Mr. Marketing: Nobody can do it all

Confession time: I’m a klutz.

When it comes to home improvements, I’m typically torn between hiring a specialist before or after doing it myself.

Doing it myself usually costs me more.

You’d think I’d learn to stay in my corner of the world, right? But the macho part of my brain keeps urging me to build, plumb, electrify, whatever.

As a do-it-yourselfer, I’m far from unique. Many business owners believe they can do everything needed to run their business. Frugality, arrogance, ignorance and desperation all drive their decisions.

Only, nobody can do everything!

Even if you’re good at handling product development, financial matters, personnel, real estate and operations, you may not be good at marketing. Marketing is a discipline unto itself requiring specialized skills and full-time focus.

Clint Eastwood, in his role as “Dirty Harry” Callahan, observed “A man has to know his limitations.” It’s a critical lesson to remember when approaching your marketing;

After running a business for 20 years, I can attest that thinking you can do it all is a BIG mistake. It’s guaranteed to make you work harder and pay off much less than if you focused on whatever it is that you do best.

On a related note, you shouldn’t hire a consultant who says he’s capable of doing everything by himself.

Talk to almost any marketing professional these days and odds are great you’ll be told “We can handle that.” Nobody wants business to walk out the door, so designers tell you they can write, SEO guys tell you they can strategize and…well, you get the idea.

Should you encounter this scenario, odds are good you’re working with someone doing things they’re unqualified to do so they don’t have to share their fee.

So while those low rates you’re being charged are very tempting, it’s a good time to remember the adage “You get what you pay for.”

The solution: Find someone with a support network to provide a full range of marketing services.

After 65 million years of evolution, you’d think we’d have all learned to understand the concept of being a specialist. Brain surgeons aren’t marketers, and vice-versa.

After all, as Abraham Lincoln pointed out; “He who represents himself has a fool for a client.”

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

Let Mr. Marketing refer you to someone in his support network. Learn more at askmrmarketing.com.