BV appraiser, consultant, and nationally certified speaker Mel Abraham—president of Mel H. Abraham, Inc., is a scheduled keynote presenter at the NACVA and the IBA’s 2009 Annual Consultants’ Conference, on May 27−30 at the Westin Boston Waterfront. Abraham offers four recommendations for building a practice and generating more revenue:

1. Automate your marketing system. Create a system that works and then automate it. Also crucial, Abraham says, is to include specific goals and activities and commit to doing them in the next 30-60 days. Common marketing activities include: going to networking events, speaking at seminars, sending out client satisfaction surveys, or submitting articles for publication.
2. Clearly define your target market. “Without focus there can be no system,” Abraham asserts. “Your profile should include common demographics, specific needs and challenges, and their industry or profession. To thrive in today's economy requires one to gain distinction through mastery at a deep level. This can only be accomplished through a focused approach.”
3. Focus on value. Abraham recommends highlighting the value of your knowledge, background, certifications, unique expertise, and sum total of your experiences when meeting with a referral source or prospect. This is the first step to differentiation in marketplace that is at risk for commoditization.
4. Get your head straight. You must have the proper psychology to capitalize on opportunities, Abraham believes. “We tend to focus on the failures as failures and then search for blame rather than take responsibility for our contribution to the results.” The key is to extract the learning and make the appropriate shifts needed to continue on the path of growth and ultimately profits. This is the beginning of the psychology of success & peak performance.