05/03/2026
Marketing Isn’t About You. It’s About the Consumer.
One of the most common mistakes I see comes from incredibly smart people.
Doctors start practices.
Engineers launch products.
Executives build consulting firms.
Nutritionists create food brands.
Brilliant professionals.
But when they step into business, something strange happens:
They start marketing to themselves.
They talk about:
• their expertise
• their standards
• their professional journey
• their definition of quality
All important.
But none of it answers the only question that matters:
What does the customer care about?
Your knowledge is not your customer’s knowledge.
Your habits are not your customer’s habits.
Your lifestyle is not your customer’s lifestyle.
Let’s say you create a cereal product.
A brilliant professional might say:
“This cereal supports peak performance and optimized nutrition.”
Sounds impressive.
But the customer might be thinking:
“I just want something quick before work that keeps me full.”
Two completely different conversations.
Great marketing starts when you step out of your own head and step into the customer’s world.
How they think.
How they shop.
How they speak.
Where they spend their time.
If you built your career networking on golf courses with executives, that’s great.
But most customers aren’t on a golf course at 10am on a Tuesday.
They’re on their phones.
Scrolling.
Searching.
Comparing.
Marketing works when you meet people where they are, not where you’re comfortable.
The businesses that win aren’t always the most brilliant.
They’re the ones that understand their audience best.
Because in the end:
Marketing isn’t about proving how smart you are.
It’s about proving you understand the customer.
