JCArticles

Perception: Marketing is advertising.
Reality: Marketing may not even include advertising.
Perception: Marketing is an expense.
Reality: Marketing is an investment.
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2) They rely almost exclusively on Word-of-Mouth.

Word-of-mouth is the best way to get business and savvy marketing helps create it.
So, you can't sit back and hope for customers. You must be proactive.

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3) They think they can't afford it.

This ties in with the perception/reality issue?when marketing is primarily limited to traditional advertising that's usually expensive and often less than effective. Good marketing involves a smorgasbord of cost-effective, creative options and executions.

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4) Their product needs improvement.

Obviously, the better the product, the better the marketing can be. It's hard to get people excited about a product that's esoteric, irrelevant or inferior.

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5) They expect results too quickly.

Unless you're running some kind of sale, marketing takes time. Like building a house or getting in shape it takes planning, discipline and patience.

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6) Arrogance or naivet