Salesandmarketing
“Sales and Marketing” is not one word. Yet that’s how it often comes out, and that’s how many small business owners tend to think about it – if they think about it at all.
I spend a lot of time talking with owners, and one thing that strikes me is just how poorly understood the concept of Marketing is. To many, Marketing is synonymous with “mumbo jumbo” (a.k.a. bullsh*t). To others, it is simply a fancy word for “sales.”
But in fact, Marketing is one of the most important things a business must do well if it is to grow and be successful.
Simply put, Marketing is the science that helps you (1) identify your best markets, (2) compellingly engage them as a group, and (3) refine your offerings to better meet their needs.
Far too much has been written on the subject in books and magazines, and most of it is garbage – I think this is why Marketing has such a bad rap. Even the best of the material is pretty useless for a small business: books on branding are interesting – if you have a $100 million advertising budget. So the fact that Marketing is poorly understood among small business owners isn’t all that big a surprise.
So I was incredibly excited when I met John Jantsch. John is a Marketing guru of the first water, but with a critical twist: he’s figured out how to make it work for small businesses. Duct Tape Marketing – his method, and his book, and his website, and his company – makes Marketing both accessible and usable for small business.
John is an incredibly pragmatic guy with a knack for breaking complex concepts down into simple, straightforward, easily-understood and –implemented steps.
His website is a jewel – a couple of hours on it will pay huge dividends, and his blog is an unending source of insights and great ideas. His book is a great read, and unlike most business books, which distill down to a paragraph or a page, John’s book will make its way to your active reference shelf because you’ll turn to it again and again. There’s a video on his website of one of his seminars, where you can see what a great teacher he is and how useful and practical his approach is.
But maybe the most important thing John is doing is creating a cadre of Duct Tape Marketing Coaches – people who he’s trained, who then are able to work directly with small business owners to help them grow their companies. I had the great good fortune to be invited to his annual Coach gathering in Kansas City a couple of weeks ago, and I was incredibly impressed by this group and what they’re doing to help small businesses master Marketing.
So impressed, in fact, that we’ve added certified Duct Tape Marketing Coaches to the list of people – along with your bookkeeper and your accounting professional – who are entitled to a free login to your NetBooks account (only with your permission, of course). You can find a list of Coaches on the Duct Tape Marketing website, and soon on our website.
If you’re interested in growing your business (and who isn’t!), I strongly recommend that you spend some time with John – his book, his seminars, his website, or his Coaches – as soon as possible.
I think you’ll see the benefits right away. I sure did.
