The Edge Marketing

As a self-employed professional, you have two basic strategies for your marketing efforts: Writing or Speaking.

No matter whether or not you do both of these activities or only one of them, you need to know what messages you want to convey to your audience.

That's why you need to create a list of your 10 Most Important Business Principles (MIBP). Without them, your marketing efforts will be too diffuse to really grab the attention of your intended ideal clients.

Your 10 Most Important Business Principles inform, expand, and provide clarity for your business vision. For example, the vision statement for my company, SoloBizVille is:

Through collaboration, community, and continuous learning, any professional can create a joyous, sustainable, and profitable one-person services business.

For me, as a Business Coach for Solopreneurs, my 10 MIBP are:

• Nobody needs a stronger weakness.
• If you chase 2 rabbits, both will escape. Focus is power.
• Ideas are "a dime a dozen," but right action is rare and worth millions.
• Mistakes are the stepping stones to success. Embrace them.
• Success and integrity are not mutually exclusive.
• Embrace the goal, not the plan.
• This is your life, not a dress rehearsal.
• At least 5% of your clients and projects are from Hell. Always. No exceptions.
• Success comes by doing what you do magnificently. Delegate everything else!
• Your strengths are so easy you think everyone can do them. They can't!

As you can see, some of my MIBP are reasons why solopreneurs are frustrated; while others are principles for business success. But all of them are principles that I believe in and use when I coach solopreneurs.

For a contrast, these were my 10 MIBPs when I was working solo as an Independent Technical Writer and Publications Project Manager:

• The client is always right, even when he isn't. Always respect and honor the client's objectives.
• Project risk is always reducible.
• Success requires mistakes ­ but make them small ones! And always correct your own ­on your own time and dime.
• The client wants options and possibilities.
• Never surprise the client.
• Always communicate cleanly, regularly, appropriately, and proactively.
• Use an editor!
• Keep all boundaries professional, clean, and open at all times.
• Hold the client as accountable as I hold myself.
• Manage the client's expectations at all times.

Once you know your 10 MIBP you immediately have at least 10 topics for promoting your business. You can write a series of articles like this one, or use them as topics for speeches or seminars, or create checklists and worksheets based on your MIBP for use by your clients, or print them on the backs of your business cards, or write a book or ebook about them. You get the idea.

Using your 10 MIBP in your marketing ensures congruency in your business messenging ­ strengthening the image of your business in the minds of your potential clients.

Copyright 2004, Rose Hill, Inc

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