A Marketing Consultant and Business Owner

A well-known axiom is “if you do what you enjoy, you’ll be good at it”.  Well, I take great pleasure in helping companies increase profits through effective marketing and, yes, I am good at it.

It helps that I believe strongly in the methodologies and strategies that I recommend to my clients.  That conviction is underscored by the fact that I have implemented the same principles to my own businesses.  I’ve put my money where my mouth is.

My marketing philosophy has been developed over a career that includes journalism, politics, owning five businesses, marketing consulting, directing the marketing for a statewide business association and employment in sales and sales management for two Fortune 500 companies.  I have worked in cities and towns across the United States and helped businesses of all types and sizes improve their bottom lines.

Professional Background

My various vocations have each contributed to my marketing skills and philosophy.

Journalism training taught me how to convey information in a clear and concise manner.  I was a sports reporter for newspapers in Virginia and New Mexico and have been editor for various periodicals, newsletters and blogs.  Politics honed my organizational abilities and sales jobs gave me the experience I needed on the front lines to understand how marketing can assist in closing business.

My first job after graduation from the University of New Mexico with a political science major and a minor in journalism was as a business analyst for Dun & Bradstreet.  I was able to quickly digest the training I needed in financial and credit analysis to effectively do the work which allowed me to benefit from meeting owners of businesses from all types of industries.  I learned how different companies either succeeded or failed at their enterprises.  That, and later managing a team of analysts, was tantamount to earning an MBA in the “real world” of business.

Next, I put in a three-year stint with a division of Aeon Corporation managing the finance and insurance departments for several automobile dealerships in the Midwest.  Having been founded by W. Clement Stone, a protégé of Napolean Hill (“The Power of Positive Thinking”), Aeon Corporation offered an outstanding sales training culture.  I experienced first-hand how giving my finance managers constant training and support resulted in improved performance.

By the time I had spent over seven years away from New Mexico I was pining to get back home.  I moved back and invested everything I had in starting a sales and publishing proprietorship called Business Strategies.  We sold marketing tools, seminars and books.  One product that we developed is still marketed through one of my succeeding companies and has sold over 31,000 units on the internet alone.

After running my own businesses for several years I was encouraged to apply for a job as the marketing director for The Association of Commerce & Industry, a statewide business advocate that lobbied the state legislature on behalf of issues important to private enterprise.  I was able to continue operating some of my business ventures while spending the next three years getting to know and understand the needs of businesses all over the state of New Mexico.

A lucrative contract sales opportunity convinced me that it was time for me to again concentrate on my own businesses.  At the same time one of the association’s members asked me to assist with his marketing planning and strategies.  From there on I was hooked on helping businesses effectively market their products and services.

Business and Marketing Philosophies

As a business owner, employee and contractor I have sold everything from books to telephones, insurance to memberships, cremation supplies to picture hangers, and shoes to business services.  Whether selling products or intangibles I have learned that there are five basic rules to making effective marketing:

1. Be able to quickly and clearly explain what you do, who you do it for and how you help your customers;
2. Understand your market and customers;
3. Stay abreast of current marketing opportunities and methods;
4. Develop plans and strategies based on best available information that you constantly evaluate and refine; and
5. Be courteous and listen to your customers while selling them benefits.

As a business owner and consultant I have found that effective marketing as embodied in these five rules makes it possible for motivated companies to maximize their bottom line results.

Golf Anyone?

Keeping in mind the axiom that I noted in the introduction to this background piece, I must admit to at least one exception to the rule -  I enjoy golf but I’m not very good at it.  That’s okay because golf is a passionate journey and once you find yourself on the path, the only thing that will divert you is a physical inability to continue.

The truth is that I find myself getting better at the game as I continue to apply what I learn from my mistakes and successes.  In that way golf is a lot like marketing.  In business we evaluate our situations and then apply solutions based on what we know and research about marketing opportunities.  In golf we try new ways to improve our games based on our past experiences and what we see other people doing.

The key to both golf and marketing a business is to keep trying until you find the sweet spot.  When you do it can be nirvana.  Then you challenge yourself by exploring a new market niche or, in golf, a new course.  We never quit trying to do better!