I talk to business owners every day. A common question I am asked is how to get clients.

The number one mistake that I see these professionals making constantly is that they do passive marketing instead of action-oriented marketing, with no clear developed plan for securing clients.

Passive marketing is really expecting business to come to you. We do it all the time. We expect our friends, family and colleagues to refer people to us. We put our business cards or flyers everywhere we can think of. And we sit back and expect tons of business to come in and scratch our heads when it doesnt.

Action-oriented marketing is goal-based. I believe that one should have clear, measurable and attainable goals in order to consistently grow their company. Its like chipping away a foundation. Taking a lesson from network marketing, this method is called repetition. You do this by performing similar tasks daily, weekly and monthly. In the long run, this will bring you clients. Some of these actions can be calling, emailing, writing articles, public speaking, talking to someone that is within three feet of you, and asking for referrals, to name a few.

The next step is to clearly define your goal. Establish a number of contacts that you believe that you can realistically attain, and then go out and make contact. An example is I plan to talk to 20 people this week. I will get five warm leads and of those five I will get one new client this week.

Or, this month, I will contact 10 groups with a goal in mind to be able to speak in front of them. Of the 10 groups I contact, I will get five warm leads and one group will invite me to speak in front of them.

Additionally, I may introduce myself to a new person each day face-to-face, explaining to them who my ideal client is and if they arent, I will ask them if they know anyone who fits that description. So as each week progresses, keep track of how many people you talk to and put that person into your pipeline. Finally, you need to follow up with your pipeline contacts.

Another example is forming strategic partnerships. I will contact 10 perspective partners per month, getting 5 warm leads and closing 2. The partnerships could be in the form of endorsement letters, articles in a newsletter, linking websites, etc. All of these goals should be put on a spreadsheet and charted day-by-day.

The reason that you need to repeat things over and over and over again is that because it takes a number of contacts to get a client interested in you. You have to work your pipeline by never giving up on a prospect until they tell you to buzz off. Take a look at these stats:

According to the National Sales Executive Association, the average sale is closed according to the following number of contacts:

2% on 1st contact
3% on 2nd contact
5% on 3rd contact
10% on 4th contact
80% on 5th-12th contact

This means that people have to see, hear or read about you numerous times before they decide to use your services. The contacts can be via phone, email, in person, articles, public speaking, a referral from somebody, and/or an endorsement. The number one thing to remember is DONT STOP!

So keep up the sales and marketing!