An excerpt from Chapter 1 “So, What Exactly Is Marketing?”

Let’s say you just invented a brand new product—and it’s perfect in every way. It performs flawlessly. It sports several new, user-friendly features. It commands a high price—and can be produced for just pennies. It’s a guaranteed success, right? Wrong.
Unless the right people hear about your product, understand what it does, and know where to get it, it won’t sell. That’s the job of marketing. You see, just inventing a new product isn’t enough, it’s only the first step towards success. The real success comes from gaining market acceptance—and that’s the job of marketing.

A Pop Quiz:
Which of these are marketing activities?

1. Mailing a flyer.
2. Advertising in a trade journal.
3. Making a sales call on a prospect.
4. Getting interviewed on a radio station.
5. Offering a discount for a limited time.
6. Developing pricing for a new product.
7. Rolling out a new product.
8. Penetrating a new market.
9. Developing a new brochure.
10. Researching your customers.

If you said ALL, then you’re right. All of these are familiar and quite common marketing activities.

Now, which of these are marketing activities?
1. Answering your business line.
2. Describing your business to someone at a party.
3. Interviewing job candidates.
4. Sending an email.
5. Providing an estimate.
6. Contacting an account about an overdue invoice.
7. Making your voicemail system easier to navigate.
8. Providing a referral.
9. Thanking a supplier for a job well done.
10. Returning phone calls.

Your answer? The correct answer is again, ALL of them. Surprised? Don’t be. These are all points of contact between your company and the market and therefore define your company to the outside world. All happen between someone inside your company and someone outside of it, and these defining moments between your company and the outside world are the essence of marketing.

My little exercise here underscores that marketing happens, not only in the traditional senses (e.g. print advertising, broadcast advertising, direct mail), but also in your company’s day-to-day interactions.

Having said this, a small business owner, like you, must realize that marketing is a much wider range of activities than just promoting your business. It’s not just placing ads or passing out flyers. It’s not just sales. There’s much, much more to it—and everyone in your company can be a marketer.

An excerpt from Chapter 2 “The Top 12 Marketing Mistakes Growing Businesses Make”

In marketing, like most things in life, success comes only after making mistakes—lots of them. I’ve sure made my fair share of mistakes. And I’ve also learned from others’ mistakes in the market. So, pull up a chair and learn from our mistakes—so you don’t have to make them.

I caution you though. This isn’t an exhaustive list. With marketing so dynamic and fast-paced, new and novel marketing mistakes are made each day. But what I’ll cover here are the most common marketing errors that small businesses commit.

If you notice any of these things happening in your marketing, stop and take a step back. Each of these seemingly innocuous mistakes can be harmful, maybe even fatal, to your business.

Mistake #1—Thinking Marketing is Advertising

“What do you do for a living?” the person standing across from me asks.

“I’m in marketing,” I say.

“Oh, so you make commercials,” he says.

“No, but that’ is a part of marketing,” I say.

“Do you sell stuff?” he asks.

“No, but that’s a part of marketing too,” I say.

“So what exactly do you do?” he’s a bit frustrated by now!

“As a marketer, I make sure those things are done, PLUS we have the right products, confirm they’re priced correctly, deliver them through the right channels, say the right things about them, get them in front of the right people, give those people a reason to buy, make sure they stay satisfied and then, give them a reason to buy more or get others to buy,” I say.

“Oh…” he says (by now frantically searching the room for his next conversation).

At that point I usually excuse myself and head for another side of the room. Yes marketing is advertising. Yes, marketing is sales. But it’s also a whole lot more.

Strategic marketing covers pricing, product matters, distribution channels, marketing communications, marketing processes and promotion (of which advertising and sales are only a part).

Achieving marketing success requires getting more from your marketing resources—time, talent, and dollars. That requires strategy—thought followed by action. Effective marketing strategies come from informed thinking, market research, and thoughtful discussion. This all supports the fact that marketing is more of a process. The sum total of all these actions will generate marketing success for your business.

Mistake #2—Lacking Patience

These days we expect immediate results. Want to know how your stocks are doing? Dial into the Internet for an up-to-the-minute check. Want to see what I’m looking at? I’ll fax you a copy. Need to know what Kevin in Kenya, Carla in Canada and Tim in Timbuktu think? I’ll set up a conference call while we’re on the line.

In a world like this, is it any wonder we have short attention spans? Yet, successful marketing depends on an approach that’s 180 degrees the opposite direction. Why? Because marketing is about changing people’s behavior. And that simply doesn’t happen overnight (Those of you with kids really know what I’m talking about!).

A short while ago, I met with a fellow consultant and told him about my marketing work with growing companies. After several meetings, he assured me he’d have some business for me. Months later, after receiving my newsletter, he let me know he still had me in mind. A couple months after that, he introduced me to one of his clients—it led nowhere. Several months after that, I met with another client of his—again no deal.

A couple months go by later (we’re now 1 ½ years later and counting), he suggested I lunch with yet another client. More meetings, lunches, and then finally, a full 2 years after meeting this gentleman, I began working with one of his clients.

Today, this company is a valued client of mine. But, what’s the lesson here? Stick it out. If I’d given up after year one, I’d have missed out on all those revenues…and referrals.

It pays to be patient in marketing. In fact, the first time you do promote something, you’re really just creating awareness in your prospect’s mind. The second time, you’re reinforcing the awareness and beginning to uncover a need. The third time, your prospect will sit up, take notice and maybe even respond.