Your true priorities are revealed by where you spend your time.

That might sound a little unfair.

Like me, you probably look back on your week sometimes and wonder how on earth you managed to spend your time where you did. Or thinking about all the little emergencies that diverted you from what you really wanted to do.

But over time, it nets out.

You spend the most time on the things that are the most important to you.

Try this little exercise:

Over the last couple of weeks, what percentage of your marketing time have you spent:

[a] Marketing to generate brand new leads.

[b] Marketing to strengthen your relationship with existing contacts who haven't bought yet (but who could).

[c] Marketing to your existing and ex-clients. Not just doing your normal delivery work with them. Actually marketing to identify new opportunities and strengthen your relationship in those areas.

If you're like most people it's probably somewhere near an 80:15:5 ratio.

Generating new leads is the glamorous bit of marketing.

It's the stuff all the gurus talk about. It's the stuff than seems exciting because “if only I had a flood of new leads it would all be easy…”.

It's where people only just starting or who don't have a real business yet need to focus.

Building credibility and trust with your existing contacts isn't quite so exciting. Nor is extending your relationships with your existing and ex-clients.

But it's where the money is. It's what real businesses focus on.

It should be what you prioritise.

Of course, you still need to generate new leads, otherwise eventually your pool of contacts to nurture dries up.

But practically all of us would do a lot better if we put more focus on existing contacts and clients.