"Um, I'm not sure this is what you do, but..." or "Do you do...?" This kind of call comes into my office at least three times a week. The frequency of this kind of conversation opener proves that indirect marketing works. Without fail, the person who starts off this way has an immediately pressing problem, has read something by or about me that has provoked the notion that I might be someone holding the solution, and has called to find out if that's the case.

I call this gentle but effective method of gathering in clients "pull" marketing, in contrast to "push" marketing, where you have some specific, set product or service to offer and go out into the world aggressively trying to convince people to buy it. Vehicles for "pull" marketing include media appearances, articles you've written, content-rich information you've placed on the Internet, speaking engagements and word of mouth from satisfied clients or colleagues who know you. "Push" marketing works primarily through advertising, direct mail and cold calls.

When someone makes that telltale "Do you have the solution to my problem?" call, my most important response is to get them to outline their problem. If I do have a product or service that can meet their need, I describe it in terms that match the way they described what they were looking for. Or I name several options that might each address their concern. Rarely do I have to spend much time in this kind of conversation explaining and defending my credentials, or persuading them that they really do need what I'm trying to sell. When they called me, they'd usually already taken the leap of believing that I was qualified to help them. The conversation doesn't always end in a sale, because I may not after all have the appropriate solution, my price may not feel right to them, or they might not be ready just then to whip out their credit card or set up an appointment. Yet it's always a pleasant, positive exchange.

Contrast that with the frustration expressed to me by a business acquaintance recently, who was trying to get her consulting practice off the ground again after a long illness. She was finding conversations with the executives she managed to reach by phone humiliating, because their attitude seemed to be, "Why haven't I heard about you?," and hard, because even when she had good grounds to believe that they had a need for her expertise, they didn't necessarily agree with her reasoning. A pleasant, positive conversation was the exception for her rather than the rule.

"Pull" marketing methods such as publishing articles, speaking to trade industry groups and word of mouth would work better for her than cold calls, except for one factor. "Pull" marketing tends to work slowly and cumulatively. Given her imperative of finding paying clients soon, she couldn't send bait out into the world designed to lure the people who realize that they need what she has to offer -- bait that also pre-persuades them that she has the stuff to solve their problem. For the long term, she should get that kind of marketing program up and running, but for the short term, she has little choice but to ferret out people who, logically speaking, should be feeling a certain kind of pain, get them to listen to her pitch and try to hurry their decision along.

In addition to this column, which inspires people to look for my work at their local bookstore or to place one of those "Do you do...?" calls, I've found teaching workshops and giving talks to business groups especially fruitful methods of attracting inquiries and earning a reputation. A good number of other clients have found me from informative articles and Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ) files posted at other people's sites on the Internet, at no cost to me. Another of my favorite magnetic techniques is using press releases to spread the word about free or nearly free reports available by writing to me. Anyone who takes the trouble to send for a report has thereby identified themselves as a live prospect in that arena.

Yet I use "push" marketing as well in the form of postcards, sales letters or catalogs with special "buy this now" offers directed to those who have already in effect raised their hands as promising prospects. Each approach has its strengths. Make sure you factor in your time and money pressures along with your personal preferences in determining precisely how you'll propel yourself along the road to success.

Boston-based marketing and publicity consultant Marcia Yudkin is a syndicated columnist through ParadigmTSA, a public radio commentator and the author of nine books, including Six Steps to Free Publicity and Persuading on Paper: The Complete Guide to Writing Copy that Pulls in Business. She also delivers eye-opening, content-rich seminars on publicity and marketing to business and professional groups nationwide.

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