We all know - at least intellectually - that marketing is essential if we want to grow a prosperous law or other service oriented business. And yet, a number of things get in the way... and often derail our best intentions when it comes to marketing.

One thing that gets in the way is the idea that "we shouldn't have to market." We confuse marketing with the dreaded word “selling”. We’re a profession! And an honorable one at that! Professionals shouldn't have to market... in fact it feels a bit cheesy (and unprofessional) to be marketing... But the (sad) truth is, lawyers and the like are subject to the rules of the marketplace. For good or for bad, whether we like it or not, we have to market - especially if we want to do the work we want to do and make the money we deserve.

Daniel Pink in his book “To Sell Is Human” includes this less than glowing description of selling. “Hello sales belch to the smart set sales is an endeavor that requires little intellectual throw weight. A task for slick glad handers who skate through life on a shoeshine and a smile. To others as the province of dodgy characters doing slippery things a realm of trickery and deceit get the speaking parts while honesty and fairness watched mutely from the rafters still others view it as the white-collar equivalent of cleaning toilets, necessary perhaps, but unpleasant and even a bit un-clean.

I’m convinced we’ve gotten it all wrong.”

Well, we can give Mr. Pink some leeway here and grant him some literary license for over-the-top exaggerations, maybe. I’m sure Mr.Pink expresses what many feel but are abashed to verbalize.

It is a safe bet that anyone who feels that marketing is selling simply does not understand marketing. Marketing and sales are so often used interchangeably as to appear synonymous. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Just in case you are wondering, The purpose of the marketing process is to express your positioning and point a view in a way that generates highly qualified leads. A point of view is part of your brand!

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