Effective marketing calls for focus, patience

Forty-five minutes into our first one-hour market planning session via telephone, after I had been trying to help them focus rather than scattershot their marketing for a new product line, one of the partners in a Midwest distributing company offered a startling piece of information. “Gene´ said, “Well, Adrienne, the truth is we’re selling more and more of this new line; the word is getting around, and our cash flow is pretty good.”

“Then tell me your reasoning for wanting to go off in several expensive, unfocused marketing directions at once,” I countered.

“Well,” his partner “Harry” replied, “it’s just that we’re…