The Write Rainmaker

Marketing Yourself 24/7

If you are the owner of a small business, you are always marketing, every time you leave your house.You need to determine if there are opportunities to get new customers or clients that YOU ARE MISSING.

Let me explain.

I have seen successful client interactions at odd places like grocery stores and kids' soccer games.

I have also seen small business owners totally ignore opportunities to pick up new clients because they aren't prepared or they are in a bad mood.

My 80 year old mother doesn't go out in public much any more, but when she does, she always wears bright red lipstick, and she smiles a lot. She says hello to total strangers as though they are old friends. Guess what? 98% of the time, she gets a positive response. I have heard this phrase countless times from friends, neighbors, and even just casual aquaintances: "I just LOVE your Mother!"

She could've run for governor and won. She is always smiling and friendly, no matter what else is going on. She is that way when her arthritis bothers her. She didn't lose her friendliness even when she was widowed. She was that way when her only son was serving in the Army in Iraq. She is kind to all, even when she is blue. She just radiates benevolence and approachability.

Do you? If not, you should work on it.

These are a few items to consider, if you are really interested in marketing yourself:

• When you are away from home, do you always have business cards?
• When you are waiting for a train, or in line at the bank, or at the car wash, do you realize that smiling and chatting are a great way to get to know someone and possibly get a new client?
• Do you have a good "resting face"? That's how you appear when you are not talking to someone. If you don't appear calm and friendly, you need to work on that.

If you own a small business or you are a sole practitioner attorney, you are selling yourself, and your personality, as much as your goods or services.

Give it some thought.

my mom, Miss Elva, 80 years young

Thoughts on the 4th of July

The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays, and as I've grown older I have reflected on what was really going on in 1776 when our nation was founded. It wasn't a peaceful, polite thing, the American Revolution. It was more than 7 years of conflict, against one of the most powerful nations on earth, and the stakes were very high.

The sacrifices were enormous.

I like to read articles like Founders risked their lives for liberty, because it contains so much good information.

"Five of the signers were captured as traitors by the British, and were tortured to death. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army. Another had two sons captured. Nine fought and died of wounds or the hardship of the war."

George Washington led an army that was often hungry, cold, and undersupplied. They often didn't get paid, or were underpaid. They often didn't have shoes. The winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge was particularly brutal. I remember years ago visiting the national park at Valley Forge and being awed by the sacrifices made by those men.

You aren't going to find anybody that's going to be successful without making a sacrifice and without perseverance. -Lou Holtz

Sacrifice is not a popular word today. It's something we all need to ponder sometimes, though.

Everything I've ever done in my own life that was worth doing required some sacrifice. My parents sacrificed so I could have a safe, secure childhood.

If you are a small business owner, you are sacrificing not simply money, but time, and hoping for the best.The hours of work and worry, the sweat, the hope, the anxiety -- all these are the results of a dream, a vision, a belief that the world needed your talents and your ideas.

Like our founding fathers, you have sacrificed.

I salute you, and wish for you success and prosperity. I celebrate your tenacity and optimism. Here's hoping you have a relaxed, happy, and safe 4th of July.