I sometimes think I shouldn’t have original thoughts in this forum at all (and, yes, there are those who argue that I don’t!), but, rather, should just point people to the wisdom over at Crossroads Dispatches.

Evelyn makes a big, big point about sales and marketing with a simple analogy:

I have noted time and time again that most marketing and sales professionals take on the role of a beggar more often than not.It’s a pitiful sight. They are frantically running up and down the beach jumping up and down waving dim-bulbed flashlights hoping beyond hope that any passing ship will notice them and take refuge.

Meanwhile the lighthouse around the bend on the point isn’t killing itself (not to mention not embarrassing itself) to attract ships whatsoever. The ships are proactively seeking the lighthouse of their own accord. If there is a new lighthouse, the sailors spread the word. It’s on their maps. They knew where they are.

Now, everyone who’s ever had a payroll to meet knows you gotta move the product; I’m not going to disabuse you of the importance of selling. But the point Evelyn is making — and the question you need to go back to your organization and ponder — is damning and profound in its importance:

Why aren’t they beating a path to your door?

Are you a start-up? OK, you get some dispensation for that — but only a little, since you will never have a better chance to build your lighthouse than during market entry.

In a nearly commoditized industry? Why accept that, when there are ways to create added value with even the most commoditized product? One of my clients is an old-school manufacturer selling, in their words “steel for pennies on the pound.” That’s a brutal business to be in, but the response hasn’t been a downward spiral of price cuts and reduced expectations. On the contrary: They’ve engaged the market in a dialogue, found segments where their products could fill new and unmet needs, and created new offerings that can command a premium price precisely because they reject the commoditization model.

Selling services? Every how-to-be-a-zillion-dollar-consultant book harps on the importance of networking and word-of-mouth. So why is it that so many consultants go begging, per Evelyn’s definition? Most of us have been on the receiving end of it, and it’s like a bad Fox reality series: When Experts Go Cold Calling.

Here’s a simple mantra: If you’re an expert, spend your energy demonstrating your expertise. Write. Give away advice. Contribute significantly to the knowledge base in your field.

You’d be surprised how much more effective this is as a business-generation tool than mass mailing capabilities statements.

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