One common area of confusion is understanding the difference between marketing and selling. And further to that, understanding why, or if, you should invest in either.

As I like to put it, marketing is about fertilizing the soil. While selling is about sowing the seeds. If you fertilize properly, they will germinate and grow, making it easier to sow them.

The more your soil is fertilized, the less work you have to do to germinate the seed.

Marketing in a business sense is about building awareness. And there are two key things that you need to build awareness of:

1. Your brand. Because familiarity in your brand builds credibility. Credibility builds trust. And trust leads to more sales.

2. Your products. Because if your client doesn’t not know what you do, then they won’t know to ask us for them.

Remember, the more effective your marketing is, the less you will be required to do in the sales process.

In fact, you may have already experienced this.

Have you ever had a new prospect act like they have known you for many years, when in fact you only just met them?

On occasions like this, you probably found the sales process became a mere formality. This is because you had already established trust.

To help Chan & Naylor grow, the marketing activities we have carried out to achieve this awareness and trust have included:

1. Digital marketing such as Google ads

2. Sending newsletters

3. Attending conferences

4. Conducting seminars

5. Alliance partners talking about us and referring their clients to us

6. Seminars with alliance partners

7. Our articles that appear in our alliance partners newsletters,

8. Social media

9. The effectiveness of our website

10. Publishing our own books