In times past, my quest to be as productive as possible led me into some difficulties. I got caught up in the day-to-day cranking of the widget lever without making sure I’d have widgets to crank tomorrow.

The problem happens for freelancers, independent contractors, and solopreneurs because we forget to market our “widget-cranking service”. The voice of an old sales manager still rings in my mind…

“You have to drop names in your sales funnel today if you want sales tomorrow.”

Good advice to a rookie. Tough to do if you don’t have a system. Thankfully over the years I’ve been fortunate to implement some things that draw business to me. I’ve never been a big fan of cold calling or door knocking though I’ve done those things and they do work. Rather, I prefer the method of drawing good qualified leads to me and I’ll share a few things that have worked really well.

1. Set up a website. This is a must nowadays. It does the equivalent of a salesman, only it works 24/7, doesn’t eat anything and never asks for a raise. The website displays your best work, pre-sells for you, and if you offer a special report …you can quickly build a list of qualified leads. The website is the perfect place for your copy, photos and testimonials to help establish credibility.

2. Strategic alliances. This is an expensive term for having a relationship other business who share a common client. You simply set up a reciprocal agreement to refer clients to one another. It’s been powerful for me over the years.

3. Do good work. Word gets around. Really. Referrals and repeat business are huge in my business. I’ve always aimed to under promise and over deliver consistently as a business practice. Keep your promises, don’t miss deadlines, and move like an attack dog on any customer service issues. Offer to replace, exchange, or do it over if it will make the customer happy. It’ll pay off over the long run, I promise you.

There you have it. These tips have worked well for me and make it possible to neglect my marketing yet still have a steady flow of good leads coming in daily. Granted, the effects of this kind of marketing are built over time, but so what. If you enjoy what you do, this will ensure you aren’t subject to feast and famine cycles that plague many other solopreneurs.