I constantly see this situation with our potential customers. They have a successful sales organization, their business comes from referrals, and they fear that if they take their eye off the ball for one moment, the whole thing will come crashing down. It’s a valid fear—one I empathize with deeply. At a certain point it becomes incredibly difficult for a sales organization of any size to scale without shifting significant resources over to marketing, yet the resistance to do so can be fierce—especially for organizations that are marketing novices. We subscribe to the idea that old ways don’t open new doors; we tell our clients that if they’re interested in serious growth, then they need to do a few things outside of their comfort zone. But, alas, fear sometimes triumphs over hope no matter how great one’s intentions or the soundness of one’s plan.
So as you begin planning for 2015, remember to bite off something that you can chew. It’s unlikely that your organization will do a 180 degree turn for the first time in 20 years; big change happens gradually, sometimes without us even noticing.
Remember: “Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.” – Ovid, 2 B.C.
