This time, I didn’t consider my personal goals before embarking on my business. I didn’t like going inside strangers homes to pick up their toys. I had nowhere to put enormous stockpile I had amassed and wasn’t willing to hire employees to gather enough toys to generate revenue to cover a storage unit or store front. I wanted a little “mom” business, not a full blown corporation.

Had I considered my true goals, I would have marketed myself as a service provider to day care centers – found out what they wanted and would be willing to pay, and then gone out to find it - no storage issues, no going into people’s homes, no employees required.

“It’s Report Card Day!”

Even best marketing plan needs to be constantly evaluated and adjusted to keep business growth on track. The results of your efforts may not be bringing in attention or revenue you require. The economy, business environment, competition or technology may have changed necessitating a shift in your plan.

Making adjustments to a marketing plan is healthy. Even if you paid a mint for a professionally developed plan, you’ll want to review your status and results at least every six months to monitor effectiveness. When buying a plan, it’s important to ask that follow up support to be part of package.

“I’ll Just Put It On My Credit Card.”

Before developing a marketing plan, you’ll want to have a ball park budget in mind. Once your plan is complete, set a budget and stick to it!

It’s easy to spend more than your annual revenue on marketing activities and supplies when you first start out. Make sure your budget is realistic before committing. Every dollar spent should have a trackable outcome – even if it takes several months or years to realize.

“Plan Your Day and Work Your Plan’

By following a properly developed marketing plan, you’ll minimize growing pains that often accompany a business start up. Revenue growth will be reasonably predictable and you’ll be laying a foundation for long term stability. Your business will run more efficiently because next marketing steps will have been laid out in advance.

-- Partner with a local bank. The idea is to get yourself noted as a "pre-certified insurance expert for XYZ bank." Approach bank VP and recommend an informal partnership whereby you're available for complimentary on site consultation for bank customers. Moreover, there's a tremendous amount of implied reliability and credibility when associating your business with a bank. The great thing about banks is that they usually distribute large monthly customer mailings. Ideally you'll want to piggyback on bank's mailing by having your sales flyer included. These flyers are usually called, "bill stuffers." Don't forget banks also distribute calendars, year-end statements, etc. Try to get noted in all of their communications. Of course, under umbrella that you're a partner with bank.

-- A bank north of Boston lets their small business customers display sales materials for a week in their lobby. Approach your bank where you have your business account and ask for same.

-- Try partnering with hospitals. They're well known for sponsoring workshops. They also distribute a weekly/monthly newsletter. My local hospital actually distributes their calendar of events in my local newspaper. By partnering with hospitals and similar organizations, your prospect-reach compounds tremendously, while you spend zero!

-- Consider joining your local chapter of Business Network International, www.bni.com. Of course, like any organization, it's only as effective as your networking abilities and how well members of that particular chapter work together. Always attend at least two meetings before joining. And watch out! Associations' memberships are down across board due to sluggish economy. There's definitely some hard selling going on. Take your time when deciding what organization is best for you. Don't be misled into joining anything.

-- Align yourself with a reputable online insurance media outlet. Ideally you want to become a regularly featured columnist, or perhaps act as a moderator for an upcoming online seminar, etc. This does several things for you. One, usually anything Internet-related is archived. So if a person is shopping around for insurance or financial products and you've partnered with a reputable and high search engine ranking online media outlet, there's a good chance your Web site will reflect high in search engine rankings. Two, if you're a regularly featured columnist, you immediately acquire more credibility than your competitors. Readers are more likely to reach out to you for product solutions.

-- Don't forget about organizations you already belong to. Are you taking advantage of their Web site resources, i.e., linking your Web site, being included in their membership directory, etc.? What's more, do a quick search on www.google.com for free directories. Try, [“your expertise” insurance directories], or [financial sales representatives directories.]

-- The key marketing strategy to keep in mind for any salesperson is that you must circulate, "be seen." It's most perpetuating sales lead program you can foster.

-- Finally, as you're working hard to generate all these new leads, make sure you have a follow-up plan in place. The fastest and most affordable follow-up method is to ask prospects if they want to receive your free monthly ezine.