This post was inspired by Jeff Dowler's Featured Post about the #1 tip you would give someone about starting to blog.

My #1 tip comes from my wise old grandmother about 33 years ago:

Be persistent and consistent.

At the time she was helping me, a young 11-year-old, to set up my first business typing papers for college students.

She went on to tell me that people liked other people who were persistent and consistent, and I've found that to be true throughout my life. Even my senior English teacher in high school, Mrs. Edith Head (but not THAT Edith Head; Google it), told us about spelling and grammar: "If you're going to do it wrong, do it consistently wrong. That way I can teach you." I didn't know what she meant at the time, but I do now.

Being persistent and consistent is the #1 thing that I tell my Clients and anyone else who will listen. I don't care what you do, but I can tell you that if you are persistent and consistent in ANYTHING, you convey a message that you are persistent and consistent in EVERYTHING.

Let's look at persistency and consistency in a little more detail since it is a Guerrilla Marketing tactic that should be easy to use.

Let's look at the antics of Zoey the Cool Cat shown in the picture above. As with most animals, she have a routine that she is accustomed to. She enjoys the persistency and consistency that her routine brings, and if I don't follow that routine, she get a stressed out, with her meows becoming more frequent and louder.

It's the same with many people. The various business magazines report each year that upwards of 80% of working people dislike their jobs but have not intention of leaving it. Why? Because they like the persistency and consistency that the job brings. They know that they can get up at 7:00 and be at work at 8:00 by taking the exact same route each and every day. They know that they'll be doing the same thing each day, persistently and consistently. They know that every Friday, Cherry the Checkbearer will bring the paycheck in at exactly 9:07 a.m., that they will go out to eat lunch with co-workers and stop by the bank to deposit the check.

They know, they know, they know....

Persistency and consistency.

Do you wonder, then, why people work on commissions? Or don't have a steady supply of dollar bills? Like Realtors? Like home inspectors? Like consultants?

If you don't have a persistent and consistent source of dollar bills, try marketing yourself persistently and consistently. That doesn't mean join every networking site there is, creating a profile, and then sitting back and waiting for things to happen because I can assure you that things WILL NOT happen.

Rather, choose three to five marketing methods and then work them to their fullest, persistently and consistently. I believe that at least two of those marketing methods should be having a web site and blogging.

When it comes to blogging, I prefer ActiveRain for real estate professionals. I've seen the power of Mother and Father Nature when they let the Rain fall on Google. But even setting up a profile here at ActiveRain and then sitting back in the comfy chair won't get you anywhere.

So get out there and blog, persistently and consistently. You don't even have to do ten or twenty blog posts a week like I do, but however many you do, do it persistently and consistently. If you just want to do one a week, pick a day and do your post on that day, every week, persistently and consistently. You'll reap the rewards because whenever you meet someone who has the possibility of becoming a Client, you can say, "And check out my blog at ActiveRain. I post a new article every Monday at noon."

Now repeat after me:

• I will be persistent and consistent in all that I do.
• I will be persistent and consistent in all that I do.
• I will be persistent and consistent in all that I do.
• I will be persistent and consistent in all that I do.
• I will be persistent and consistent in all that I do.
• I will be persistent and consistent in all that I do.
• I will be persistent and consistent in all that I do.
• I will be persistent and consistent in all that I do.
• I will be persistent and consistent in all that I do.
• I will be persistent and consistent in all that I do.

We are ActiveRain!

**********

Fifteen recent blog posts

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15. My wise grandmother is alive and well and living in Lakemoor, Illinois under an assumed name

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2. Free help for Active Rain newbies
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Need help with marketing? Join the Guerrilla Marketing Tactics Group.

Inspired by nature? Join the Inspired By Nature Group.

Classical music lover? Join the Classical Music Group.

Want to share a good book? Join the Active Rain Book Club