And Another Thing: Marketing Resistance

Public Content:

This is the time of year when people start making New Year’s Resolutions.  When it comes to marketing, the resolutions are just plain silly.  “Next year we have to pay more attention to marketing.”  Now what does that mean?

“Next year we ought to think about doing a Marketing Plan.”  Humph!  No timeline or determination of who will be involved.  That sure ain’t gonna happen!

What makes so many business owners resist marketing to such an extent?  Now don’t get me wrong.  New memberships are coming in to BroadsOnBusiness.com. at a steady pace.  The renewal rate is extremely gratifying.  So what am I complaining about?

OK, so I might be sounding like a typical business owner: no matter what happens, it’s not quite good enough!  But that’s not the case here.  It’s truly about how few people even recognize what marketing is and its importance to one’s company.

Overwhelmingly, people equate marketing with advertising, believing advertising costs are way beyond their budget.  Well, advertising is part of marketing; but marketing isn’t just advertising.  The other confusion lies in believing marketing and sales to be the same thing.  “If I can quantify sales, and marketing is some ephemeral notion, why can’t I just concentrate on sales?”

The challenge with this latter line of thinking is that marketing and selling are not the same thing.  As a matter of fact, they’re polar opposites.  Marketing is the cause, and sales are the effect.  Engage in your marketing, and sales will happen.

So, what is marketing?  Think of it as any activity that reaches the marketplace.  How your phones are answered is marketing, either negative or positive (you have one chance to make a good first impression).  How your employees treat your customers is marketing.  How you respond to a dissatisfied client is marketing.  Your appearance in public is marketing.  Your business cards and signage are marketing.  Your dirty or clean truck is marketing.  Being seen at Chamber of Commerce and other business events is marketing.

How you script what you say about your company is marketing.  Some people introduce themselves so enticingly that the other party responds with, “That’s interesting.  Well, how do you do that?  Tell me more.”  Other introductions force others’ eyes to glaze over.

What’s the difference between these two introductions?  Marketing.

So the next time a marketing consultant mentions writing a simple Marketing Plan or meeting on a monthly basis to ensure your marketing is consistent, please don’t write your business off as too small or too busy or too unique to need marketing.

Every business, practice and non-profit needs marketing, each to a different extent.  Every business, practice and non-profit can benefit greatly from the “outside objectivity” of a marketing consultant, who gently and gradually puts an end to “we’ve always done it this way.”

It’s New Year’s Resolution time: be specific and be focused.  Set no more than three goals and recognize that, if you do things the way you’ve always done them, you’ll continue to get the same results.  The change in calendar year is a great time to do things a bit differently.  Seize the opportunity!