What does nearly every independent professional wish for when marketing for new clients? They wish they could see results faster. Time is the worst enemy of a small business owner. I’m convinced that the day I chose to open my business, the clock started moving at twice the speed I had been used to. All of a sudden, two hours seemed to go by as fast as one did before I was a business owner.

Unfortunately, I also expected that my marketing efforts would pay off just as quickly. I figured that since my marketing engine was operating at full throttle, prospects and clients would come running toward me. But I was sorely mistaken.

In my frustration, questions like these started to appear in my mind:

• What am I doing wrong?
• Am I turning people off somehow?
• Do I need all new marketing material?
• Does my marketing just stink?
• Should I go back to corporate life?

But then I realized what I should have been asking myself right from the start:
“Do I have the patience to make this business a success?”

My mom will tell you that I was an impatient kid. I was always on the go and wanted to have everything else move as quickly as I was. She was constantly telling me to slow down. Now I finally know the reason why. Practicing a little patience can work wonders.

Discovering the art of patience in your marketing can be quite liberating. If you can practice patience as you consistently get the word out about your business, your efforts will eventually pay off. However, the crucial quality you need along with patience is persistence.

Be persistent about delivering your message. Tell people — lots of people — what you do, over and over again. A consistently visible message will motivate people to want to work with you. They’ll eventually see that you have something to offer that can solve their problems. Some people will call you right away, but others will take longer.

Here’s a simple formula to remember:
Patience + Persistence = Success (that means more clients)

How do you acquire the art of patience in marketing? You already know part of the answer — it doesn’t happen overnight. But if you focus on a few key strategies, you can significantly reduce the time needed for your marketing engine to produce results.

1. Have a simple daily action plan.

Hold a daily focus on marketing your services with a plan that lays out day-by-day and week-by-week your intended marketing activities. Making phone calls, attending networking meetings and lunches, and sending emails, letters, and newsletters are all ways to keep communicating your message to everyone who needs to hear it. By taking simple actions over and over, you eliminate the built-up anxiety caused by doing something only once and then waiting for results that may not come.

2. Establish your budget accordingly.

Set some limits on what you plan to spend on your marketing efforts. Most effective marketing doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Building word-of-mouth through referral marketing costs next to nothing, and it’s the most powerful means of getting clients for any small business owner. Overspending can implode a small business. Constantly think of how you would market yourself if you had no money to spend.

3. Create short-term milestones.

Plan to accomplish many milestones along the path to your goals. Let’s say your goal is to have 100 contacts in your database. Milestones or checkpoints along the way could be researching networking events to attend, setting up a contact management system, calling all of your personal contacts, and talking to at least five people at every event. By checking off smaller tasks along the way to your goal, you’ll see your progress and keep yourself on track. Before you know it, you’ll reach your goal of 100 people.

4. Celebrate small achievements often.

Many business owners never take time to celebrate the small stuff. We want the big stuff and we want it now. If it doesn’t come right away, we get disappointed and think of ourselves as failures. Instead, feed off your small achievements. Celebrate the fact that you went to a networking event and met five new people. Reward yourself for doing something you may not have ever done before. If you recognize your small achievements, you’ll stay energized to keep taking action until your efforts pay off.

5. Build your own personal sales force.

Instead of worrying that you can’t afford to hire your own sales force, create one through your network. Try to expand your contact database every day, and make each contact part of your marketing team. Ask people for referrals and give them referrals. Teach your contacts more about what you do so they can talk about you to their network. Building an unpaid sales force like this will dramatically shorten the time to bringing in the clients you need.

So give yourself some breathing room. Be patient with your marketing efforts. Persistence will pay off when you add a healthy dose of patience. People will start to call. Prospects will make contact. New clients will come your way.

You might want to take to heart these words from The Eagles:
“Take it easy — don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.”