Marketing isn’t selling

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During a recent industry presentation, it appeared to attendees that I may have lost my train of thought while I was making a point about what effective marketing is and what it isn’t. But really, I was hesitating to say what I usually say because my statement is often met with guffaws and shaking heads.

“Marketing. Isn’t. Selling.” I leaned into the microphone, enunciating every word. A woman in an aisle seat four or five rows back nodded, smiling, and remarked that she couldn’t wait to tell her managers that I just reinforced what she’s been telling them.

I understand why that simple statement causes confusion. It turns upside down and inside out the general perception of a communications practice that is actually a specialized craft.

Marketing isn’t selling. (Advertising is selling.) Nor is it a mathematical science to be measured against the bottom line by the company’s numbers people.

Marketing is not logos or websites, slogans or taglines, social media or hashtags, brochures or postcards or even email newsletters. Those are marketing tools that are used to execute tactics born from strategy, which is the essence of the marketing function.

Marketing articulates the company’s core values and reason for being. It marries strategy, planning and messaging for the purpose of unifying communications and directing internal goal setting.

Marketing inspires, educates and motivates targeted demographics to feel, to think and to do something. It pulls back the curtain and turns the spotlight on the company’s people and its business beliefs. In my experience, most people would rather do business with human beings than with logos.

When strategy is developed and executed with every member of the team participating, everyone in every function of the growing operation understands the company’s values, vision, mission and goals – and they know what to say about them. This creates an internal culture of caring that emanates from the business and reinforces the company’s brand as a marketplace leader. Effective marketing generates goodwill and builds loyalty — and, yes, can sometimes — but may not always — generate sales.

“Sales” are desired byproducts of ongoing and long-term effective marketing strategies. But carving a niche that is memorable with customers — well, that is the point. You don’t want a one-and-done sale. You want lots and lots of many sales over time. Those spring from strategically marketing a company culture that customers want to do business with. And for this reason, marketing is not selling.

With this clarification in mind, ask these questions when you’re developing your marketing strategy.

1. What is our company’s purpose or reason for being in the marketplace?

Most of us who lead businesses have a right to own altruistic reasons for doing so. We want to give back, make the world a better place and contribute to our communities. But ask, what drives our passion? Why was our company started? Why is our work important? Why do we continue to do what we do every day, 365 days a year?

2. What are our brand values?

Values drive the way we think, make decisions and contribute to relationships. They apply very much to day-to-day business. What do we hold most dear in the professional marketplace? Is it service? Quality plants? Training/education? Attention to detail? Kindness/empathy? How do we live these values as a company and demonstrate them on a daily basis?

3. What are our distinguishing characteristics?

Every business has strategic stories to tell — and no company is exactly like another. What sets us apart in the marketplace? What do we do really, really well? What are our unique quality controls, services or certifications?

4. What is leadership’s vision for the company in three years? Five years?

Goal setting informs planning and strategic marketing helps you get from here to there. How do you want the business to grow? How will you get there? What do you need to do or put in place now to successfully achieve short- and long-term goals?

5. When we talk about our brand and our company’s work, what do we say?

When you attend any type of event and the question is asked, “What does your company do?”, the answer delivers a lot of messages — spoken and unspoken — about your brand. When asked that question, what does management say? What does staff say? Are we on the same page? Why or why not?

6. What do our customers, colleagues and partners say about our brand?

Listening to customers and writing down what each one says can be very helpful when developing a strategic marketing plan. Does what our customers, colleagues and partners say about our brand reflect our company’s reason for being? Is there a common thread? Do the words they use accurately mirror our values? How do we want them to feel about our business? What do we want them to remember about our brand?

7. Who are the people that work at the growing operation?

People are a brand’s best asset. Are team members’ personal values in line with brand values? What is our company’s philosophy on hiring, training and continuing education? What team members have specialty skills or unique qualifications? Who are our internal “stars” or brand ambassadors?

8. Who buys our products?

Knowing your customer and speaking their language is Marketing 101. Do we grow plants for customers at retail, wholesale, landscape commercial, landscape residential, a mixture or for someone else? Is the language we use in our sales and service communications targeted or generalized? What challenges and opportunities does communication with our customers present?

9. Where do we distribute product?

This really matters in an industry that sells live plant material. But does everyone on our team understand why we distribute product to the geography we target? What are our brand strengths in the market areas we serve — “local grown,” “resource conscious,” “climate experienced,” etc.? How do we communicate the benefits of purchasing and receiving our products?

10. How will you incorporate the answers to these questions into your strategic marketing plans?

I’ve seen it many times over the years — leadership thinks one way about the marketing direction of their company, but the management, sales and administrative teams have very different perspectives. Like the conference attendee who was excited to have my validation of her counsel, getting everyone on the same page is critical to the marketing success of a company. So is listening to one another.

Fourth quarter is always time to evaluate how and why we do business and plan for new beginnings and fresh starts. Including everyone in the process of developing a strategic marketing plan gets everyone on the same page and ensures unanimous buy-in about what is real and what is assumed, which brings clarity to vision and success to the business.

Sue Markgraf is a veteran journalist and industry marketing professional with decades of experience in strategic communications for the horticulture and agriculture industries. smarkgraf@greenmarkpr.com