Blind spots.

We all have them, literally. For example, where the optic nerve enters the eyeball, there are no photoreceptors. So we can’t see anything.

Enter business blind spots. They aren’t because of a physical deficiency. They occur because we choose to ignore them.

A few years ago, I was introduced to a company that was on the verge of exhausting their bank’s line-of-credit. They launched a few years earlier (in a fiercely competitive industry) and thanks to the founders’ personal connections, they were able to build a massive group of Facebook followers. They supplemented their launch with an aggressive social media advertising campaign.

Following a very good year, sales leveled off and the owners, almost at the point of having to borrow money from the bank just to keep the business afloat, grew increasingly concerned about the fate of their company. Everyone was befuddled why an average $50K/month in Facebook advertising wasn’t yielding results. The whole experience was nerve wracking and frustrating.

One of the company’s investors asked me to do some troubleshooting. I happily obliged. Helping businesses identify the source of their trouble and get back on a growth track is my life’s work. I’m a problem solver at heart and have spent my entire career in small business.

The first exchange I had with the owners went as follows:

“How many active customers do you have?”

“Around 1,200”

“Have you ever wondered why your active customer base accounts for only 1% of your social media following?”

Their operation was a classic example of Do It Yourself (DIY) marketing. The owners made decisions with no solid understanding of marketing, a small group of young staffers did the daily legwork, and no veteran marketing professionals were involved.

The next exchange went as follows:

“Facebook likes don’t pay the bills.”

“Then what do you recommend we do?”

“Stop your Facebook ads.”

“What? How will we get any new customers?” “You’re spending too much money on advertising—a small fortune, actually. Meanwhile, your customer base isn’t growing. I recommend that you stop and take a step back.”

You see, I’m a big believer in the lost art of having a plan. Forty years in the field has proven, time and time again, that marketing is unforgiving towards those who’d rather wing it than follow a road map.

You don’t get an “A for effort” in marketing; you run the risk of winding up with an empty bank account.

It pains me to see earnest, hardworking business owners give up on their dreams in situations where a little bit of genuine marketing expertise could have allowed those dreams to flourish.

Look, there’s a reason why things work or don’t work in marketing. It’s not up to the marketing gods. We marketing professionals don’t do prayers or rituals when it’s time to act. We use knowledge—cold, hard knowledge based on experience and loads of data.

The owners in this case were fighting to grow inside a fiercely competitive industry. I’ve helped enough such companies to understand why spending more money was not the solution to all their problems.

But I’m here to tell you—no, yell from the mountaintops— that if you’re struggling or your sales are flat, the first thing to do is stop spending. Your business may very well depend on it.

Throwing more money towards your marketing when what you’re currently doing isn’t working is akin to pilot’s pressing every button in his aircraft after losing its engines. The most practical course of action is to pause, take a step back, and be sure that you have a solid understanding of what must be done before doing anything at all.

There’s a happy ending to my story. My client’s company drastically reduced their paid advertising budget and went back to basics (what this book will teach you how to do). Their sales are better, profits and cash flow have improved, they stopped drawing on their line of credit, and they have committed to following a plan instead of using the “spend and pray” method.

How to Get the Most out of Marketing isn’t a magic formula to business growth. And no, it won’t replace the guidance of a qualified marketing professional. No book can ever do that.

It will, however, offer clarity and help you identify what is holding you back and how to get a return on your marketing investment. It will put you in a position to know whom you need to work with, how generate marketing results and will put you on what I call, consistent growth, instead of a sales rollercoaster ride.

We all became entrepreneurs for a reason. I’ve worked with enough business owners to know that it’s rarely just about the money. There’s almost always a dream and a sense of purpose mixed in there, somewhere under the surface.

Like I said, I spent my entire career with and working for small business owners. I, myself, am one of you. It is my job to guide business owners on what to do in order to prevent being burnt by ineffective marketing and to offer practical and productive solutions on maximizing their return on investment. That’s what I’ve dedicated my life to.

I’d be a happy camper if I never heard this again: “I wish I had met you before wasting my money on marketing that didn’t work.” Believe me, the satisfaction of helping people sleep well at night, and regain the ability to enjoy business ownership, vastly outweighs the excitement of seeing numbers rise on a spreadsheet.

But I’m under no illusion that I can offer one without the other. I’m a marketing consultant, not a therapist, and entrepreneurship can be a scary and unforgiving roller- coaster ride.

Results is the only language I speak. It’s my only means of helping those who deserve to get what they deserve. Regardless of whether your business is struggling, flat, or even doing OK, let’s dive in and find out the way How to Get the Most out of Marketing can help you get on track and grow.

There is no need to buckle your seatbelt. Just relax and enjoy this straightforward and practical eye-opening ride that will get you closer to meeting your business and personal goals.

I am not going to overburden you with links on each page. While they may be useful, they are also distracting, and I would like you to be able to read each chapter with minimal interruptions.

You’ll find references in the book to “you and your team.” I realize that some of my readers may be solopreneurs and that you may not have a ‘team’ on your payroll. However, I encourage you to assemble a small group of talented and trusted professionals who can offer you objective and experienced guidance.

Each chapter ends with recommended next steps; they are simple steps you can take right away to improve. Remember, this book is not about marketing but how to get the most out of marketing and if there are resources that I believe can help the process, they are mentioned as well.

I hope to get to know you, and I welcome your comments and questions: zev@zevasch.com

P.S. You’ll also find free bonuses throughout the book: from sixty-four questions to help you develop a marketing plan to an insider’s guide to awakening your website’s hidden potential.