A Misconception That Kills Service Businesses

I jump on a call every two weeks with the same friend for an accountability check-in.

We'll call him Andrew for privacy's sake.

We cover what we're working on, where we're stuck, and our plans for the next two weeks.

All year, “Andrew” complained about not having enough clients. So he kept his head down on business development. Cold calls, warm intros, follow-ups, speaking gigs. Every strategy under the sun, week after week, even when nothing was breaking through.

Then last month, out of nowhere he boasts "It finally worked. I'm buried in projects. Guess I can finally stop business development now."

I wanted to reach through the screen and shake him until he saw two of me.

My friend, you've drawn the wrong conclusion. And if you’re not careful, it might kill your business.

I see this mistake constantly. Someone closes a big client and immediately thinks, "Great, I can pause marketing now.”

Let me tell you why this is one of the deadliest traps that kill most service businesses.

The work you're doing today is leading to deals six to nine months from now. Maybe longer. If you stop marketing the moment you get busy, you're guaranteeing yourself a big gap between this project and the next one.

My agency has run for over three years. We've hit our capacity ceiling multiple times, totally swamped with work. Nobody on the team can breathe. But guess what happens every single time, without fail? We eventually find the bottom. Projects finish. Even very happy clients take systems in-house from time to time. What then?

We need more work.

Let me say it in bold letters:

There is never a good time to stop marketing.

There is only ever a good time to stop promoting.

That distinction matters. If you're fulfillment-constrained and genuinely can't take on more work, fine. Stop directly asking for business. Stop pushing for conversions. But keep building. Keep nurturing. Keep staying top of mind.

With AI there’s no excuse. That big project you just landed? It's going to teach you all sorts of interesting things. Client insights. Process improvements. Lessons learned the hard way. 

Use AI transcription and automatic meeting note takers to capture those reflections in real time. Spend fifteen minutes after a client call turning your notes into a short LinkedIn post or tactical newsletter recap about what you learned that week. 

No matter how buried you are in delivery, you can find time for that. It keeps a pulse alive. It keeps you top of mind. And it feeds those two-year deal timelines without requiring you to "do marketing" in any traditional sense.

So what did I tell Andrew? "Congrats on the deals. Now you can work on next year's business. Next spring’s calendar. 2027's pipeline."

The companies that survive slumps are the ones that kept marketing through the boom. When your current busy season winds down, you won't be scrambling. You'll have a smooth handoff, with leads who feel like they already know you.

So if you just closed something big, congratulations. Keep marketing.

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