Have a Marketing Mindset

When you hear the word “marketing” what comes to mind? Increased sales or wasted money? If your experience with marketing or advertising has been less than positive your cynicism may be well founded. Yet, have you ever noticed a competitor with a very mediocre product and a very healthy business? The difference is often marketing.

Some business owners tell me they’ve never done marketing, and don’t need to, because of good word-of-mouth. Positive word-of-mouth is always great, but it’s not enough if you’re serious about growing your business. Others do invest in marketing but treat it as a necessary evil. The problem with that mindset is that it’s like driving with the brakes on. Those people sabotage their efforts by taking half-measures and resisting anything innovative. When I’m asked about the “biggest key to successful marketing,” I’m always ready with a quick reply. It’s “having a marketing mindset”. A “marketing mindset” is a mindset that truly values and embraces the power of marketing. If you look at the companies and brands that are most successful — Nike, Microsoft, Virgin, Trump, Saturn, Kenneth Cole, etc — you’ll find someone at the top with a marketing mindset. People like Donald Trump, Kenneth Cole, and Virgin’s Richard Branson may have it instinctively, however, it can be taught.

So, if you don’t have a marketing mindset yet, keep reading and you’ll be on your way to getting one.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 1:18 am and is filed under Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Online Marketing, Personal Branding, Small Business Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.