For an outsider, it may seem obvious, because an insider might be blind…
What does that even mean?
For someone looking from the outside, someone who has no idea what is your business, what is your process, what are your goals, and who is even your target audience, it might seem obvious to point out mistakes or even point out what opportunities are available in your business.
At least for me, when I started working at a non-profit organization (in my other life - AKA when I was in my 20s), it was obvious that a lot of processes and marketing that the non-profit was doing were wrong. For example, too much paperwork, nothing was automated, and too many human mistakes in trying to input the information, and it was just an inefficient way of running a department, let alone a business.
I was an outsider, I had only picked up on this lack of efficiency a minute after I started working there.
Employees who had been inside the company for years were already used to this process and they were “blind” to even knowing what was happening.
But here’s the difference - it’s not enough to just point out something is wrong… It’s even more important to find a way to fix it. So many people can point out marketing holes, or even opportunities for growth. For example, there are thousands of ways to generate leads, but that does not mean that a particular business NEEDS a thousand ways. It’s about what will work for a particular business, and that is where the challenge comes in…
An insider might be blind because one is inside the business and it’s hard to see things from an outside perspective, but by working together with an outsider, one is able to get the best of both worlds - an insider who knows the business and an outside perspective on what could work…
So next time you see a business that needs help in marketing (I see it all the time), don’t be so quick to assume that they don’t know what they’re doing. They’re just inside the business and they don’t even know they have a problem.
That’s where we come in! As marketers, we need to find a way to know the business and point out opportunities for growth, but in a way that does not interfere with the business’ values, goals, or processes that would be insurmountable to overcome.
It’s a very fine line, but it’s something that I’ve always thought about - because every business is unique and its needs are different…
Get to know your business on a deeper level, and get to know your clients on a deeper level. That will help so much in your process, marketing, and will ultimately sales!