Today. Andréa Coutu, founder of ConsultantJournal.com posted a refreshing treatise on the hidden benefits in nurturing customer relationships.

In the development of and the execution and sustaining of a workable nurturing
strategy requires those of us so charged, to learn the skills of the consultant to support
the internal team  that drives the initiative.

Good Nurturing
Jim

Marketing – Turn a necessary evil into self nurture
Andréa Coutu

7 Dec, 2011 1:01 am

Marketing – Do you look at marketing as a necessary evil? If so, stop thinking of marketing as a necessary evil. Instead, start thinking of marketing as an exercise in self nurture.

Marketing doesn’t have to feel like a necessary evil

When you think about "marketing," do you think of expensive advertisements, pushing your business on others or awkward business card exchanges? Do the words "cold call" send shivers down your spine?  If so, you need to flip marketing on its head.

As a consultant, marketing doesn’t have to be a hard sell; it can be subtle. Marketing can be as simple as intentionally expanding your network of friends and contacts. As I wrote in a recent article, becoming a consultant is as much about knowing stuff as it is about knowing people.

Think about it. When was the last time you hired someone to provide a service for you? Odds are that you hired someone based on who you know–for example, someone in your social circle–or from a referral made by a friend or colleague.

Turn marketing into self-nurture

Expanding your social circle can be very self-nurturing. We are social animals, even those of you who consider yourselves shy. Needing to expand your network for marketing purposes can be an excellent reason to connect with inspirational, like-minded entrepreneurs and colleagues. And there are few things as pleasurable or self-nurturing as meeting new friends who share similar experiences, such as running their own consulting businesses. 

Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with cold calling and sometimes it’s necessary. But there is no need to think of marketing as a hard sell where you push your services on absolute strangers. Instead, approach marketing as a reason to expand your network and enjoy some much needed social interaction during the process.

Andréa Coutu, founder of ConsultantJournal.com