I was mentoring a bookkeeper who was worrying about getting clients. She had all the marketing strategies she needed but rather than take action, she just kept worrying about not having clients. Then when she decided to give it a go she didn’t follow the strategies, rather it was haphazard and ineffective. And then she would say “see, I can’t get clients.” When I pointed out that she was spending her energy worrying and explained how that was distracting her from the very thing which would bring clients she was surprised. She didn’t even realise she was doing it.
Dr. Robert Leahy Ph.D. says that “worry is epidemic. 38 percent of people say they worry every day. Worry persists, eats away at you, gives you indigestion, fatigue, aches and pains, affects your relationships, and can lead to depression.
People often get well-meaning, but useless advice, such as, "Try to think positively. Believe in yourself. Snap out of it. Don't punish yourself with your worries." None of this works. I didn’t pat her on the back and say “there, there”! My advice was to create momentum in her marketing instead of focusing on the outcome. I explained that taking action creates energy and excitement rather than desperation which your prospects can smell.
If you’re worth your salt and you have the right marketing strategies you should be able to fill your books within 12-18 months. If you’re already full and are at the next stage of putting on a team the challenge is to make time to create momentum around the marketing because you are time-poor. However, lack of momentum around the marketing will result in your business growth being random and that won’t feed hungry bookkeepers. Not only that, creating momentum is much more fun than worrying!
Article by Debbie Roberts
