Aug 17 min read

Sales Reps Don't Know Anything and Other Falsehoods To Excuse Promotional Failings

Updated: Oct 21

Common marketing excuses and how to get around them

When campaigns fall short, it's not uncommon to hear, "The sales reps don't know anything," or other similarly misguided excuses. These statements not only undermine the value of a skilled sales force and marketing teams but also mask the real issues that need addressing for effective promotion. Let's debunk some of the most common falsehoods bad marketers use to excuse their promotional failings and offer insights into fostering a more collaborative and successful marketing program.

Falsehood #1: "Sales Reps Don't Know Anything"

It's not uncommon for marketers to dismiss sales ideas or exclude them from campaign development because they believe in their metrics more than the direct experience of their sales colleagues. But marketing metrics can be misleading and need to be informed by sales experiences.

The reality is that if your campaign is not compelling to customers, the sales team won't be able to drive that narrative. This puts your sales rep off script, having to be reactive to unexpected situations. And it creates a high risk of messaging confusion. The experiences of your sales team should be considered an important data point in your campaign creation and metrics processes. Successful promotions are built on collaboration, where marketing teams work hand-in-hand with sales to create compelling, customer-centric campaigns. Sales representatives are on the front lines, directly interacting with customers, gathering feedback, and understanding their needs. Dismissing their insights means ignoring a treasure trove of valuable information.

Instead of scapegoating sales reps, leverage their unique perspectives to refine messaging, identify pain points, and adjust strategies accordingly. Create a team of trusted advisors from the field. Work with sales leaders. Incorporate their ideas. It may be harder because it requires negotiation with a highly skilled team, but it will pay dividends. You will discover things about your marketplace you never realized, identify trends earlier, and arm your promotional campaigns with messaging that truly drives revenue downstream.

Falsehood #2: "The Market Is Saturated"

Are you surprised that your market is saturated? Did you set the wrong goals for your campaign? This can never be an effective excuse because it implies that you didn't know your market well enough to realize what your goals and tactics should be. Marketers need to know their market inside and out. If your market is saturated, that is a data point about how you should compete. It is not an excuse for poor performance. Are you using the right tactics, channels, and messages for a market that is saturated? What is your position in this saturated market?

Marketers often throw up their hands, claiming the market is too crowded to penetrate, using this as an excuse for poor performance. This mindset leads to complacency and a lack of innovation in campaigns. The reality is that saturation indicates high demand. Blaming market saturation is an easy way out. While it's true that competition can be fierce, a saturated market also indicates a high demand for the product or service. The real challenge—and opportunity—lies in differentiation.

Innovative marketers who can find unique selling propositions (USPs) and craft distinct, memorable campaigns will stand out, even in crowded markets. Blaming saturation instead of focusing on creative differentiation is a cop-out.

Falsehood #3: "The Product Sells Itself"

This falsehood is the mark of a person who isn't actually a marketer. The product never sells itself. If no one is listening to your organizational voice, if your campaigns aren't engaging and relevant, how will anyone know about your product's superiority? Don't be tempted to rely on the perceived superiority of the product. This leads to underwhelming marketing efforts and missed opportunities. Even the most groundbreaking products need strategic promotion to educate potential customers about their benefits and applications.

Look at product superiority as an amazing opportunity to demonstrate your equally superior marketing prowess. You can build a robust marketing strategy that highlights the product’s unique features, addresses customer pain points, and articulates clear value propositions. Effective promotions are about storytelling—painting a picture of how the product transforms the user’s experience. Sometimes, a superior product is even harder to market because the options are so plentiful. Dig in, work with sales, use your metrics, conduct VOC, and don't let the opportunity to market a great product pass you by.

Falsehood #4: "We Need a Bigger Budget"

When goals aren't met, it's an easy thing to claim that a lack of funds is to blame, arguing that more money would solve your promotional woes. In extreme cases, maybe. But this kind of excuse is akin to blaming market saturation as discussed above. Did you know what your budget was? Do you know what your cost of conversion is? It's your job to know those things. If you didn't know, shame on you. If you did, and you signed up for unrealistic marketing goals, shame on you again. If something changed you didn't expect, do some introspection - should you have known? Is this a metric you should have anticipated coming back negatively?

While budget constraints are a reality, claiming that a larger budget is the reason your promotions missed the mark is a poor reflection on you. Effective marketing isn't just about how much you spend, but how wisely you allocate resources and how quickly you react to shifting the marketplace.

Focus on maximizing ROI through targeted campaigns, leveraging data analytics to refine approaches, and capitalizing on cost-effective digital marketing strategies. Creativity, not just cash, is key to successful promotions.

Falsehood #5: "The Customers Don't Get It"

This is one I hear more often from leaders who want to develop products that the marketplace doesn't want to buy or who want to message in ways that are compelling to them but not the customer. I think I could write a book about marketing to your leadership team instead of your customers. If you let that happen, and now your "customers don't get it", you can't use that as an excuse. You launched a campaign that your customers don't get. I don't really understand how that is even an excuse - why did you launch it then?

Don't blame the audience; it suggests that customers are simply not smart enough to understand the message. This deflects responsibility. If customers don’t understand the message, it's not their fault—it's a failure in communication. Blaming the audience for not "getting it" overlooks the importance of clear, compelling messaging. Marketers must ensure that their campaigns are easily digestible and resonate with the target demographic.

Conduct deep audience research, simplify messaging, look to continuous feedback loops that gauge understanding, and adjust accordingly. If you need data to sway a pushy leadership team, get it. Your sales team can help a lot here if you don't have the budget to run VOC. Invite them to the table. If you have to, run an A/B campaign so you can demonstrate the right messaging downstream.

Falsehood #6: "This Channel Doesn't Work Anymore"

Marketers sometimes abandon entire channels after poor performance, claiming these methods are outdated or ineffective, without properly analyzing the root causes. While it might be necessary to adjust your investment if a channel isn't resonating with your audience, this doesn't mean the channel itself is obsolete. Often, it indicates a lack of research in selecting the right channel for your audience. Missteps could include using the channel improperly or failing to maintain consistency, particularly in social media.

Don't use this as an excuse for poor campaign performance or discard the channel altogether. The reality is that dismissing an entire marketing channel as ineffective often reflects mismanagement rather than the channel's ineffectiveness. Each channel—whether it's social media, email, SEO, or traditional advertising—has its unique strengths and can be highly effective when used correctly. Poor targeting, lack of engagement, or outdated strategies can lead to poor performance. It is your job to understand which channels are appropriate for your audiences and how to utilize them effectively. If you lack this understanding, it’s a gap in your strategy, not an inherent flaw in the channel. Ensure you know where your audience consumes information and what kind of content works best for each channel.

Instead of abandoning a channel, analyze what isn't working, experiment with different approaches, and adapt your tactics to better fit the evolving landscape.

Turning Excuses into Action

Addressing these falsehoods requires a shift from blame to accountability. Here are a few actionable steps to foster a more effective marketing strategy:

Collaborate with Sales: Establish regular meetings with sales teams to gather insights and align on goals. Use their frontline experiences to inform your strategies and messaging.
Differentiate Boldly: In saturated markets, focus on what sets your product apart. Highlight unique features, benefits, and success stories that make your product stand out.
Strategize Creatively: Develop a comprehensive marketing plan that combines traditional and digital tactics. Utilize storytelling to make your product memorable and desirable.
Optimize Resources: Maximize your budget by prioritizing high-ROI activities. Invest in data analytics to continuously refine and improve your campaigns.
Simplify Messaging: Ensure your marketing messages are clear, concise, and compelling. Test your campaigns with real customers and be prepared to adjust based on feedback.
Revitalize Channels: Instead of discarding a marketing channel, take the time to understand why it's underperforming. Test new strategies, refine your targeting, and stay updated with the latest trends to make the most of each promotional avenue.

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Successful marketing demands accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. By debunking these common falsehoods, owning your mistakes, using failures as metrics, and adopting a proactive, customer-centric approach, marketers can drive meaningful engagement and achieve their promotional goals. Remember, the key to success lies not in making excuses but in taking action and evolving with the ever-changing market landscape.

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