People completely overestimate the power of marketing. It's fundamentally a weak force, as Dale W Harrison so beautifully puts it in this podcast.

I've been canoeing on and off over the years, and basically the comparison works like this:

The market is the river. It takes you where it takes you, and mostly at the speed of the flow.

The boat is your business. It kind of floats along.

Marketing and sales are the oars. They're used primarily to move the boat along the optimal path and not to get stuck.

You can try and paddle upstream, or try and excavate a whole new channel by hand and then paddle down there, but both are bad ideas.

And yet, so many company owners think this is the role of marketing. To move the boat despite the market.

So here's a practical (paddling) tip - something to help you be much more efficient in how you move your business through the market.

When you face turbulent waters, a really tough market, poor sales and lower profit, up your paddle cadence and drop the power. Speed up your business development activities. Faster, shorter promotions. Quicker outreach cycles. But invest less in each activity.

Up the cadence. Drop the cash.

And when times are good, do the opposite. Your business boat is floating along just nicely, so slow down the paddle stroke and add more power. Do fewer marketing activities, but spend more on each. Make big, bold investments in brand and performance activities.

Drop the cadence, up the cash.

Your business is a boat in the market. There's very little you can do but stay afloat (operations and product), and stay on course (marketing and sales).

Don't let your marketer or your agency trick you into thinking they're an outboard motor. Their job is simply to help you navigate the flow.