Marketing Advice ... It's Not Worth a Thing Unless You Implement It

Marketing is essential to the success of your business. But you already knew that, didn’t you? In fact, you probably have attended marketing seminars, read marketing books and articles, and even talked to marketing consultants about jump-starting your business through more effective marketing strategies and tactics. That’s great! Then what did you do?

If you’re like many small business owners, you did little or nothing. You see, it’s not unusual for owners to go through the scenario above. They understand -- on both logical and emotional levels -- that they need to market in an effective and plausible way. They realize that, in order to be most profitable, continuous marketing is a necessity, even if it may be an unwelcome one.

This exercise of looking for answers, finding them, and then continuing to look for more is not unusual because it is not restricted to marketing. It is seen in all walks of life -- both professional and personal. Take, for instance, all the self-help books that are published each year. I learned when I owned a publishing company that 85% of all self-help books were never read after being purchased. I believe this is proof that we know we need assistance and we know where to get it. But we simply do not have the conviction to do what it takes to put that assistance to use.

Knowing this, is does not surprise me when I see businesspeople go through the same mental gymnastics. I watch as they go from seminar to seminar, including mine. I listen as they tell me all the books and instructional disks they have. Some they actually read and listen to. I cringe, however, when I ask how much of it they have put to use, and they respond by saying little or none.

When people are willing to discuss the ineffectiveness of this practice, I often use the following analogy. Let’s say you need a new car. Your current one is on its last legs. So you go out and test-drive a Toyota Camry. You like it, and it is within your budget. But you leave in your own car. A week or so later, you test-drive a Honda Accord. You like it as well, and this too is within your budget. You leave, promising to think it over. In the meantime, a business associate tells you good things about the Ford Fusion. So off to the local Ford dealer you go. Yes, it too was nice and priced right. In the end, you go home with your old car, but you can tell others about the test drives and all the things you liked about the cars. The problem is that you still need a new car, and you don’t have one.

So let’s get back to marketing. If you want to build a profitable business, you have to consistently market to your profitable target audience and convert a certain percentage to clients. It’s that simple. So take the advice from a book, a seminar, or coach and put it into action. Then follow through until successful. Because to continuously test-drive advice and never implement any of it leaves you with the same old thing that sooner or later won’t go anywhere.