I really do think we overcomplicate marketing sometimes.

And, of course, it's in the interests of people who want to sell us complex silver-bullet technology and big expensive courses to perpetuate the idea that you can only succeed at marketing if you huge, complicated funnels and systems.

But when you take the time to break down what you're actually trying to do with your marketing you'll usually find it doesn't have to be anywhere near as difficult.

So let's start…

Let's think about what we're trying to achieve with any marketing.

What we want is for potential clients to hire us (or buy our products or donate to our charity or whatever our end goal is).

And in order for that to happen, at the point at which they make a decision, they've got to believe that we're the best option for them.

That much is obvious I think.

So what does “believing we're the best option” really mean? And where does that belief come from?

Well, the things someone needs to believe to be ready to buy are a mixture of emotion and logic. They'll differ by person, and they'll differ depending on what it is they're buying.

But there are always some common factors.

If someone is hiring a consultant, for example, then they'll always need to have confidence that:

• You can solve the particular problem (or opportunity) they have – and often that you can succeed where others have failed before
• That their problem is worth solving
• That they can work with you
• And sometimes, that they like you

There could be others too, and it's up to you to figure out what your particular clients need to know and feel to be ready to hire you for the sort of work you do.

But let's go with those four big criteria. They're almost always present in all key decisions and they usually make up the bulk of the decision.

So how do you go from someone not knowing you to having confidence you can help them, that they'll get great value from that help, and that they'll be able to work with you and actually enjoy the process?

Some of those factors are hard and rational. Others are more emotional.

But the only way you can establish that confidence is through what and how you communicate with them before they buy.

And that means two things:

1) You need to get and maintain their attention.

2) You need to use that attention to influence them. To persuade them.

Not persuasion or influence in any negative or underhand sense.

But simply to change what they know and feel about you from where you start, to a point where they have confidence in all the factors needed for them to be ready to buy.

And that really is all you need to master in order to be successful at marketing.

You need to be able to get the attention of potential clients and to maintain it: to keep them interested in communicating with you.

And you need to use that attention to change what they know and feel about you: so that when they're ready to buy, they see you as the best option.

You don't need complex technology for that. You don't need to spend every waking hour on marketing or to have immensely complicated funnels and steps your potential clients go through.

You just need one way of getting the attention of your potential clients.

And one way of keeping in touch on a regular basis that they value enough to keep paying attention.

And you need to know how to communicate so that you get the right messages across to influence their beliefs about you and position you as the right person for them to work with.

None of that is easy, of course.

But it's not complicated.

In my next few emails I'm going to be looking at each of the steps and the best ways to do them – particularly online.

But I'm going to start in the next email with something that makes every step much easier, and much more powerful.

Until then, here's a task for you.

Think about the things you're currently spending most of your time on in your marketing and think about whether each one is something that:

a) gets the attention of potential clients.

b) maintains that attention and allows you to communicate with them on a regular basis

And if not, what is it actually doing?