The very first client I got for my own business came through my website. A marketing workshop for a small firm of surveyors: three women in a largely male-dominated profession.

It was a bit of a fluke. I hadn't really figured out online marketing then. But I was lucky enough that what I said on my site exactly matched with what they were looking for.

We spent a day together figuring out how to take their business forwards.

It was there that I realised that most people don't want to get brilliant at marketing. And certainly not at selling.

After a while doing marketing I kind of fell in love with it. That's why I'm constantly trying out new approaches and techniques. I love figuring out “what works”.

But most people don't love marketing or selling. They just want to be able to do it well enough, or have it done for them, so that they can focus on the thing they do love.

I've never forgotten that learning.

That's why, for most people, keeping your marketing simple is crucial.

There's a saying in marketing that it's easier to find 100 ways of getting one client than it is to find one way that gets you 100.

That's nonsense. Possibly the worst advice I've ever heard.

For most of us the best thing to do is find one, two or three methods that reliably bring us in a steady stream of new leads. Get good at just one or two ways of nurturing relationships and converting those relationships into paying clients.

Don't try to become the master of every type of marketing. And try not to be tempted by the latest scheme promoted by a whole bunch of gurus saying you can get a bunch of new clients overnight with very little effort. If it was that easy they'd be doing it themselves.

Winning clients is hard work. So focus on a few proven techniques and get them to work for you.