"I've done everything I can think of to get clients," a desperate self-employed professional wrote me. "I launched a website, I had a brochure designed, I've been sending out mailings, and I've placed all sorts of ads in print and on the web. But no one is hiring me. What am I doing wrong?"

This unhappy professional has made a common mistake. He has fallen into the trap of believing that spending money on marketing materials, mailings, and ads will somehow produce clients without the direct involvement of the business owner. And he truly believes that this is "everything" he can do.

Corporate Marketing vs. Small Firm Marketing

Perhaps professionals who make this mistake are trying to follow the model of big business. They hide behind a company name, expensive marketing literature, and a website. They spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on ads, directory listings, and tradeshow booths. Far too many self-employed professionals don't even disclose their own name in their marketing, even when they are operating a one-person company!

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