When do you add marketing?

Explaining why a product or service doesn’t get any (or very little) traction in the market place in a straightforward fashion is not easy. Nonetheless, marketing often heads the list of the usual suspects which are supposed to explain why a product/service failed in the marketplace: “Come to think of it, our marketing was kinda flat yada, yada, yada…”

This is sad.
Especially considering that often “a pinch of marketing” is the last ingredient added to the dish, right? And even then very sparingly—just a pinch.

But don’t take my word for it. My pen pal Dan Pink in his book Free Agent Nation cites a 2001 survey conducted by The Washington Post that indicates the following: “Self-employed business people spend an average of 43 minutes a day marketing themselves.”

My 2¢:
Ever heard of the old adage “a word to the wise is sufficient?”
The key word is “a.”
If someone is wise, all you have to do is say one word to them and they’ll chase down all the implications.
Go.