“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!” – Theodore Levitt

Marketing is having an identity crisis!

I’m about to say something that is very unpopular with the majority of the “talking heads” on LinkedIn…

“The purpose of marketing is to sell!”

Marketing is a force multiplier. Great marketing helps sales sell more products, to more people, faster than they could on their own.

If you spend any time on LinkedIn, you will quickly discover that marketing is not about selling at all. Today, marketing is about giving, building community, educating, empathizing, sharing, being 100% authentic. While I admire and strive to emulate these values, if these are your marketing goals, your company is headed for financial disaster.

The Titans of Marketing & Advertising (Barnum, Ogilvy, Bernbach, Jobs, Burnett, Gossage, etc…) did not “give away” anything in order to win the hearts, minds, and cheque-books of consumers. Great marketers know how to “articulate” value and conquer buyer fear in order to sell any product or service.

“The purpose of advertising is to sell. That is what the client is paying for and if that goal does not permeate every idea you get, every word you write, every picture you take, you are a phony and you ought to get out of the business.” – Bill Bernbach

It’s never been about the mousetrap. It’s the impact of change. Now, later or never.

So, why are you still talking about that damn drill?!