August 5, 2004 -- When Congressman Thomas “Tip” O’Neil retired, his pals in Congress awarded his beloved Boston a $2 billion project to reconstruct Interstate 93, the main road through the city. Wording in the final version of law allowed for the powers-that-be to secure additional funds as needed. Eight years and an additional $12 billion later, the project is still—well—a project. Tip will be remembered for more than screwing up traffic in and around Boston, for he uttered one of the most accurate statements in US history: “All politics are local.” My read on that phrase is that while we care about national, big picture issues, what we care most about is the stuff happening in our own backyards. Had Tip been a printer instead of a politician, he might have worded that phrase differently, but no less accurately: “All marketing is local.” My guess is that your staff has more interest in what is going on in their company and less in the company as a whole. Significant ink is spent covering the subject of the need for marketing, brand-building, and related issues. So we go to seminars, read books, hire consultants, and after many months and many dollars come up with a vision, a direction, and a mission statement. Next, we pull the company together and proudly unveil this ode to the future as if it were a newborn. The staff sits and listens and everything is introduced. Perhaps a new logo is introduced. They nod their approval and upper management thinks, “They’re on board!” All seems to be going well. If I have just described you and your recent efforts to reshape your company, do me a favor. Call it a reality check. Sit your sales staff down, give them a pad of paper and something to write with. Next, ask the reps two questions: Who is our target market? Could you describe your best prospect? What you are looking for is a dichotomy between the vision that you have put forth and where the sales people think the company fits. My guess is that if you have ten reps, you will get 4-5 drastically different answers. Results like that should tell you a lot about your marketing efforts. Have you wasted money? Not necessarily. I don’t think you can spend enough on consultants, especially the taller ones. It is always a good idea to lay the groundwork for the direction of the company. However, just because you see where you want the company to go doesn’t mean that’s the way your sales people will take it. By the by, it’s not always a bad idea when your sales staff aren’t rowing in the same direction. The ship can still get to profitability. Your job as manager/owner is to sell the vision, yes, but also to determine what was heard and make appropriate adjustments. Need help with that? Hire a consultant! Want some more fun questions to ask? What business are we in? What is our most compelling advantage? Why do people do business with us? It kind of makes you wonder why you didn’t ask these questions BEFORE spending the money on all of that consulting, huh?