During the first week of January this year, we took on two new clients and had two existing clients ask us to do more work for them. I wasn?t at work during the first week of January, and, as one of my members of staff pointed out, I hadn?t been out networking or meeting clients for a few weeks. So where was the work coming from?

I could say it was the Law of Attraction at work, or that it was Zen Marketing, but I like to call it ?Passive Marketing?. Or ?sit back/go on holiday and wait for the phone to ring? marketing.

So how does this great new marketing strategy work? Here?s what you do. You start writing a blog or an email newsletter, or both. You build up a list of contacts, by going to networking events and speaking at seminars. You give away lots of advice and ideas to help the people you meet. You have regular meetings with your clients and listen out for things they?re struggling with, with which you can help them. You build strong relationships with them so that they trust your advice. You might like to write a book and sell it to people you meet; you can even give it to some people, like past clients. You can spend time on sites like LinkedIn, connecting with people you?ve worked with in the past.

Once you?ve done all that, then you get to sit back and wait for the phone to ring! One of the new January clients came to a workshop we ran 3 months ago. We?ve kept in touch with her ever since and come the New Year, she decided she was ready to kick start her marketing. The client who decided to accept our quote for writing her blog is one with whom I meet every two months, to work on her marketing. Back in the autumn she told me she was thinking about setting up a blog and could we do it for her. After a few months of keeping in touch with her ? and a few more regular meetings ? she too decided it was time to take the next step.

Marketing is a long term process. It?s not a quick, over night fix. You can?t go to one networking event and expect clients to flock to you. One newsletter or a week of tweeting won?t build you a great reputation. So, if you want to practice Passive (sit back and take it easy) Marketing, then you need to put in the effort and the groundwork. Once you do, then the clients will come flocking to your door!