The market should be the challenge (not your branding)

While enjoying a quiet pint with two friends, one an outrageously talented guitar player and the other a keen cyclist, a theme came up in the conversation along the lines of why it’s worth paying a little bit more to get something good.

“Learning to play on a cheap guitar,” says one, “you’re not only struggling to learn a new skill, you’re struggling against a guitar that’s difficult to play. Get a half-decent guitar, and it becomes the music that is the challenge, not the guitar.”

Agreed t’other, “It’s just like bikes. You want the terrain to be the challenge, not the bike. You don’t want to be doing battle with your own bike”.

A light bulb came on in my head… my turn to contribute to the conversation. “It’s like marketing,” says I, “You want the market to set you the challenge, not your own branding!”

I was greeted with puzzled looks, but I stand by my analogy. Business is tough enough without making your potential customers do all the work. Effective marketing can simplify the business development process, giving you more visibility and making it easier for people to understand what you do and why they should choose you.

“Then again,” mused the cyclist, “Riding a cheap bike is better for the waistline, ‘cause you’ve got to work harder.”

True, but why would anyone want generating new business to be harder?