It is clear that the first 18 months of my new business marketing has been a flop. The consensus advice “you’re on the right track just keep doing what you are doing” is either insufficient or just plain wrong.
There is no logical explanation why my mix of marketing has not generated any new clients over this period nor any logical reason why doing the same would generate any clients in the future. I conclude that I must change. Unfortunately my willingness to accept change and be open to unfamiliar ideas from others may make me vulnerable to a new set of potential business errors.
What is clear is that my combination of online marketing, publication and in-person networking is not generating the volume of calls as in past businesses. My weakness is lead generation. So that has been the focus of my recent search for marketing help.
Yesterday I sat through a one hour presentation by a CPA and a CPA marketing consultant. The consultant has a good reputation with my state professional association. Both appear to be established and successful and I am waiting for some peer feedback on each of them. There were plenty of strong and appealing comments made during that presentation. However, completely missing from the presentation was any attempt to financially qualify me for the marketing program, any discussion of pricing, payment arrangements and responsibility for a successful outcome. I wondered: Am I that out-of-touch with today’s marketing techniques that things like price and payment arrangement don’t even enter into a business sales presentation anymore? Or is the opposite true: my instinctive alarm indicates that this is a smoke and mirrors presentation?
The real question I want answered: if I set aside my instinct and put my trust in someone else, am I still 100% responsible? If the answer is yes, then how do I balance my instinctive reaction with the need to be open to new approaches?
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