I define marketing as consistently communicating your value to people who can buy from you. Here are the obstacles that keep us from doing so:

1. Fear: Of failing; of offending; of rejection. This is the single greatest impediment to marketing action.

2. Perfection: You have many chances to make good impressions. Take action when your marketing is good enough. Only you will know it’s not perfect.

3. Procrastination: Responding to urgent issues (fires) is reactive and keeps a lot of organizations, big and small, from doing the good work of communicating with buyers proactively.

4. Selling: So many leaders are too busy selling to market. Sales effort is one-on-one. Marketing effort is often one-to-many. Life is a lot easier when you run a marketing organization, and harder when you’re focused on selling to one person at a time.

How do you overcome every one of these obstacles? Begin to understand that you really help your customers. People and companies who buy from you are dramatically improved. You’re among the very best at what you do. Why would you withold your great value from your market? Don’t you owe it to them to at least allow them to decide whether they’d like to invest in your value? If you don’t market, you make the decision for them.

And that isn’t fair, not to them, and certainly not to you.

Join Me On May 15 And Grow Your Revenue 

Come to my free half-day marketing workshop on May 15 at 9:30 AM at the Four Seasons Chicago. We’re nearly full. I’ll buy breakfast, and then lead an intensive working session, filled with role plays, exercises, and small group work. Network, learn, grow your revenue, and spend a powerful working day with me and your colleagues.