Marketing = Customers + Heart is more than a marketing book, it is a step-by-step marketing plan for entrepreneurs, written by people that have been there before. Why was this an important book for you to write?

(Judy) Over the past 30 years, I’ve been a volunteer mentor. It might sound clichéd, but I’ve always believed that you have to give, to grow and see life through someone else’s eyes. As a result, I have benefitted from mentoring as much as I know my mentees have. But along the way, I’ve seen common themes in what those businesses have needed. So, instead of being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, I wanted to get the message out to those that don’t have big budgets. Or who have previously worked with unscrupulous ambulance drivers, and the sad reality is that they are out there. If a business starts with a solid foundation built on understanding customers, you won’t need the ambulance.

(Eriks) I strongly believe in demystifying marketing and cutting through the BS. Over my decades in media & entertainment I’ve been a client myself, and sat through jargon-filled presentations from big agencies designed to maintain the mystique of their high art. Even a glossy entertainment brand has to understand its listener/viewer/reader at a grass-roots level of their daily life – just the same as a small business. I love finding out what makes people tick, and providing solutions to their problems and needs, whether it’s finding their favourite music or furnishing their home.

What is a common misconception you feel people have about marketing?

(Judy) Most small businesses are scared of marketing, because they hear horror stories, or give it a go and it doesn’t work. And that’s based on the biggest misconception of all, that marketing is just advertising.

To a degree, that’s been exacerbated by our digital world. We’re told to boost a post, or discount, because you feel the pressure from competitors. But that’s advertising & promotion, and only one component of marketing.

Until businesses understand the importance of marketing and where it fits in the business structure as the central beating heart, they’ll continue to miss out on their full potential.

(Eriks) That it’s one box in the company organisation chart, and as Judy said, it’s seen as all about advertising. Which adds to the problem we now have of anyone who knows how to use a digital advertising tool is a ‘marketer’. Which is misleading to small businesses looking for help at a strategic level, reinventing their business, market research, defining potential customers, finding new opportunities and so on.

What do you hope is one thing readers take away from this book?

(Judy) A deeper understanding of what marketing really is and how it can shape their business. I want them to give marketing the respect it must have for their success, to feel inspired to engage with customers. I’ve seen it time and again. When they do, their advertising starts to connect, and they see the results in their bank accounts. There are so many benefits to following the pathway we outline. Of course, it won’t take away all their problems, but it will help them make better decisions. It will shape their evolution, because nothing survives if it sits still.

(Eriks) That marketing is exciting and well within their hands, to enjoy doing every day. Whether its chatting to a customer, or coming up with new ideas, there are practical ways to make marketing a habit and not a pain. It’s no different to relationships in your circle of family & friends. By being constantly in tune with their needs you adapt how you relate to your group, how to entertain them or overcome obstacles, helping them make their life better.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

(Judy) We’re committed to make Marketing = Customers + Heart a “living” book. As we gather new insights and information we’ll be updating the QR Code content at each of the 7 Stages. So in a way, this is a story that never ends. And for now, that’s enough, but I’ve learned never to say never – life is full of surprises!

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