We recently caught up with Barbara J. Winter, who conducts seminars on self-employment throughout the United States, Canada and the UK. She is the author of Making a Living Without a Job,one of the best books about self-employment on the market. Here's what she had to say:

You've been a very successful entrepreneur for over a decade, what's one important marketing lesson you've learned?
To do it on a regular basis, in spite of whatever else is going on in your business. Too many people view marketing as a crisis activity-only pursued when the phones stop ringing. But I like to think of marketing as the Tortoise in the story of The Tortoise and the Hare-slow and steady wins the race. Keep in mind that none of the dot com's were run by tortoises!

Running your own business is hard enough without throwing in the job of
marketing. How can a business owner market the business and run it at the same time?
Any entrepreneur has to regularly schedule marketing as an ongoing activity. For me what works best is to set aside a specific day of the week-say Wednesday-to focus on getting promotional things done. It could be phoning prospects or writing customers to tell them about my new seminar, but for me I make it habitual.

If you work marketing into the process of running your business, you'll be a better business owner. If you recognize that marketing can be as creative as other parts of your business, you'll change your perception of it. Try perceiving it as another creative outlet for you, and you just might find it takes on a whole new life of its own. It's no longer drudgery, but a fun part of your business!

What qualities does a person need to be a good marketer?
The most important quality to for successful marketing is to be passionate about what you market. You have to be totally convinced that what you provide will make peoples' lives richer. One of my favorite sayings is "Only start a business you would be the first customer for."

A lot of us are reluctant to do marketing because we have preconceived notions about sales and marketing people. And we don't want to be like the guy who follows us out into the parking lot to sign on the dotted line. But, your marketing efforts don't have to be like that.

When I bought my new car, I had a delicious experience at the Saturn dealership. Their marketing is so different from other car companies. The salesman wanted to know how I'd drive my car first. He really listened to my answers, then after several minutes of questioning, he matched me up with the perfect car. It was such an enjoyable process that when he introduced me to the car, I could almost hear the song " Some Enchanted Evening" playing in the background!

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Should entrepreneurs do their own marketing, or should they outsource it?
First, every entrepreneur must know his or her temperament. If you've made some attempts at marketing your business, and it didn't feel right, or it just wasn't fun, then you may not be cut out for it. We're not all wired the same.

Also, if you just don't have the time to market your business, it's time to outsource. I've also noticed that entrepreneurs whose businesses are "moving to the next level" often need to outsource. Maybe your staff is growing, or you're moving from a regional to a national level, or maybe you're realizing a larger vision for your company. All these circumstances seem to point a business owner towards more specialized marketing expertise, or more powerful marketing tools. An outsourced marketing arrangement can help with that.

What other marketing advice would you give to marketers?
Two things. First, "Good marketing is nothing more than good problem solving". And marketers have to be delighted at the opportunity to solve others' problems.

Also, when you market your business, try to create a "natural monopoly." You want to be so appropriate for your customers that the competition virtually disappears. Focus on finding those prospects that you're a perfect fit for and you'll start building this natural monopoly. You'll also find that this helps take away the sting of rejection, when a prospect doesn't go with you. You'll end up saying to yourself "Gee, they just weren't the perfect fit for me."

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If you'd like to contact Barbara directly, she can be reached at (952) 835-5647 or by e-mail at babswinter@yahoo.com. If you'd like to arrange to receive either of her two newsletters: Winning Ways or Dreambuilders: Unleashing Your Entrepreneurial Spirit, click on www.emailcoaching.net.