folders which email is automatically sorted into as they are received. You can create folders for your clients (by client name), vendors or suppliers you deal with, family members, as well as for newsletters or other frequently received materials. Whether you choose to categorize folders by names or subject matter, email folders will cutBeing inconsistent when it comes to marketing your business can be a recipe for disaster. Nothing is more irritating to a potential customer than inconsistency.

When we consciously create consistent messages, brands, systems and communications, our customers begin to relax and know that we are trustworthy and reliable. This consistency enhances our marketing messages and fuels our marketing machine. Perception is everything. And, how you do everything, from completing projects on time, to returning phone calls is critically important when trying to build a strong brand.

What can you do on a consistent basis that will rev up your marketing efforts?

1. Clarify your target market or niche. Your target market, also known as your niche, is the group of people to whom you wish to market your products or services. It is vitally important that you have your target clearly defined so that you aren’t wasting your time doing activities that will not produce the results you’re looking for. When you have a clearly defined niche, it’s easier to craft marketing messages, materials, seminars and articles that will serve your clients and build your business.

2. Set up a time for returning phone calls to clients. It’s really important, not only for your personal sanity, but also for creating a sense of consistency around your business operations, to set up a clearly defined time for returning telephone calls. First, from a personal energy standpoint, it’s much easier and time efficient to return calls at one or two time intervals each day, than to react and respond to calls as they come in. You can “train” your clients or potential clients to understand how you operate, by simply leaving a message on your voice mail that you will return calls promptly twice per day. Of course, you can alter the schedule to fit your needs, but then you don’t need to feel overwhelmed or overburdened reacting to every ring of the phone.

3. Create folders to handle email. Most people will agree that handling email is one of the most time consuming tasks. To deal more efficiently and effectively with the volumes of email you may be receiving, create email folders within your email program to handle the mail sorting. Almost every email program contains the ability to design custom email folders which email is automatically sorted into as they are received. You can create folders for your clients (by client name), vendors or suppliers you deal with, family members, as well as for newsletters or other frequently received materials. Whether you choose to categorize folders by names or subject matter, email folders will cut

ally important when trying to build a strong brand.

What can you do on a consistent basis that will rev up your marketing efforts?

1. Clarify your target market or niche. Your target market, also known as your niche, is the group of people to whom you wish to market your products or services. It is vitally important that you have your target clearly defined so that you aren’t wasting your time doing activities that will not produce the results you’re looking for. When you have a clearly defined niche, it’s easier to craft marketing messages, materials, seminars and articles that will serve your clients and build your business.

2. Set up a time for returning phone calls to clients. It’s really important, not only for your personal sanity, but also for creating a sense of consistency around your business operations, to set up a clearly defined time for returning telephone calls. First, from a personal energy standpoint, it’s much easier and time efficient to return calls at one or two time intervals each day, than to react and respond to calls as they come in. You can “train” your clients or potential clients to understand how you operate, by simply leaving a message on your voice mail that you will return calls promptly twice per day. Of course, you can alter the schedule to fit your needs, but then you don’t need to feel overwhelmed or overburdened reacting to every ring of the phone.

3. Create folders to handle email. Most people will agree that handling email is one of the most time consuming tasks. To deal more efficiently and effectively with the volumes of email you may be receiving, create email folders within your email program to handle the mail sorting. Almost every email program contains the ability to design custom email folders which email is automatically sorted into as they are received. You can create folders for your clients (by client name), vendors or suppliers you deal with, family members, as well as for newsletters or other frequently received materials. Whether you choose to categorize folders by names or subject matter, email folders will cut

to craft marketing messages, materials, seminars and articles that will serve your clients and build your business.

2. Set up a time for returning phone calls to clients. It’s really important, not only for your personal sanity, but also for creating a sense of consistency around your business operations, to set up a clearly defined time for returning telephone calls. First, from a personal energy standpoint, it’s much easier and time efficient to return calls at one or two time intervals each day, than to react and respond to calls as they come in. You can “train” your clients or potential clients to understand how you operate, by simply leaving a message on your voice mail that you will return calls promptly twice per day. Of course, you can alter the schedule to fit your needs, but then you don’t need to feel overwhelmed or overburdened reacting to every ring of the phone.

3. Create folders to handle email. Most people will agree that handling email is one of the most time consuming tasks. To deal more efficiently and effectively with the volumes of email you may be receiving, create email folders within your email program to handle the mail sorting. Almost every email program contains the ability to design custom email folders which email is automatically sorted into as they are received. You can create folders for your clients (by client name), vendors or suppliers you deal with, family members, as well as for newsletters or other frequently received materials. Whether you choose to categorize folders by names or subject matter, email folders will cut

ond to calls as they come in. You can “train” your clients or potential clients to understand how you operate, by simply leaving a message on your voice mail that you will return calls promptly twice per day. Of course, you can alter the schedule to fit your needs, but then you don’t need to feel overwhelmed or overburdened reacting to every ring of the phone.

3. Create folders to handle email. Most people will agree that handling email is one of the most time consuming tasks. To deal more efficiently and effectively with the volumes of email you may be receiving, create email folders within your email program to handle the mail sorting. Almost every email program contains the ability to design custom email folders which email is automatically sorted into as they are received. You can create folders for your clients (by client name), vendors or suppliers you deal with, family members, as well as for newsletters or other frequently received materials. Whether you choose to categorize folders by names or subject matter, email folders will cut

ith the volumes of email you may be receiving, create email folders within your email program to handle the mail sorting. Almost every email program contains the ability to design custom email folders which email is automatically sorted into as they are received. You can create folders for your clients (by client name), vendors or suppliers you deal with, family members, as well as for newsletters or other frequently received materials. Whether you choose to categorize folders by names or subject matter, email folders will cut down the time consuming process of wading through one long list of emails.

4. Schedule email handling. Similarly to handling your telephone calls, it’s important to set aside regular times to answer your email. It is so tempting to keep checking your email to see if you have any new mail or surprises! Unfortunately, that activity wastes your valuable time and is distracting to your mental energies. You may find that answering your email first thing in the morning, immediately after lunch and then at the end of the day (allocating no more than 30-minutes at each sitting, if possible) works well. No matter how tempting it might be, discipline yourself to look at email only at these times unless there is an overriding circumstance. Just like in the case of returning phone calls, this will allow you to keep your mental energies focused on the work you have to do.

5. Use a calendar system. Scheduling your activities, while it might sound dull or boring, is actually the best way to ensure that you are operating in an optimal way! To do lists are wonderful, however, to do lists get done faster when they’re actually integrated into your calendar. Giving yourself due dates serves to motivate you and pull you forward to accomplishing things. When putting items from your to do list on your calendar, make sure you break each of these items in to smaller items which are easier to do. Completing shorter, smaller tasks will give you a sense of achievement that will help motivate you to move to the next step. Also, make sure you build in slack time by either scheduling it or taking each task and blocking out more than enough time to get it done.

6. Schedule creative time to balance your energy. You may have heard the phrase, “all work and no play makes us dull”. Dull is not a quality that will lead to business success. Creative time gives you the space to re-vitalize your mind, body, and spirit – its playtime! Having time to balance out your energy is critical to your business success. It’s important to have new ideas and points of view to keep your business perspective fresh. Us