Some wise old marketer once said “If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying “Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday,” that’s advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed, that’s publicity. And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations. If the town’s citizens go the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the booths, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that’s sales.

For more than 20 years I’ve immersed myself in and worked on the principle that sales is almost always a byproduct of good marketing. I can’t even count how many VPs of sales in my life have gone apoplectic at the thought, but I’m glad to say it’s never been proven wrong on my watch. I believe that good marketing puts businesses in the right place at the right time to take advantage of opportunity. There are plenty of opportunities out there — and It doesn’t take a genius to find them. The most important part is being ready for them — because when you have a good hammer, everything looks like a nail. I hope my B2BLead postings will be thought provoking and I look forward to sharing ideas with all of you.