in 2002 Avril Lavigne sang Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated? I have been pondering this question a great deal lately as I have been mentoring a number of clients across marketing and sales (I have not been listening or singing soft Canadian Rock.)

A few common themes have emerged, marketing for lots of businesses seems to be a blur of acronyms, fear of data, a lack of time, expensive budgets, and no control. It’s so interesting as marketing has evolved, become more automated, data-driven, and full of direct social media opportunities – for me this is exciting, however, it can be overwhelming and daunting for businesses.

I tell my clients all the time to simplify marketing, make it less complicated… My definition and thoughts on marketing are that it’s about connecting your company and organisation’s stories with customers and consumers in a compelling way. What these stories are, how they are delivered, and understanding your customer is the simplified version of what your marketing department should be doing. The evolution of marketing tools allows you to deliver this in different ways, however, the basics are the magic that will bring your business success, deliver the brand, connect with your markets, and create sales opportunities.

When it comes to sales, I always ask my clients or mentees who in their organisation is responsible for it? Most answer with a specific person or them as MD or owner but I come back with the response that its everyone’s job in a business – after some debate you can see the penny drop and I challenge them to name great organisations that do this well and to think about how they replicate this in their own businesses.

The other common sales theme I have noticed recently comes in a couple of quotes “I am no expert in sales”, “I don’t like doing sales!” The other day this was even debated in the Marketing Cafe on clubhouse, businesses look for sales gurus to solve their sales problems, it’s a dark art etc etc. I like to think about things a little differently and I ask people to think of sales as not a dirty word or that it’s only done by the Wolf of Wall Street types but actually it’s there to help their customers buy your organisations products through solving there consumer need. By simplifying sales all of a sudden a lightbulb goes off and the whole process becomes a lot easier.

While Avril sings about how life is so complicated I like to avoid soft Canadian rock and instead prefer to simplify marketing and sales to help make business life’s easier.

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