Here are the most common marketing problems I see with small business clients:

Problem 1: No Focus. Small companies have a difficult time selecting just one or two products or services to focus on. Similarly, marketing activity tends to be scattered, because people don’t really know which activities will generate results.

Solution: Identify your greatest strength, and focus on it. What’s your best product or service? What are you best at when it comes to marketing? Writing? Speaking? Cold calling? List building? Pick one or two activities and move them forward aggressively for one month. Then, add another activity or two.

Problem 2: Inactivity. Too many small business owners spend too much time thinking, and not enough time doing. Paralysis sets in. Activity grinds to a halt.

Solution: Move when you’re 80 percent ready. The last 20 percent is dysfunctional. I first heard this from the consultant Alan Weiss, and he is exactly right. You’re looking for progress, not perfection. You can always adjust and edit later. For now, move. And schedule “moving” into your calendar. Block out an hour or 90 minutes each day for activity. Godin calls this shipping. You must ship.

Problem 3: Too much modesty. You’re not thinking big enough. Your language is too timid. You worry about how what you’re about to say might be perceived. Maybe it will offend? Forget about that! You must be bold, aggressive, and enthusiastic in your marketing. If not you, who?

Solution: Think big. Communicate aggressively. Use highly descriptive language. Be the moon and the stars for your market. With your communication, you teach your market, partners, colleagues, peers, and the media how to talk about you when you. What are you going to teach them?

Problem 4: Bad PR. Terrible press releases. Blasted communication to countless journalists.

Solution: Create a relationship-based PR program where you select your top 10 to 20 media contacts, and provide them with value every couple of weeks. Learn their audiences. Build relationships. They will bend over backwards to help you.

Problem 5: You’re in the marketing business. You’re not a manufacturer. You’re not an accountant. You don’t make products. You don’t provide legal advice.

Solution: Begin thinking of yourself as a marketer. Understand what your market thinks, wants, and how they talk about you. This will help you shift this mindset.

What’s your top marketing problem? What do you think you can improve on? Where do you see other small business struggling with their marketing?