There is a fundamental to sales, which if you know it, allows you to relax and do the job without nagging doubt that there is something unethical about selling. It's this;

"The more people know what you do and where to find you, the more business you will get"

'Out there' are potential customers waiting to hear your sales message and ready to say 'Yes' to it. Let me explain; if you take any conventional product or service and offer it to a large number of appropriate people, you can be sure that some of them will want it.

Regardless of what your business makes or does, as long as your offering fits somehow into the categories you can find in the Yellow Pages or suchlike, some people will need what you do. Of course many others won't, but that doesn't matter.

Here's a simple method; first define the group of people you want to contact. It might be, for example, small businesses which use computers, or people who play golf, or teenagers with big feet, or the over 60's who live in the Birmingham area. Then write a message which tells them what you do, stressing how you can help them deal with some aspect of their work or lives which is expensive, annoying, or time-wasting, if that is appropriate for your product.

Make sure that this piece contains a 'call to action', such as, 'Phone us today on 0123 456 789'. Make it easy for your new customer to find reach you, so include all the ways people like to use; phone number, fax, email, web address, postal address, map and so on.

Now get this message to your audience. You may have to experiment to find the best way. For my sales-training, I found that email was best, fax-broadcast next, then cold-calling by phone. I have never had much luck with direct mail or display advertising, but do your own testing, it may be different for you.

Simply telling people, about what you do whenever you get a suitable opportunity, works. But for a lot of activities, you need bigger numbers, that's why the more automated methods may be necessary.

Once dozens, hundreds maybe thousands of people know what you do and how to find you, orders will follow. There is no need to talk people into your proposition, assuming you aren't selling real-estate on the moon. So long as what you provide is something that people can understand and may be buying from other suppliers, the method I have outlined will work for you.

I know because I've had a long career in sales, and over time came to realise that you can sell anything this way.

So if you need more orders / projects / clients, follow this simple plan and in a few months time you will have all you want. Then be self-disciplined and keep this prospecting program going at a somewhat reduced level.

This is necessary, because if you stop trying to find new work as soon as you have got enough, you are setting yourself up for the uncomfortable roller-coaster of too much, followed by too little and a desperate struggle to do something about it. You could think of this is 'sales maintenance'.