At a certain point, marketing is no fun. I really enjoy certain aspects of marketing. I like strategizing, conceptualizing, planning, creating, and refining, but at some point I have to get out there and start sowing. For me, this means getting on the phone and making contact with small to mid-sized advertising agencies and design firms to introduce our services. I enjoy this for about 30 minutes before my brain starts to retreat. After one full day of "sowing," I can't even tell if I'm speaking correctly; I'm on auto pilot. I know I can't make marketing calls all day every day. Usually I do it in seasons, for a couple of weeks two or three times a year. When those times draw near, I am incredibly good at finding ANY reason not to do it. It's amazing how the wind kicks up and the clouds move in. Any excuse not to make calls right now seems compelling. At such times, one negative response following ten positive ones can make me want to stop. It's hard. To help me in these times when I'm inclined to stop (or not even start!), I've written these two verses from Ecclesiastes on a piece of paper near my phone, and I read them when I get tired or faint-hearted about making more calls. When it gets down to the nitty-gritty of marketing, it's plain hard work, and I simply need perseverance.

If I stick to it and I don't get distracted in the morning or discouraged in the afternoon, sooner or later my efforts pay off. Making just one more call in the afternoon on a day that hasn't been very fruitful might lead to a receptive design firm with a current project to bid on. Don't let the clouds deter you. Keep plugging away. Who knows what you may find.



When it comes to service marketing, sales are always preceded by establishing trust. Buyers must assure themselves that they will get the value they expect; that you will deliver the goods. There is only so much you can "show" to establish the level of trust needed to incubate a sale.

In large measure, trust is a relational commodity. The subjective and intuitive elements of establishing trust can't be quantified by showing the client more and more pictures of past work. The buyer does need to see the product, but more importantly they need to trust the person or business behind the service to ensure they will get what they're seeing. Establishing trust is a personal dynamic. The raw material of this dynamic is words. These words include written words, referrals, recommendations, and the words that come out of your mouth when you are on the phone or giving a capabilities presentation. When it comes to marketing, the quality and character of your words can't be underestimated. The best six-color fold-out brochure will be tossed aside if it's not followed up with a positive interaction with a personal representative from your company. Marketing has a lot to do with your words, so pay close attention to them!



The best books on marketing will all tell you the same thing...specialize in some way and focus your message. That's what positioning is all about, right? After ten years of marketing Newfangled, I can quantitatively measure the difference in my efforts from the first half to the second. In the first half, I tried to market "website design and development services." Our services were limited to websites, but that was not nearly focused enough. By sharpening my axe and honing our marketing position to "fortifying advertising agencies and design firms to confidently, comfortably, and profitably provide web development services to their clients," I was able to begin marketing our services effectively. Sharpening my axe was essential. With a sharper axe, I succeeded in marketing using significantly less effort. Although I've found a sharp position, I still continue to refine my focus. Based on my experience up to this point, it's my opinion that there is no such a thing as an axe that is too sharp. There is always room to further refine a marketing position.   next >