Sell yourself some marketing insurance

2.    Get a plan. Create a simple action plan for defining the handful of activities you will need to carry out consistently to obtain your next clients. Consistent implementation is critical. Assign someone (or make a commitment yourself) to be responsible for getting these tasks done every week, month or quarter.

3.    Make regular progress. Look at your plan every week and make sure you are moving forward. Even if it's just for 5 minutes, review your plan and make sure implementation is proceeding according to plan.

It may seem simple, but if you know where clients generally come from, have a simple plan to consistently reach out to them and do so each week, you have acquired an insurance policy for your marketing efforts. For free!

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• The 'you first' approach to marketing
• Marketing—your hedge against the future, Part 1
• What's your content marketing plan?

Maribeth Kuzmeski is the founder of Red Zone Marketing, LLC, which consults to Fortune 500 firms on strategic marketing planning and business growth. For more information, go to www.redzonemarketing.com.