--- title: Ten Big Sales and Marketing Concepts To Grow Your Business description: The idea of mystery in the sales process is over. There is no more 'selling'—there is only buying. image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/DMScott%20speaking%201.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/ten-big-sales-and-marketing-concepts-to-grow-your-business#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # Ten Big Sales and Marketing Concepts To Grow Your Business March 29th, 2017 2 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![DMScott speaking 1.jpg](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/DMScott%20speaking%201.jpg?width=4188&height=2778&name=DMScott%20speaking%201.jpg) ### 1) Buyers are in charge The idea of mystery in the sales process is over. There is no more 'selling'—there is only buying. When potential customers have near perfect information on the web, it means salespeople must transform from authority to consultant, product narratives must tell a story, and businesses must be agile enough to respond before opportunity is lost. ### 2) How to generate attention You can buy attention (advertising). You can beg for attention from the media (old school PR). You can bug people one at a time to get attention (sales). Or you can earn attention by creating something interesting and valuable and then publishing it online for free: a YouTube video, blog, research report, infographic, Twitter feed, Facebook Live stream. ### 3) Educate and inform instead of interrupt and sell You have the power to elevate yourself on the web to a position of importance. In the e-marketplace of ideas, successful salespeople educate and inform. They highlight their expertise by sharing videos, content-rich websites, social streams, blogs, e-books, and images rather than using the old sales playbook of information hoarding and letting it drip it out. ### 4) Convergence of sales and marketing I’m fascinated by the [convergence of sales and marketing](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/why-b2b-marketing-roi-measures-lead-to-failure). Marketing is when an organization uses content to reach many buyers at once while sales is curating that same content to one buyer at a time. ### 5) The importance of real-time Gone are the days when you could plan out your sales and marketing programs well in advance and release them on your timetable. It’s a real-time world now, and if you’re not engaged, then you’re on your way to marketplace irrelevance. What counts today is speed and agility. ### 6) Nobody cares about your products and services Many people steeped in the tradition of product promotion naturally feel drawn to prattle on and on about their products and services. But I have news for you. Nobody cares (except you). Yes, you read that right. Get over it. What people do care about is themselves and solving problems. How do you do that? ### 7) You are not innovative If you say you are innovative, then you are not. The word “innovative” is among the most overused clichés in marketing today. Just by using “innovative” you’re signal the market that you are not innovative because you use the same words that everyone else does. You must avoid all gobbledygook. It’s cutting-edge, mission-critical, best-of-breed, second-to-none, state-of-the-art, next generation nonsense. ### 8) Own your sales and marketing assets Next time you stare at your monthly ad budget and shake your head in disgust, remember that you’re just renting your marketing. Consider putting some of that advertising resource into a content creation initiative that you can own. Original content gets found by Google and is shared on the networks like Facebook and LinkedIn resulting in sales leads and new business. ### 9) Let’s bring back humanity A hundred years ago our great grandparents knew the people who sold them chickens, or nails, or cloth. Today, the Web allows humanity again after decades of faceless mass media advertising. We all want to do business with other humans. We want to know there’s a living, breathing person behind the communications. And we want reassurance that those humans on the other side understand and want to help us. ### 10) Manage your fear We all face fear in our professional and personal lives. Fear of the strange, of the new, of the untested. We fear bucking the trend and going against the accepted. It's a natural human response. To truly achieve greatness, you must act. That might mean you are a pioneer, a rebel, an instigator. You may need to challenge the status quo to make a difference in the world. Yes, you might fail. You could even fail spectacularly. But a fear of failure is not a reason to sit in front of the television instead of working on that project that’s burning away in your gut. [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/413105/e5b62938-97f3-40a1-9bc9-f10843b48ec1.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/413105/e5b62938-97f3-40a1-9bc9-f10843b48ec1) [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Sales Strategies ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/sales-strategies) [ Marketing ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/marketing) [ Best Practices ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/best-practices) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Do%20not%20play%20Yamaha.jpg?width=1500&height=1125&name=Do%20not%20play%20Yamaha.jpg) ### Please Do Not Play Without Permission November 12th, 2024|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/please-do-not-play-without-permission) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LinkedIn-1.jpg?width=1500&height=1000&name=LinkedIn-1.jpg) ### How LinkedIn Profiles Can Make or Break Complex Sales September 9th, 2024|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/how-linkedin-profiles-can-make-or-break-complex-sales) [![A conference room table with computers and plans.](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_794573677.jpg?width=1500&height=921&name=shutterstock_794573677.jpg) ### The Difference Between Marketing and Sales March 13th, 2024|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-difference-between-marketing-and-sales) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/W3%20accessability.jpg?width=915&height=595&name=W3%20accessability.jpg) ### Make Your Web Content Accessible To All July 25th, 2023|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/make-your-web-content-accessible-to-all) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Bearikade%20outside.jpg?width=1137&height=746&name=Bearikade%20outside.jpg) ### Carve Your Own Trail: Effective Product Positioning Through Distinctiveness, Not Comparison June 13th, 2023|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/carve-your-own-trail-effective-product-positioning-through-distinctiveness-not-comparison) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ChatSpot.jpg?width=869&height=490&name=ChatSpot.jpg) ### HubSpot Launches ChatSpot, an AI Tool for Natural Language Access to CRM Data March 8th, 2023|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/hubspot-launches-chatspot-an-ai-tool-for-natural-language-access-to-crm-data) [![Aaron Silidker showing people how to use ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/RoamRig%20van%20conversions.jpg?width=2566&height=1556&name=RoamRig%20van%20conversions.jpg) ### How RoamRig Built A Successful Business With Facebook Groups January 10th, 2023|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/how-roamrig-built-a-successful-business-with-facebook-groups) [![Photo of somebody using the LinkedIn app on a smartphone](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LinkedIn.jpg?width=1500&height=995&name=LinkedIn.jpg) ### Why Salespeople’s LinkedIn Profiles Don’t Sell October 5th, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/why-most-salespeoples-linkedin-profiles-stink) [![Computers, m and tables](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstck%20content.jpg?width=1318&height=772&name=shutterstck%20content.jpg) ### Deliver Content One Buyer at a Time to Drive Sales Success September 22nd, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/deliver-content-one-buyer-at-a-time-to-drive-sales-success) [![HubSpot CMO, Kipp Bodnar and Katie Burke, HubSpot's people and communications leader,](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Obama%20INBOUND_2022_OBAMA_BESAKOF-14_63787.jpg?width=1024&height=683&name=Obama%20INBOUND_2022_OBAMA_BESAKOF-14_63787.jpg) ### 'Show Don’t Tell' Makes HubSpot’s INBOUND22 Conference Awesome September 14th, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/show-dont-tell-inbound22) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Summer%20Sale.jpg?width=2456&height=1652&name=Summer%20Sale.jpg) ### A Focus On Product Alone Results In A Race To The Bottom August 16th, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/a-focus-on-product-alone-results-in-a-race-to-the-bottom) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_1816579838.jpg?width=1500&height=1000&name=shutterstock_1816579838.jpg) ### Sales Plus Marketing to Reach Buyers May 25th, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/sales-plus-marketing-to-reach-buyers) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/helpful%20person.jpg) ### We Are All the Sales Department October 18th, 2021|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/we-are-all-the-sales-department) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/LinkedIn%20messaging.jpg) ### On LinkedIn, Educate and Inform Instead of Interrupt and Sell September 21st, 2021|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/on-linkedin-educate-and-inform-instead-of-interrupt-and-sell) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/smallshutterstock_100565794.jpg) ### The Web-Educated Buyer versus the Salesperson Expert August 11th, 2021|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-web-educated-buyer-versus-the-salesperson-expert) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/virtual%20selling%20camera%20position.jpg) ### The Importance of Eye Contact for Effective Virtual Selling June 15th, 2021|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-importance-of-eye-contact-for-effective-virtual-selling) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/B2B.jpg) ### Business to Business? Or People to People? June 9th, 2021|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/business-to-business-or-people-to-people) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/shutterstock_503377519.jpg) ### The Incredible Power of a Simple Gift April 28th, 2021|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-incredible-power-of-a-simple-gift) [![salesperson](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/shutterstock_1111098644.jpg) ### The Voice of Authority? When the Salesperson Was the Expert April 19th, 2019|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-voice-of-authority-when-the-salesperson-was-the-expert) [![NOB19](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/NOB19.jpg) ### Join Me In Panama At The Nature of Business Executive Program 2019 June 6th, 2018|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/join-me-in-panama-at-nature-of-business-executive-program-2019) [![LinkedIn](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/LinkedIn.png) ### Most Salespeople’s LinkedIn Profiles Are Terrible. Here’s How To Improve. May 15th, 2018|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/most-salespeoples-linkedin-profiles-are-terrible.-heres-how-to-improve) [![shutterstock_272153462](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/shutterstock_272153462.jpg) ### Maybe Your Sales VP Is The Problem May 1st, 2018|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/maybe-your-sales-vp-is-the-problem) [![lawyer at work](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/lawyer%20at%20work.jpg) ### Expert Witnesses Find New Business By Newsjacking April 18th, 2018|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/expert-witnesses-find-new-business-by-newsjacking) [![Audi dealer](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Audi.jpg) ### The Salesperson Expert versus the Web-Educated Buyer March 7th, 2018|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-salesperson-expert-versus-the-web-educated-buyer) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott" }, "dateModified" : "2026-01-13T18:12:02.536Z", "datePublished" : "2017-03-29T13:44:05.000Z", "headline" : "Ten Big Sales and Marketing Concepts To Grow Your Business", "image" : [ "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/DMScott%20speaking%201.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/ten-big-sales-and-marketing-concepts-to-grow-your-business", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/_Assets/Logo/david-meerman-scott.png" }, "name" : "David Meerman Scott" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#person", "@type" : "Person", "description" : "Marketing and sales visionary, international bestselling author of 12 books, keynote speaker in 47 countries, and advisor to emerging companies.", "email" : "mailto:David@DavidMeermanScott.com", "image" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/DMS-Homepage-Featured.jpg", "jobTitle" : [ "Keynote Speaker", "Author", "Business Growth Strategist", "Marketing Advisor" ], "knowsAbout" : [ "Content Marketing", "Fandom Marketing", "Newsjacking", "Real-Time Marketing", "Public Relations", "Sales Strategy", "Business Growth" ], "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "sameAs" : [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Meerman_Scott", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmeermanscott", "https://x.com/dmscott", "https://www.instagram.com/dmscott/" ], "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#website", "@type" : "WebSite", "author" : { "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#person" }, "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "potentialAction" : { "@type" : "SearchAction", "query-input" : "required name=search_term_string", "target" : { "@type" : "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/search?q={search_term_string}" } }, "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott" }, "dateCreated" : "2017-03-29T13:34:16", "datePublished" : "2017-03-29T09:44:05-0400", "description" : "The idea of mystery in the sales process is over. There is no more 'selling'—there is only buying.", "headline" : "Ten Big Sales and Marketing Concepts To Grow Your Business", "image" : [ "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/413105/DMScott%20speaking%201.jpg" ], "inLanguage" : "en-us", "keywords" : [ "Sales Strategies", "Marketing", "Best Practices" ], "learningResourceType" : "article", "name" : "Ten Big Sales and Marketing Concepts To Grow Your Business", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://413105.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/413105/_Assets/Logo/david-meerman-scott.png" }, "name" : "Freshspot Marketing LLC" }, "timeRequired" : "2 minutes", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/ten-big-sales-and-marketing-concepts-to-grow-your-business" } ```