Five Excuses Not To Hire Us

Small business owners are typically energetic self-starters who take a hands-on approach to things. They have a get-it-done mentality that is in large part the reason they are in business for themselves in the first place.

Too often, however, their DIY approach prevents them from engaging professionals to help them with smarter, more effective marketing. We’ve heard all the reasons before, but here are five good ones.

1. “I don’t have time to think about marketing. I’m too busy running my business.”

Marketing is an essential but often overlooked part of any business. And if you aren’t thinking about it, who is? Most small business owners don’t have the luxury of assigning a staff person to focus on marketing. If they do, that person typically doesn’t have the background, experience or skill set necessary to develop and execute SMART marketing plans. If no one in your business is thinking about marketing, chances are you’re missing opportunities and leaving money on the table.

2. “Marketing doesn’t work. Last week I spent a bunch of money on advertising and my sales haven’t increased at all.”

Two things here. First, advertising is just one facet of marketing. It’s an important part of an integrated marketing plan, but it’s only one tool in the toolbox. Second, unless your advertising campaign was for a specific short-term event (like a one-day sale), it’s probably unrealistic to expect dramatic results in such a short period of time. Advertising needs to be considered in the context of an overall marketing strategy and communications plan. Ad hoc, one-off advertising efforts are bound to fail. It just isn’t a SMART way to approach your marketing.

3. “My niece designed my logo, my neighbour’s friend built my website, and the local radio station does my advertising. I got it covered.”

Well, maybe – but probably not. Unless you started with a good strategy and a marketing plan, and unless your niece, your neighbour’s friend and the guy at the radio station are experienced marketing professionals, it’s pretty much a hit-and-miss approach. But hey – it was probably cheap, right?

4. “I already work with an (advertising, website, graphic design) agency.”

Typically, these type of “marketing” firms are good at their own specialty. Website developers are good at technology. Advertising agencies and graphic designers focus on the creative side of things. They all tend to work on a project-by-project basis and they are typically focused on their own specialty rather than looking at the bigger picture from the client’s perspective. At Jump, we work with carefully-selected partner agencies for these specialized services. We ensure that your projects are properly managed and executed, that your branding and core messaging is properly reflected, and most importantly, that everything works together in an integrated way. That’s the SMART way to do it.

5. “I’m a small business. I can’t afford to hire expensive consultants.”

We get it. Small businesses always have an eagle’s eye on expenses. But as we noted above, marketing is an essential business function that every small business needs. That’s why we structure our fees in a way that most small businesses can afford. If you subscribe to our basic principles (see our 10 Things Every Small Business Owner Should Know About Marketing), then we’re confident you’ll see the value in working with us. Give us a shout and we’ll get together to chat. We’ll even buy the coffee.

6. “I’m so busy, the last thing I need is more customers.”

Said no business owner, ever.

OK, so that’s six reasons. But nobody really ever said #6.

At the end of the day, SMART marketing is all about having a plan, increasing the value of your brand, and attracting more customers to your door. And what business owner doesn’t want that?

If you’re ready to make the jump from loosey-goosey to ducks-in-a-row, from insomnia to a good night’s sleep, from yearnings to earnings, give us a shout. We’ll take you there.