~by Haley Lynn Gray~
Every business problem that arrives at my door as “we need more marketing” turns out, more often than not, to be something else. So before spending another pound on advertising, work through this.
1. Answer the phone
I’m putting this first because it’s the most common and the most expensive failure I see.
One client had hundreds of enquiries a month and was losing nearly all of them because nobody rang back for days. Research on lead response times found that contacting someone within an hour makes you dramatically more likely to qualify them than waiting even an hour longer.
Speed beats sophistication. Every time.
2. Know exactly who you’re for
“Small businesses” is not an ideal client. “Law firms with two to ten partners who hate marketing” is.
Specificity does two things: it tells you where to find them, and it makes you referrable. Vagueness is the main reason people who like you never send you work — they can’t think of you at the right moment.
3. Ask the people who already know you
Past clients, dormant clients, people who enquired and didn’t proceed. The warmest list you have, and the most neglected.
A short, specific message — “I’m taking on two more clients doing X; do you know anyone?” — outperforms any amount of cold outreach.
4. Meet people face to face
Networking events, industry groups, coffee with someone who serves the same clients differently. Slower than advertising and considerably more durable.
Go with a purpose: two real conversations beat thirty business cards, and follow up within two days or it didn’t happen.
5. Be findable where they’re already looking
A website that says plainly what you do and for whom. A Google Business Profile if you’re local. One social platform where your clients actually are — not five you can’t sustain.
Consistency matters more than volume. Showing up weekly for a year beats daily for a fortnight.
6. Make it easy to buy
Clear pricing or a clear next step. A form that works. A calendar link. Someone who responds.
Most businesses lose more sales to friction than to price — and friction is free to fix.
7. Follow up more than feels comfortable
Most enquiries that don’t convert simply went quiet, and most people never chase. The top cookie sellers don’t have better pitches — they ask more often, and business is no different.
8. Then, and only then, spend money on ads
Advertising amplifies whatever is already happening. If enquiries aren’t answered, the follow-up doesn’t exist, and nobody knows who you’re for, ads will simply deliver more expensive versions of the same loss.
Fix the leaks first. It costs nothing, and it’s nearly always where the growth is hiding.
