Sound familiar?

I want that website to load now!
I want that PDF to download now!
I want those Facebook ads to work now!
I want instant results!!

I WANT IT NOW!

We are living in a “want it now” world

This is no mistake.

The tech giants have trained us, like little monkeys or rats in a lab to want instant gratification.

And the same is true for marketing.

We want instant enquiries, conversations, and sales. We’ve posted something on LinkedIn and waited…Why aren’t people banging down the door already?

You’re a service-based B2B business. You’ve written a blog. You’ve put a video on YouTube, and sent an email to your list…

Why aren’t they rushing to respond right NOW?

The old adage that everything worth having takes time, is never truer than when it comes to your marketing.

Why?

You’re trying to build relationships with your perfect clients. They need to find you and then get to know you. Just like when you met your partner or your friends. It took many dates or glasses of wine and conversation to get to know each other.

That’s what your client is doing with you.

I’ve had so many clients say they’ve been watching me for a while (in a non-creepy way). They have been reading my blogs, watching my videos, and following my posts.

Then one day they had a need and I was top of mind. So that started a conversation that led to them hiring me.

It’s a common scenario. You may have experienced it yourself.

It wasn’t instant. Heck, some of these new relationships happened over many months, some years.

And that’s OK because…

The quality of the client was better for me. They knew me, my values, what my expertise is, and they chose me.

They were already pre-qualified. They already felt like they knew me and liked me.

They were happy to pay my rates and they appreciated my knowledge as a specialist in this space.

Unlike the randoms on Facebook who click on your ad, usually want everything for nothing, and often aren’t the right fit for your business.

So, stop expecting instant results. Your marketing needs to start with the right foundations. You need to build an audience of the right people. You need to show your expertise. You need to add value and educate.

Then, and only then, are you ready to have a serious conversation about working together if you want clients that are the right ones for you.

Stop expecting instant results with everything you do.

Instant gratification marketing is not going to give you the ROI you keep expecting.

NB: This is focused on B2B service-based businesses.