Do your marketing habits work for you or against you?

Getting and staying healthy depends more on frequency and diligence than on an particular activity. And yet for some reason, when it comes to sales and marketing, we think we can ignore sales and marketing tasks and stay busy with the customers we have, until suddenly we lose a big client, or get toward the end of the year, realize we are not as close to our goals as we'd like. We start buying ads, going to trade shows, and "dialing for dollars," driving our few prospects crazy with our persistence. It doesn't work that way. With an exercise program, you're more likely to get injured or sore by "overdoing it" if you fail to build good habits. With a marketing program, you're more likely to damage your cash flow or your company's reputation if you fail to build good habits. So, we advise clients to develop a routine that works for them. The fact that you have a routine is more important that performing any particular activity on any particular day, of course, so adjust to what works for you. But here's a model program we advocate:

	Marketing Monday There are always more things that need to be done than time in which to do them. Spend an hour each Monday planning and prioritizing your marketing system and your tasks for the week. Evaluate your progress toward sales and marketing objectives Determine where the weak spots are in your marketing plan. (The “leaks in your funnel,” or the places that prospective customers tend to drop out of the process.)  Work on strengthening the steps around the weak spots. Write blog articles or newsletters. Make sales calls.
	Webinar Wednesday Our Master Class Members invest time and energy to keep their sales at peak performance.   We suggest attending one webinar a week to keep learning and implementing new techniques and keep your skills fresh.Order lunch in one day a week, and use the time to get a great speaker or attend a webinar.ABCI has live monthly webinars on Wednesdays at 1:00 MST.   On the "other" Wednesdays, watch a recorded webinar instead!
	Facebook Friday Sales and marketing are all about relationships. Everyone tends to be more relaxed on Fridays, so celebrate by spending some time on the “fun” parts of marketing- Research your top ten most wanted customers and partners on social media.  Make comments and connections as appropriate. Reach out and make contact with any new people in your marketing funnel or on your top ten list(s) While you’re on social media anyway, research your competitors! Post your site on ABCI’s Facebook Page, and follow other aviation companies that post there. We call this "Facebook Friday" because of the nifty  alliteration, but really we mean ALL of the social media that are appropriate for your company - for you, this may include the NBAA AirMail, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, or Pinterest.

(For the record, you're wasting your time in any social media channel unless a good number of your most desired customers, most feared competitors, and most important partners are using.  Our rule of thumb is to check your Top Ten list - if most of them are present and active on a social media channel, it's worth spending the time. If not, check again in six months to a year, but for now you should spend your time connecting with those potential customers in other ways. ) There is no "magic" that can take the place of consistent, intelligent, honest work. But we've found that having a great routine takes a lot of the difficulty and indecision out of the process.  You can be a slave to your habits, or you can make your habits work for you! Need some help setting up a measurable, performance-based marketing program, or setting up a great routine for your team to follow? Find 30 minutes on our schedule and let's talk.   Mention this article and we'll send you a copy of our book - 16 Secrets of Marketing for the Aviation Industry.}.