We know that you have many choices, so are delighted that you decided to visit our site.

If you’re like many of our visitors, you’re an entrepreneur, small to medium-sized business owner or manager, non-profit employee, service professional, marketing director or manager, business student or someone starting (or considering) their own business.

And you’re looking for answers… solid knowledge from qualified professionals who can help you solve your most pressing marketing challenges. 

You may also be looking for incredible content, timesaving tools, and step-by-step guidelines and templates… simple solutions that truly level the marketing playing field for all businesses – regardless of size.

Maybe you’re seeking investment capital for your company and need to write a marketing plan… even though you’ve never read one, let alone written one. 

Or perhaps you want to fast-forward or jumpstart a new business – without reinventing the wheel - but aren’t sure where to begin.

Additionally, you might be pressed for time and tired of slogging through mounds of information and marketing theories in order to find a trusted resource.

Unfortunately, however, you may also be one of the millions of entrepreneurs who are struggling just to keep your head above water and scared that your business is failing and you don’t have the knowledge or wherewithal to fix it.
 

If so, you’re not alone. 

Consider this…  a US Department of Commerce study concluded that 62% of all American businesses, regardless of size, fail within the first six years. Moreover, 40% of small companies go under before their first year anniversary and 80% of first-year survivors never make it to their fifth anniversary.

These grim statistics point to the serious challenges entrepreneurs face, even though the United States still offers the world’s best environment for small business owners.  So, it begs the question, “Why is it that so many extremely intelligent, hard working people, with innovative products and services just can’t make it?”

Exploring these incongruities – the “whys” and eventual solutions – serve as the foundation for our books, seminars, presentations, and coaching and consulting services.

Like other businesspeople we were seeking the same answers and after years of observations and research we uncovered what we feel is the genuine truth.

In short, America’s companies are failing at alarming rates because their founders, owners, employees or managers do not understand that:

•    First-rate marketing is the only leverage they have for growing a healthy business – and it has more to do with passion, skills, systems, knowledge, energy, and action, than money

•    The word “marketing” means something very different than what they assume… and this misunderstanding is killing their business

•    Excellent marketing is not something you “wing” – it comes only with study, practice and perseverance

•    Being skilled in the work of business does not qualify them to manage a business which performs that work … in other words, being the finest tax attorney, hair stylist, baker, mortgage broker, dry cleaner or salesperson is not enough

•    They can’t make it alone

But most importantly, they miss “the big one.”  That is, “success is in the plan.”  Simply put, without a marketing plan there is no strategy… without a strategy, there is no business. Yet, experts estimate that 84% of American companies of all sizes have underperforming, or no, marketing plan.  Is this relationship coincidental?  Absolutely not…

Many business people believe that writing a marketing plan is complicated, painful, boring and worst yet, unnecessary!  And while others think it’s a good idea in theory, they’re daunted by the intimidated by the process that they put it off … until it never gets done. 

In each of our service areas (business consulting, personal coaching); educational venues (seminars, speaking engagements, teleseminars); and books (see “The Procrastinator’s Guide to Marketing” and “Mastering Online Marketing”) we take our audience by the hand and comfortably guide them through a practical, yet comprehensive, step-by-step system for growing and sustaining a profitable business.

As entrepreneurs, consultants and coaches, and former executives, we have been working professionally with the subject of marketing for nearly three decades… and are ready and willing to share our valuable insights – those hard-earned wisdoms, “real-life” lessoned learned, objective assessments and of course, our subjective judgments.

We hope you’ll take advantage of the resources we’ve provided on this site.  You’ll find lots of helpful articles on a wide range of topics, timesaving templates and tools, and fascinating discussions.