Don't Be So Bashful

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At various busy times, IPs may simply lack the time to market at all. One solution to this problem is to recruit an unpaid college intern, as Thomases has. "Already, it has made a difference in my workload and my ability to concentrate," she says. "But at times it's disturbing to put part of your livelihood in an intern's hands. Unpaid college interns don't have the same motivation that an entrepreneur does," she says. "They have no vested interest other than their own education and career-opportunities to get work done on a timely basis, for example. When you delegate a project this way, you rely on that person to do a job as well as you would. That can be hard to get used to when your own reputation is on the line."

Lead Balloons

For every marketing success story, there's a lead balloon. You try; you fail; you learn. Often you incur expenses that don't pay off in sales or contracts. "I was just getting started, and didn't really generate business right away," Thomases recalls. "I spent a lot of money on advertising thinking I was going to get at least some return on investment, but got none. Because I couldn't run my ad with enough frequency, it ended up being a big waste. I ran two separate kinds of ads: One was my big co-op ad, which I only ran twice, and not consecutively at that; the other was a classified ad in the Monday Technology section of the Washington Post. I ran it for 10 consecutive weeks, and it did generate some leads for me, two of which moved beyond the inquiry stage, but I only closed a sale on one. I don't know if frequency would have improved my opportunity, but being able to afford some better display ad space might have." She adds, "One area of advertising I would have liked to be able to afford is display ad space in the Yellow Pages. Another would be to purchase display space in a trade publication."

Thomases' most productive marketing effort, on the other hand, cost her nothing. "I conducted a free seminar on web marketing. Twenty people attended, and nearly all of them stayed afterwards to talk about my services," she says. "One has already purchased $1,000 worth of services, and I have had two meetings with other prospects as a result of the seminar. One gentleman took me in on a pitch to his client, and another is awaiting some funding and then wants to work on an ongoing basis. I've talked to two others about future opportunities. All have joined my weekly marketing tip e-mail list. The whole experience was incredibly uplifting, and I can't wait to do it again."

Alan Singer also found that offering a little free advice was a worthwhile investment. A former Wall Street research analyst, Singer, the lone star of AS Business Consulting, helps New York City's Silicon Alley start-ups to develop business plans and proposals for venture capital. "Early on, I offered a firm's chief operating officer some excellent insights for monitoring cash flow and where to look for ideas and creative inspiration," says Singer. "In turn, he put me in touch with several of his good professional contacts and allowed me to grow my reputation to where it is today."

The Anxiety Factor

Feelings of self-doubt about your marketing efforts can be depressing, but they can also keep you on your toes and push you to do more. "I could be doing better," says Carter Fay. "In the last few months, my time for marketing has been severely limited due to a change in personal circumstances. That means I don't have as much work coming in now as I would like. So I'm playing catch up -- talking to clients about more work, calling people and asking for referrals, distributing a newsletter, developing a site and promoting it, and on and on," all under time pressure.

Anxiety may inspire you, but it can also affect how you conduct your business. "I think I'm doing the best job I possibly can," says Singer. "I put my heart into everything I do. There always exists the temptation for me to doubt myself and second-guess my every move, but that's counterproductive. I have taught myself to let go of any other emotions that run through my head. In this manner, I show up strongly for my clients, who are paying good money for my services."

You Call This Fun?

Perhaps the best approach to self-marketing is the unconventional one: marketing for fun. As an IP, you are your business. As you grow personally, so does your venture."I organized a farmers' market for my downtown Jersey City community," Singer says. "Here I met the director of economic development of Jersey, the mayor, and many fellow entrepreneurs. Through my involvement with the Hudson County Alliance for Rational Transportation, I've met many civic leaders in the Garden State, including one of our Senators," Singer continues. "In this manner I socialize as a natural extension of what I do for a living. I don't look at developing my business as a job. I look at it as a way for me to pursue my passions in life."

Entire contents Copyright 1999 Aquent. All rights reserved.

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