The M word and the 50% rule

It’s probably the most important word in business.

It’s not an exciting word but it is THE key to your Entrepreneurial Wealth.

It’s the ‘M’ word.

The ‘M’ word is ‘Marketing.’

Over the last two decades I’ve consistently seen two types of business owner. The majority glaze over when you mention the word ‘Marketing’ They’re generally the ones whose businesses are struggling.

The smart ones light up when you mention the ‘M’ word. They’ve discovered that getting great at Marketing is the single most important skill for generating wealth.

Ideally you should be spending at least 50% of your time on Marketing. However, the trickiest part is knowing where to start.

 

http://www.chriscardell.com

The answer is simple.

…is always more effective a response than, “well, it’s complicated.”

One challenge analysts face is that their answers are often a lot more complicated than the simplistic (and wrong) fables that are peddled by those that would mislead and deceive. Same thing is true for many non-profits doing important work.

We’re not going to have a lot of luck persuading masses of semi-interested people to seek out and embrace complicated answers, but we can take two steps to lead to better information exchange:

1. Take complicated overall answers and make them simple steps instead. Teach complexity over time, simply.

2. Teach a few people, the committed, to embrace the idea of complexity. That’s what a great college education does, for example. That’s what makes someone a statesman instead of a demagogue. Embracing complexity is a scarce trait, worth acquiring. But until your customers/voters/employees do, I think the first strategy is essential.

You can’t sell complicated to someone who came to you to buy simple.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/