Over the years I've heard a common refrain from marketing executives: "We tried
[Insert tactic here]. It doesn't work in our industry." The tactic in question
might be direct marketing, Internet marketing, trade show marketing, advertising…you
name it. If each of these smart people were correct it could be a real problem
for businesses – nothing would work!

The hard, cold fact of the matter is that a tactic is only as good as the strategy
that comes before it. Whenever I hear the above statement, my next statement
is always, "Tell me about the decisions that were made before you tried [insert
tactic here]." Consistently the answer is a variation of two themes: "we have
no plan" or "we have a plan but it didn't work".

We don't have a plan

I feel kind of funny even elaborating on what
is wrong with this statement since we all know how important planning is in
business. But, here goes. The planning process is where all possibilities are
analyzed, goals are set, targets are acquired and decisions made. It doesn't
matter as much to end up with a fancy binder full of lists and charts – what
is more important is that the marketing and sales team THINK through WHAT they
are trying to do, HOW they will do it, WHO will be the target, WHAT the target
cares about, WHAT the indicators of success will be, HOW the effort will be
implemented and by WHOM….etc. It wouldn't hurt to take a look at WHAT the competition
is doing, WHAT has worked for other, similar companies, WHAT is happing in the
industry and HOW customer habits are changing. HOW can you expect anything to
happen in business if it isn't thought through first?

We have a plan but it didn't work

Also very common is the claim that
"We went through the planning process…" Once I get to look at the "plan", it
is clear to me that these companies don't know the first thing about creating
a marketing and tactical plan. They are good at pumping out financials and ten
thousand foot views but what they are calling a marketing plan is doomed to
fail from the start. (See above paragraph…).

The truth is: direct marketing, Internet marketing, trade show marketing, advertising,
cold calls, etc. WORK. These tried and true tactics are not the problem. The
problem is THE PROCESS! Fix the process and watch the business grow.

Pete Monfre is president of Clarity Marketing Support, a tech marketing firm
located in Austin, Texas.

This article ©2006 Pete
Monfre

Clarity Marketing
Support, Inc.