Farm living comes with its own set of rules. A few simple, but VERY important rules are: never stand directly behind a horse; always close the barn door behind you; and don't forget to prime the pump.
Naturally, the first rule of never standing behind the horse is one of self-preservation. If it's ever happened to you, you know it's no fun to be kicked by a horse. The probability of this occurring increases when you absentmindedly stand behind one, so don't! The second rule makes sense because on a farm, one wants to keep the outside varmints OUT and the inside animals IN. If the goat gets away from you while you are cleaning its pen and runs out of the barn, your morning has just become more complicated.
The last rule is more of a directive. Your job of filling the watering trough in the middle of a pasture can be a frustrating endeavor without this third rule. You begin cranking the pump handle, up and down, up and down, and you stop and eye the spigot, and nothing. You try pumping faster and faster, your arm is feeling as though it could fly off into the pasture after a few good cranks, and still nothing. Soon you begin to believe that there isn't a drop of water in that silly well.
Without going into the lengthy explanation of how wells and pumps work, oftentimes, it's necessary to introduce water into the top of the well to help improve the seal so the water can flow. If you find yourself in the position of having to go to the middle of a lonely pasture to fill the trough, don't forget to bring a bucket of water with you.
In business, it's no different. You have to remember to prime the pump before the water flows there too. Priming in your business isn't a sometimes thing, it's an ALWAYS thing. When your sales funnel is stoked and full of high value leads, it's easy to forget about the priming part because you are busy. And, busy can be a blessing and a curse because it can cloud your view of the pump; it may begin to feel like the water is always going to continue to flow.
But, of course, it won't. Don't be fooled, the water WILL eventually stop flowing and so will your leads.
A solid, continuous plan to keep your ‘water' (the leads in your business) flowing must happen so that after the groundswell of activity ends, you aren't left with a dry well.
Determine how much your priming bucket is going to cost – Marketing Budget
Create a calendar of how often you will need to pour the water into the pump — A Marketing Calendar
Put a system into place so the pump is primed automatically — Follow Up!
Remember to measure the water in your bucket each time you prime your pump — Review the Results
A well-primed pump will help you keep your business's funnel flooded with the leads it needs to prosper.
Building a better business, one primed pump at a time.
