Set up your marketing programs to succeed from the beginning.  Stretch yourself out of your comfort zone, reaching for the edge of your limitations.  Just be mindful… do not over promise on your ability to deliver.  That behavior has inherent risk for disappointment. Gain trust and build relationships with the ability to build a personalized plan and then meet, or exceed, the demands while admitting to your limitations. Here are a few tips to consider in this process:

• Define client expectations.  Figure out what your clients and colleagues hope to gain from your engagement. Talk with them about how to reach their goals and then plan the roadmap.  Stretch your cumulative abilities, but don’t over-promise in the process.  If you realize that you can’t deliver to the client’s expectation, speak up.  If the client’s expectation aren’t reasonable, gently redirect them through incremental goals.  Concrete honesty builds credibility.

• Stay current.  Read everything you can about your industry and how others are marketing themselves.  At the same time, keep tabs on similar industries to see what new methods are successful and then step it up in your own industry.  Build your knowledge base and then share it with your clients.

• Write (and publish!) on interesting topics.  Use your research and knowledge to write on topics related to your industry. Report on your successful methods. Present yourself as a knowledgable leader by sharing your published material with your clients and related trade associations.