Final Words Dispelling three sales and marketing myths

As you search for the best ways to get your new business off toa successful start, you're likely to hear a lot of advice fromfolks who are happy to pass on less-than-sage counsel. These aretypically people who say they never market their businesses and getalong fine. (Of course, they're really living from month tomonth, with no idea what the future will bring and no written plansto get them where they want to be.) So as you listen to advice fromother entrepreneurs, watch out for what I call "infamous lastwords." Here are three primo examples of dangerous myths thatcan doom your new business and the truths that will save you fromthem.

Myth #1: Advertising doesn't work. Americanbusinesses spend billions of dollars on advertising every year, andwith the mountains of research on every facet of advertisingexecution, there's no doubt about its effectiveness. The truthis, bad advertising doesn't work, and creative execution shouldbe put in the hands of experts. But while the nuts-and-boltsprocess of manufacturing ads is not a do-it-yourself job, there areseveral aspects of the advertising development and placementprocess that you can easily undertake on your own.

Your first step is to focus on a narrow target audience andlearn as much about these prospects as possible. Discover whythey'll want to buy your type of product or service; how, what,and why they buy from your competitors; and what you can offer thatwill encourage prospects to buy from you. Next, look at the waysimilar products or services are marketed for insight into thekinds of media you should use. Once armed with this information,bring in experts to create your advertising. Be sure the agency orcopy and design team you hire has experience communicating withyour target audience. Not all forms of advertising developmentrequire the same training and expertise.