Never Tell Prospects What You Do

Tell Them What You Want to Do

Great headline and wonderful point in this article by Bruce Kasanoff, Never Tell People What You Do. His core message is 'never tell people what you do, tell them what you want to do'. In this article, he is talking to the individual. But the same statement applies to companies.

Apply “what you want to do” mentality to your
marketing plan

Any good B2B marketing plan should tell prospects what the company wants to do. This will simplify your marketing plan and your messaging.

Telling prospects what your company does is complicated. Why? Most companies, even solopreneurs, have several revenue streams. It is hard for the marketing budget to address each adequately. And it is hard to justify marketing dollars for a revenue stream that is wilting away or one that is not guaranteed success.

Telling prospects what your company wants to do is simpler. It comes down to what you are and are NOT telling prospects.

• You are talking about the company's core competencies, what you know best.
• You are not talking about the many off shoots of your core competencies. This only confuses prospects.

Don’t worry...

Marketing will attract prospects to your core competencies and it is your sales process that will funnel them to the appropriate offshoot.

Do worry...

That prospects will encourage you to invent new services and thereby new revenue streams.