Good for you!   (Stop bragging).

Whether yes or no, there is a lesson to be learned from those who do when it comes to marketing yourself.

First a story.   The Boston Marathon is coming up, on 16 April.   This is one of the biggies on the marathon circuit.   I occasionally email a marketer whose office is near the start in Hopkinton, and he says eventually nearly everyone local decides to give it a try (although he hasn't).

He says you can't help but bump into someone who has decided to run, at least once anyway.   All they want to talk about is their training regimen, how much they eat, sleep, run, how they warm up or cool down, the clothes they wear, shoes they prefer.

Sometimes though, rarely, there'll be an answer that's soooo laid back "Oh no, no training, sometimes I have a bit of a run if I feel like it."   Yep, know someone like this, just enters and guts' it out.

However, the message is that most runners have a system and all of them have a level of commitment that almost guarantees they'll be on the start line.

Interestingly, relationship marketing is like training for a marathon, it also requires both a System and a Commitment.   (You just knew I'd eventually get to the point.)

Here as well, the results won't be as great if the process/system amounts to simply doing what you feel like when time allows and when the spirit moves you.

That's the bad news :   you need a system and you have to keep doing it, and unlike the marathon, it never ends.

The good news though, is that it's really not that hard.   In fact, if you do it right, you won't even break into a sweat.

Try this (system):

1. Compile all contacts into one list , eg., could be in Excel, note cards, 'Contractually' (cost $69 a month).   The technology doesn't matter; you just need a way to keep track of who your contacts are and when you last connected.

'Contacts' are not only clients and prospects, but includes people who would recognise your call.

2. Contact a tiny portion of the list every day.

Two or three a day … enough so that you go through the list a few times a year.   This is not to sell or promote anything, just to connect and keep the relationship alive.

That's it.   Could you do more?   Sure.

You could also do a newsletter (with interesting content), go to networking meetings (formal, but effective), send hand written snail-mail notes ('thank you's', articles of interest), post on social media (useful stuff, not how cute your breakfast, or the server, was), and on and on.

If you're not marketing yourself now, the place to start is always with the people you already know .   These are the people who are most likely to talk about you, help you, recommend and engage you.   Keep these relationships alive before you go off looking for new connections.

Here's the bottom line (for those who skipped the excellent content above – shame on you).   Relationship marketing isn't hard and it doesn't take a lot of time.   But, it does require a system and a commitment to showing up, day after day.   If you don't have both, the result will be a bit blaah, so if you don't need new business you won't even need to lace up your shoes.