Marketing can take many forms. It can be as simple as attending networking meetings with the purpose of meeting people you can help and in turn might need your services; or it can be pro-active in calling specific target markets and asking questions to determine their needs, ability to use your services and their ability to decide to do so. It can be a direct mail campaign, or a sequential letter writing system to targeted prospects, or a similar program done with email. But is your marketing effective and do you have a system in place? How do you know if it is working? How do you know what is working?

Taking time on a regular basis, perhaps daily to revisit your goals, dreams, schemes, and doing some planning around them will work wonders in your increasing and ongoing success. Some suggest doing this in the morning, but it may also work just before you head off for the evening so you are clear about what you have planned for tomorrow. If so, re-read in the morning and several times during the day to keep your focus and ensure you are still on track.

I would suggest also taking a minute at the same time you are doing your planning to reflect, and to actually log any and 'all' activities you have undertaken to market your business each day. Track your marketing efforts diligently for each workday over a six-month period. You will be astounded at the results.

Date	Marketing activity (specifics count here!) -- Excerpts from mine --
12-05-02	Attend Canadian Association of Professional Speakers National Convention in Vancouver, BC
12-08-02	Finalize design brochure for Creating 'Time' to Sell Success System
12-09-02	Print brochure
12-09-02	Meet with Bureau Representative about setting pricing for 2003
12-09-02	Speak for BOMA's Winhouse fundraiser and donate Creating 'Time' to Sell Success System
12-10-02	Email campaign to Edmonton business community for Creating 'Time' to Sell
12-15-02	Speak at Rotary Club and promote Creating 'Time' to Sell Success System
12-16-02	Rework program descriptions and titles
01-05-03	Meet with Kim re co-authoring new book on increasing sales
01-07-03	Change Courage to Lead to: Rising above the Storms!

If you do this daily for the full six months you should end up with a minimum of 120-130 entries, perhaps multiples, if you are seriously working on marketing and promoting your career and business.

Mark each day, even if you did not do anything. Remember you are tracking your 'activities or lack thereof', and you want an accurate picture over the test period.

If you do this, you will also find two things will occur:

• Your business will increase! A by-product of your self-accountability and of tracking your activities on a daily basis will 'sensitize' your mind to new opportunities. It will also encourage you to do more each day to market your business. What you think about most of the time has a tendency to come to fruition.
• Your marketing plan – or lack of one will become evident. Just like a Time Log, this Six Month Marketing Log can be a valuable 'learning tool' in seeing first hand how you allocate your time in this important aspect of business development in the sales process. If we are not constantly marketing and gaining opportunities to serve clients, our sales will suffer, and our business will too. This may be a cause for celebration or a challenge to increased changes and dedication to this part of the 'sales' process.

Marketing is an important part, actually an essential part, of the 'sales' process. If you do not systemize and follow thru with consistency, you will experience the 'valleys of despair' that so often follow the 'peaks of performance.' Even when you are busy, productively so, you must ensure some basic maintenance and marketing activities are undertaken. This will assist you in loading your hopper with potential clients who can buy from you or engage your services. Without it, your sales process will be an arduous one.

Do you have the courage to track and be accountable for your activities in building and promoting your career or business? Will you track, analyse and focus your efforts to ensure you are systematically working at your best to find and serve your potential clients? Decide today to start building your business – What have you done to build your business today?.