I had a recent consulting call with a client. I asked him about his progress on what we talked about during our past call and he reported that hardly anything got done because he had a lot of other things to do in running his business and was constantly being interrupted by employees with questions or who required advice.
That’s when I went into my rant that…
“What we talk about and agree to get accomplished should NEVER take a backseat to anything else he needs to get done. I reminded him that his #1 job as the owner and President of the company was the MARKETING!”
After all, it’s the marketing that’s driving sales and withOUT sales there is no need for anyone else to work in the company. No need for an accountant, customer service representatives, buyers … no one.
Now I’ve probably just offended a bunch of people with this and I truly appreciate all of the people I work with in any company I’ve owned, but you need to never forget this message: MARKETING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ANY ORGANIZATION.
After I gave my client the tongue lashing, he told me he needed that wake up call to remind him what his priorities were and the next time that someone interrupted him, he would put them on hold until he worked on the marketing.
I informed him that people he worked with won’t like it and will resist. After all, everyone thinks their job is the most important job in the company. It’s up to you to not let these people run your life. In fact, it should be their job to make your life easier, not harder.
IF YOU ALLOW OTHERS TO RUN YOUR
LIFE (and consume your time) THEY’LL DO IT!!
Lee Milteer talks a lot about not allowing your business to run your life (and suck up all your time) in our Peak Performers Coaching group. Another great resource for you is Dan’s book entitled: No B.S. RUTHLESS MANAGEMENT OF PEOPLE & PROFITS (available at http://www.ruthlessmanagement.com/ruthless.)
FINAL COMMENT: Speaking of Dan’s book, several posts back I shared with you the three traits that successful entrepreneurs have in common and I reported that that #1 trait was reading.
Author Info: Bill Glazer is one of the most celebrated Marketing Gurus in the world. Bill and his "Outside The Box" Advertising Strategies have often been featured in the most prestigious Marketing Magazines in the world.
Bill is the author of the best selling book, "Outrageous Advertising That's Outrageously Successful: Created for the 99% of Small Business Owners Who Are Dissatisfied with the Results They Get". 
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Dude I TOTALLY AGREE,
Coaching Australian SME’s with NO sales skills and NO marketing strategy, I am often in a similar space.
They’ve had it good. In the last 10 years anyone with a business could make money in this country, but now things are changing, people are spouting off about the GFC.
But it’s not the GFC, it’s the fact that they are set in their ways, and not changing and adapting to punch forward in spite of all the indicators that they need to step up the game.
I tell them, if they want to have cashflow, 69 – 70% of their weekly activity needs to be sales activity.
If they can’t get focused on selling and overcome their issues around selling and money, they need to get the #!@% off the track and stop taking up space.
My partner Leela said at a recent event, “if you are in business and you aren’t making it your target to make over 100kpa, get OUT of business, you would be better off in a day job without all the responsibilities.
Marketing and sales is the core of every business, no “buts”
Drives me bonkers.
As Dan says, coming to this realization is the biggest quantum leap a business owner can make.
Now if only every business owner would read this blog…
Bingo! You hit the nail on the head again!
Although there are some who are now pounding the hammer against their heads because they fail to realize as the biz owner they are the “head honcho” the person who is ultimately responsible for marketing. Nope, not the sales force. Not the so-called marketing dept. The person in charge (the owner, the CEO, the president, the king of the hill,etc) is really the CMO – chief marketing officer.
Marketing comes before all – without it there are no sales, no clients, no money.
The following is an out-take of a letter I posted to a lady on facebook who just paid $750.00 to challenge me to do a 30-day Body Cleanse with her product. I’m filming and monetizing the transformation of my body.
She wrote to me and said, “You are such a marketer.”
Do you get the most people don’t understand how important this function is?
Here’s the thing; If we don’t teach people to monetize EVERYTHING they do, they will never have real success. One of my authors, Jorge Bueno, is a multi-millionaire because he uses hypnosis and nlp, yes, but he films everything he does with his pocket camera just like I do–only better–and he generates insane amounts of cash. I mean, just to sit with the guy for 4 hours is $25K, and get this–it’s worth $50K, guaranteed.
Marketing is sharing and we share because we care.
I know you get it.
By the way, I am TOP COMMENTATOR at Glazer-Kennedy GKIC Inner Circle. Care to jump in and knock me off my stoop. I’ll get word today about my contest winning micro movie for Bill Glazer of Outrageous Advertising. Already reserved MicroMovieMoney.com and MicroMovieMaker.com to teach people how to do this.
Gotta run. Have a great day.
Stage Hypnotist Simone
Las Vegas
Find Me. I’m everywhere!
Hey folks…I am the person who said, “You are such a marketer”….just want everyone to know that I said and meant that as a COMPLIMENT! :–)
I love marketing and I am in awe of those who combine their creativity and energy and skills and then take action to DO IT!
Simone…you are SUCH a marketer…you rock, baby!
Marketing changed my business forever and now here I am getting my message out again! When in Central Washington stop in and eat “You’ll Love our food or it’s FREE”
http://www.theroadhousegrill.net
I bleed printer’s ink.
When I owned Simone’s Printing & Bindery in the 80’s, I became fascinated with the different marketing pitches I read for all my clients. I became an expert at copywriting by reading and absorbing what worked and what didn’t.
I love the written word, and I am imperfect at putting them in grammatically correct form. I can, however, persuade my readers with whatever words I use, however I use them.
Stage Hypnotist Simone
Las Vegas.
When I decided I wanted to be a marketer, I went to college and got a degree in Marketing. I graduated with High Honors, Multiple awards, and a 3.91 GPA. I learned absolutely NOTHING in COLLEGE.
Marketing is learned by studying and applying Marketer’s Info Products and creating Swipe Files of their sales-letters–the very one’s that sold YOU!
My email account at hotmail is worth a million dollars should I ever repurpose the content.
Stage Hypnotist Simone
Las Vegas
there are many so-called copywriters and most of them suck! They couldn’t write a good sales letter if a gun was pointed at their head… the filth they write is beyond comprehension… all grammatically correct… big words that bore the crap out of people… yuck!
People there is a science to writing copy… learn it!
But I will fill you in on a little secret… write like you talk! It adds personality to your copy and makes the reader feel more comfortable. Use slang if you wish, don’t be grammatically correct, dont use big words… NOPE! ZILCH! NADA! are awesome words to use. FREE is the number one word that drives people to continue reading.
Good advice, Rob! Keep it up!
Stage Hypnotist Simone
Here’s a fun sound to make when reading bad copy:
Ughthhhh.
…could you make me a video and pronounce that word?
HUH! You know you want to anyway!
Do it now! Before you forget!
you are correct…and, uh, dang, not a bad hypnotist, I might ad.
Stage Hypnotist Simone
Las Vegas
Yuhhhgggggggtth.
that whole getting sleeping stuff doesnt work…
… but hey if you really want to help me out you’ll drop what you are doing, pick up the phone, call me and give me your credit card number…that will really make me happy.
When I speak on your platform and pay your 50% producers fee, you’ll be plenty happy. I plan to close about $50K if you’ve got a couple hundred butts in the seats.
Stage Hypnotist Simone
alright…I’m wide awake now… and listening!
I don’t want a speaker’s fee. You can pay for my plane ticket and hotel if you like. Just let me persuade from the platform and sell my own tools for the audience. That’s what every one of your speakers should do. You, as the producer get 50% of everything sold on your platform. That’s standard.
well, some still charge a fee and get to sell there products…
so I always asked…
… and I’m giving each speaker the opportunity to promote the event to their clients and database – (their clients get a nice discount off the event, and the speaker gets a nice finders fee for selling the event)
When you have your nose to the grindstone in a small business it’s often easy to forget the importance of marketing. Sometimes you just need some help to refocus.
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