Finding prospects is only one piece of the sales puzzle. Once you've got interest, whether it comes from word of mouth, traditional advertising, or the Internet, time is not on your side and you must convince that prospect as quickly as possible that you are the best candidate for their job. If you are not expeditious in conveying your credibility and ability to perform, then you could lose that prospect to the awaiting competition.

Lacking any information to the contrary, many businesses still think that all they need to do to get new clients is to put their name and face in the Yellow Pages or online social directories, get some professional looking business cards, a website and Voila! It's the old adage "build it and they will come".

The Internet marketing landscape has changed significantly with the introduction of new technologies that allow businesses to access streaming video via cable or broadband. That's good news for those professionals who want to differentiate themselves online.

With the economy still sluggish and the anticipated recovery struggling to move forward it may seem that there is plenty of reason for firms to be cautious about promotional expenditure.

But figures are showing that online searches and shopping