Have you ever been at a place in your business when every bill and invoice you were expecting all came in at the same time, your car breaks down, your kids need braces, and you are not expecting any significant income in your business for a month? I know I have. So what can you do to get on track?

Leverage

For a short period of time it may be possible to leverage your credit. If you have a longtime standing relationship with your bank you may be able to arrange for a line of credit or a credit card to help you bridge these times.

There are two things you need to know about this.

1. Banks are not usually willing to loan money to you when you are completely leveraged already so if you foresee that you will need this you are going to have to apply for this credit when you don’t need it.
2. This should be a short term resolution for your business growth. Plan to continue to build your business so that you can see a sustainable income that is consistent. If you are building a business that is just trading your hours for time, have a consistent income may be a very difficult objective for you.

Sales

Consistent sales are the goal, but until then, what are you going to do? Bills need to be paid now so money needs to come in now! Start with these three lists.

1. Create a list of all products you can sell. When I did this I found I had a product I only look at once a year (it is a seasonal sponsorship) that I could focus on right away. With a potential of 6 spots available at $2500 each, my income could change dramatically in the immediate future.
2. Create a list of potential clients you know are interested in a product of yours.
3. Create a list of past clients that may be ready to purchase from you again.

Look at each product from your first list and write down at least one name for each product. Now start contacting people. The number one (No. 1) way to make a sale from these lists is to call people and talk to them personally. Yes, you do have to make sales calls. For past clients you might send them a personal card first inviting them to purchase from you (e.g. a sale or event). I would still follow up with a call.

Mitigate

If you want consistent business sales you have to be building a business that does not run on the roller-coaster model – Lots of money when you are in a project and little or no money in between projects. This is caused by the fact that when you are in a project you do not have time to do your marketing or sales. For a consistent business cash flow you must always have marketing and sales, whether you feel you have time for it or not.

1. Create a marketing plan that includes marketing channels you can manage while you are working on a client project.
2. Create a sales plan that allows you to sell your services even when you are focused on another client’s project.
3. Make sure you are doing both of these every day. That’s Every Day! If you want a truly successful business you must have intentional growth. That means you cannot hope that someone will stumble upon your product or services and purchase from you, you must be creating relationships that you can call upon to make the sale.