Great Marketing Is Not Enough: You Must Also Do This
My often-given advice to my young, ambitious peers
Photo by Sabri Tuzcu on Unsplash
“Good content isn’t about good storytelling. It’s about telling a true story well.”
— Ann Handley
Most people want to look good.
They want to appear their best. They want other people to be impressed.
Most people like the advice “don’t judge a book by its cover” — not because they know they should not judge but because they don’t want others to judge them without digging deeper.
But the truth is that most people do judge based on first impressions. We do look at the cover of the book and then pass judgment.
We know that how we look matters. We know that first impressions matter.
The truth is marketing is a skill. You can improve how you market yourself — and it will make a difference in your life. I once created a website that attracted three job offers — just by people who saw the site. Good marketing attracted others.
In my position as a lawyer, entrepreneur, and now writer, I often find myself in a position where a peer asks me for advice.
And most of the time, the advice deals with how to make a better impression. Or how to do a better job marketing. People want to “market” better.
Certainly, marketing is important. In fact, it is an essential and necessary component of any individual or business success.
But great marketing is not enough.
You have to do something else as well.
. . .
The Way the World Works
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.
— Philip K. Dick
Have you ever made a great suggestion — one that you know would work — and then had nobody follow up on it?
That was me. For 10 years.
After many struggles on a previous job, I read a book that altered my mindset.
I was so frustrated because I would present what I thought were good ideas to my superiors and then nothing would happen.
I was the idea person. I read 2 to 3 hours per day for over 10 years. I read a lot. Or it seemed like a lot.
From the reading, I had ideas. Lots of ideas.
I thought that just telling people about my ideas was enough, though. I thought that I was being effective by sharing my idea.
My frustration came from sharing my ideas — over and over — and then never having anyone execute any of those ideas.
And I thought that the solution was to get better at marketing.
I had to learn how to sell my ideas better. At least that is what I thought.
It makes sense, right? If no one is listening to you, then you need to get better at sales and marketing, right?
I was wrong. I thought I knew how the world worked. But I didn’t.
. . .
Marketing Is Not Enough
“You can keep waiting to get plucked from obscurity, or you can learn how to champion your project one person at a time.”
— Seth Godin
Because I thought marketing was the answer, I read every book by Seth Godin. Fortunately, I eventually picked up Free Prize Inside, one of Seth’s books.
That book taught me something that still affects how I think today.
Sometimes people listen more to who is saying something rather than what they are saying.
I was so focused on marketing my numerous ideas that I missed two big stepping stones:
People were judging my ideas based on me and my history of executing on prior ideas.
People were judging my competency in one area and then using that level of competency to judge me in other areas.
In short, you cannot polish a bad idea and turn it into a winner. And marketing skills cannot make someone who is incompetent suddenly competent.
I was so focused on telling a story well that I neglected to make the story great.
I learned that it is not enough to draw people in — you have to provide value once you have access. Access is one of the greatest gifts someone can give. Treat it with respect.
. . .
Get Better: Go Deeper
“If you’re not focusing on being so good they can’t ignore you, you’re going to be left behind.”
— Cal Newport
Great marketing is not enough. We need something else.
So what else do we need?
Imagine you bought a car. During the sales process, you learned all about this car. You read everything online. You looked at all of the different options. You compared prices. You test drove it. You thought through how to make the best decision for you and your family. You looked at all of the available colors.
But what if when you took the car for that first drive, the car did not work like you hoped. What if it did not go as fast? What if the air conditioning did not work. What if the brakes did not work?
When you want to buy a car, you need more than just good sales and marketing. You need a good car as well.
Most people think that the way to sell more of something is to get better at selling.
But most people also overlook the importance of actually giving value after the sale. I do this too. I am attracted to flash. I like good branding. I like beauty.
It is easy to think that if something looks good, then it must be good.
But that is not necessarily true.
So what do we need?
Competency
Skills
The ability to provide value when we provide access to our capabilities
I have had nearly a hundred conversations with people in the last few years where they ask me the same question: how do I develop professionally?
Sometimes, the question gets asked in different ways, such as “how do I develop my business” or “how do I invest this money” or “where do I go from here”.
As I listen, I try to give a genuine answer that will be helpful to the person in front of me.
And more often than not, the answer is not one that impresses people. It is not something that seems like an epiphany. It is not complicated.
In fact, the advice that I usually give is the same advice that I give myself.
Get better.
Become competent.
Become excellent.
Prove it.
Prove that you are good.
Prove that you are better than your competitors.
Provide more value.
Become an expert.
Cal Newport calls this “career capital” in his book So Good They Can’t Ignore You. Career capital is when you develop rare and valuable skills that people are willing to pay for.
So the question I ask myself now is: am I developing rare and valuable skills?
Am I building career capital?
As an attorney, I can market my practice. But I also need to have valuable advice, judgment, and expertise once a client retains me.
The same is true for any profession, and any business.
For a consultant or coach, great marketing can be the difference between success and failure in your business. What is the consultant or coach actually teaching?
For someone who sells insurance, improving sales skills can lead to much more income. But do you have knowledge to actually provide the right coverages and solutions?
For someone who is in business, it is not enough to have a cool logo, website, or social media. You have to provide value as well.
I honestly struggle with this now. Marketing and branding can hide a lack of competence. But as someone who loves marketing (and even loves sales), we can improve. We have to improve. That is my advice for the people that I care about.
Great marketing is not enough. We have to do more. We have to get better as well.
It is not flashy advice. It is not earth-shattering. It won’t impress anyone or make me look like a genius or a brilliant mentor.
But it is the truth.
Call To Action
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