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Biz Savvy: Real-life Strategies for Building Business
Too many failed entrepreneurs think it is about a great idea or great product. They suffer from the Van Gogh Syndrome. Van Gogh was a very competent painter, he was a genius, and his paintings have sold for millions of dollars. However, when he lived he only sold one painting and the reason is he thought the art should sell itself. He refused to debase himself through marketing and selling.
Here's the mistake entrepreneurs make: if they're a painter, for instance, they assume their number one job is to paint. It's not. Their number one job is to sell. The number two job is to market and your number three job is to paint. You need to sell, because if you don't sell, you don't eat. You need to market because you need to generate more business down the road. Selling is about today, marketing is about tomorrow. Marketing is how you sustain and grow your business.
If you're a small business, you have to do it yourself because no one knows about or believes in your business at first. Yes, some might seem like natural geniuses at selling and marketing, but the good news is it's just a skill. Because it's a skill you can learn it and you need to start with the basics. You also need to make sure you are always getting feedback on your skills. This can either by measuring your selling activity or getting feedback from an expert.
George Torok, professional business coach, co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing