I just read some interesting results from a recent study by Warrillow & Co. I have no idea who they, but their name sounds important.

The Warrillow study, conducted in March, compares small business fears with pain points:

"They are the nagging concerns that a small business owner can't quite put his/her finger on. They are the powerful uncertainties that keep entrepreneurs awake even when they are exhausted from a day's work."

And as the chart below indicates, the list of greatest fears is quite different from the most important pain points.

Interesting how their top pain point correlates with their top fear point, don't you think? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you are good at marketing, you're probably also getting sales. I understand sales can ebb and flow, but let's be frank. If you suck at marketing, your sales probably suck, too.

If there's one consistent theme I pound into my clients' heads, it's this: your primary daily function is MARKETING. I don't care what you produce and sell. I don't care if you have the greatest mousetrap ever invented. If your market doesn't know about it, you are out of business. If you are marketing to the wrong market or the wrong buyer, you are out of business. If your market doesn't agree they have a need for your product or service, you are out of business.

If we're in business, then it stands to reason we should all be students of marketing. We should always be working to get better at it. Most business people I've been around (not just small businesses) stopped learning anything new when they garnered their diploma. Most business owners haven't even studied marketing!

What have you studied lately that's expanded your knowledge of marketing? What new idea have you tested? Be a student of marketing.

I promise you'll sleep better.