What Is Marketing?

Reilly had his first man-to-girl conversation with his new granddaughter, Zara, in Linnanes pub yesterday.

The thing that always fascinates him about babies is their insatiable curiosity.

They’d scarcely got their drinks served when she asked him straight up what he did for a living.

Reilly replied that he taught marketing to business people to enable them grow their business.

‘What’s marketing?’ she asked.

Now, if he’d been asked that in front of a class of MBA marketing executives he could have delivered a salvo of definitions from some of the finest marketing writers in the world.

The thing with babies however is that they demand real answers. They’re singularly intolerant of waffle.

With a baby you need to nail your message immediately or they’ll call you out straight away on it.

Reilly quaffed deep into his pint and invoked Soléir – the ancient Celtic Goddess of Clarity.

‘Zara, you know that circus I’m bringing you to tomorrow!’

She nodded enthusiastically.

‘If we painted a sign saying ‘CIRCUS COMING TO TOWN TOMORROW,’ – that would be ADVERTISING.’

She nodded affirmatively.

‘Now’ if we put that sign around an elephants neck and walked him around town,’ that would be called PROMOTION.’

She giggled at the thought of it.

‘Now, if that elephant thrashed the Mayors flower bed and The Connacht Tribune reported on it that would be called PUBLICITY.’

She laughed at that.

‘And if the Mayor got stroppy and went on TV complaining about the elephant from our circus that would be called PUBLIC RELATIONS‘.

‘And then when loads of people show up at the circus and want popcorn and candy floss and photos taken astride the ‘Mayors Elephant’ – that’s called SALES‘.

‘If you planned the whole thing, it’s called MARKETING.’

Reilly could tell Zara had taken it all in and was beginning to relax when she casually asked him the big kahuna.

‘Why would business people need to be taught marketing?

‘Because Zara, you’d be amazed at just how many business people do not have a marketing plan for growing their business. This leads to low sales, poor margins and untold stress‘.

That’s why I developed the Smácht Marketing Masterclass on May 5th in the Salthill Hotel. To show business owners how to take control of their marketing and increase their sales.

‘Will you come?’

‘Sure thing Reilly. How do I sign up?

‘Email p@omaille.ie for further details.

LEARNINGS.

• Many business people do not have a plan to grow their business. They hope for the best. Would you countenance flying on a plane without a flight plan? Seems like a question even a baby can answer.

QUOTES.

‘Many salespeople are ‘Columbus salespeople.’ When Columbus set out for the Americas he didn’t know where he was going. When he arrived there he didn’t know where he was. When he returned home he didn’t know where he had been. Many salespeoples day is the same.’
Brian Tracey. ‘The Psychology of Selling.’

THREE BABY QUESTIONS.

1. Have you a plan in writing to grow your business?
2. If not, why not?
3. What’s your next step to remedying it? (Hint. Sign up to the Masterclass.)

Choose and benefit from Pádraic Ó Máille services: Smacht Programme, Keynote Speaker, Business Coaching, Business Mentoring, and One-to-One Coaching.

What’s more, join a Smácht Mastermind group. Learn how to become more decisive and take responsibility for making a difference in the world. Book a call today.