How do I make the business thrive?

I like a sense of order and one of the difficult things about starting and running a business is the lack of order. Especially in marketing.

You can order many things in your life - morning routines, your desk, menu planning. But it's almost impossible to bring order to the idea of getting your business marketed and successful. A marketing plan is really a fluid thing - you build the plan and then it has to be constantly adjusted. Why? Because all of your customers are not alike!

Realtors - they need more attention than any other group. You have to be sure to communicate with them on a regular basis, but not too much. Don't want to look like a stalker!! Then you have to determine the best way to communicate - in person, phone call, notes, e-mail, etc. It can almost be overwhelming. But you keep trying.

Sellers - What is hard here is finding them. You can visit open houses and you can leave cards and notes on homes for sale, but that does not guarantee you will hear from them. Again, you have to find that way to market to them without overkill.

Folks looking for a change (redecorate)- The hardest group to market to, they almost have to come to you. That is where the website comes in handy. And lucky for me, I have a great website designer who is in the midst of re-vamping my site. It looks great now, but I know it will be better after the redesign!

So this is my struggle - I want to make the business thrive, but I have learned there is no easy way to make it happen.

But I am determined...and am willing to work as hard as needed. I just wish there was a way to make it orderly.