Try it On And Discard It As Needed

Guest Post :: It starts off seeming like such a great idea(generate leads): A monthly ad in a local publication with free calendar listings for great events. The first couple of months it’s a thrill to see your ad and your photo in print and your business proudly represented. Then you start tracking the results. How many you generate leads  based on the ad? You check your CRM, also known as your Mad Mimi audience list, and you find zero generate leads from this source.

You say to yourself, “Okay, I’ll hang in there a bit more and see how it goes.” Then suddenly you get three calls in one week. The first one is a great conversation with a wonderful-sounding potential client…until the call ends with a startled response from the potential client that you’d actually charge for your services.

The next call sounds promising but the caller keeps using terminology that makes you feel uncomfortable. A few more minutes into the call he reveals that he’s only interested in bartering but has not mentioned what he’s willing to offer. Then comes call number three. The caller asks about how Reiki feels and if he’ll feel warm all over. (Hmm, that’s not usually what my clients are seeking.) Then he goes on to ask about what types of shorts he should wear to his yoga class. “Are short, tight shorts ok?” he asks. Aaack. I tell him that I need to go and proceed to block his number on my cell phone.

Assessment time number three shows the same results and some very discouraging phone calls. I hang in there a few months and realize it’s time to let it go. Time to discard this mode of advertising.

I’ve also found this to be right approach (“try Generate leads and discard as needed”) for my business in terms of office space. I’ve rented a few different spaces in my hometown. Sometimes by subleasing for 3 months at a time, sometimes by renting only for a special event, and sometimes just begging my friends and colleagues to borrow their space. (I don’t recommend that “friend in need” approach.) I’m currently trying out a shared space with no up front costs but just paying as I use the space. So far so good, but I continue with this “try it and discard as needed” approach.

In my business as a Reiki Master Teacher and Certified Creative Grief Coach, I have found that there are many approaches that I can take for marketing, advertising, and office leasing, for instance, and that the best way is to give it a try and then if it doesn’t work out — discard the approach that didn’t work, maybe learn a little something from it, and move on.

How generate leads worked in your business? Are there approaches that you’ve tried, maybe even tried repeatedly because they seem to make sense, and then finally discarded them because they’re not working? Let us know in the comments below!

Janice is a dedicated and caring Reiki Master and Grief Coach, with 13 years of experience.  She employs a client-centered approach to bring about the highest healing good using Reiki, coaching tools, visualization, or a combination of all three. Janice’s clients report a decrease in pain, accelerated healing, and better mood management. In addition to Reiki sessions and Grief coaching, Janice also teaches Meditation 1:1.