My Biggest Marketing Mistake and How to Avoid Making the Same One

Hey everyone, 

I’m sure we all recognize that having a marketing plan is essential for success in this industry. But let’s face it–most of us don’t come from a marketing background, making sifting through all the new marketing strategies, technologies, and acronyms feel complicated and confusing. 

The truth is that you will make mistakes when trying to determine what focus and structure are best for your team, but the key is learning from them and adapting your marketing plan accordingly. 

As someone who has implemented many successful marketing strategies and plenty that weren’t, I wanted to share some of my biggest marketing mistakes to help you avoid making the same ones. Below are some questions with my responses, but I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences, too.

Q: Has there been a time when you have focused marketing efforts on the wrong thing? Or had the wrong people in place to execute on your vision?

A: Oh, absolutely. We’ve all been there, right? For us, we initially focused a lot on commercial projects. We tried to generate more direct work through online channels and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) with various pilots. We did generate leads, but here’s where we slipped up—we didn’t prepare our staff. These new leads required more sales skills and active hunting, unlike the typical jobs we were used to. Our conversion rates were abysmal because our team wasn’t ready to handle them. Lesson learned!

Q: Did you always have a dedicated marketing person from the beginning, or did you take on those responsibilities yourself initially?

A: We didn’t bring in a dedicated marketing leader until we hit around $20 million in revenue. Before that, it was a bit of a free-for-all. I took on many of those responsibilities myself, juggling them with everything else, which was not sustainable.

Q: What challenges did you face in finding the right marketing professional, and how did you eventually identify the ideal candidate?

A: The key is finding someone from a service-oriented business similar to yours who understands your specific market. If your focus is residential direct-to-consumer, that’s a different skill set than someone who handles mainly commercial work. If marketing isn’t your strong suit, hire an agency to guide you. It makes a world of difference. 

Q: Have you ever invested heavily in a marketing trend or tactic that didn’t deliver as expected? What did you learn about chasing trends?

A: Oh man, all the time. Good companies fail and adapt. We started a direct-to-agent program a decade ago that flopped, but now we’re giving it another go. We also chased REO (Real Estate Owned) work, which turned out to be low-margin, and we shut that down. Same with our building consultant practice and in-house roofing department—great ideas that didn’t pan out as expected. 

Now, we know that relationship development has always given us the best return on investment. We focus on building strong connections with customers, agents, adjusters, and commercial relationships.

Q: How do you now evaluate new marketing trends before committing resources to them?

A: We test, pilot, and thoroughly investigate new marketing trends before rolling them out company-wide. This way, we avoid major losses and only commit to strategies that show real promise.

Q: What changes did you implement to improve the quality of leads and their conversion rates?

A: We started by educating our team about the new types of leads and equipping them with the necessary skills to handle them. Focusing on relationship development and targeting high-quality leads has also made a huge difference.

Q: How do you define and measure success in your marketing efforts today?

A: At first, we focused too much on revenue. Now we know profitability and the quality of leads is what really matters. Other important metrics include the quantity of leads and revenue generation. But the main thing is to ensure your team is informed and excited about the new initiatives before you roll them out. 

Q: What is another major mistake you have encountered in marketing/business development?

A: A huge mistake is trying to be everywhere at once. Some reps think they need to be part of every group and attend every event—local claims associations, BOMA, IFMA, hospitality conferences, government groups, healthcare groups—you name it. This approach spreads you too thin. Instead, focus on being an expert in one or two verticals. It’s better to be a standout quarterback, running back, or receiver than just an athlete who can go anywhere but isn’t great at any specific position.

Final Thoughts

One of my biggest pieces of advice is to only chase leads when your team is ready to convert them. Being unprepared can squelch your team’s fire to keep generating leads or pursuing the ones that enter the pipeline. Having a solid plan allows everyone to see success in their efforts, keeping your team motivated. 

I hope sharing these experiences helps spark some ideas and discussions. Let’s learn from each other and keep pushing forward. If you’ve got any questions or need some advice, feel free to reach out. We’re all in this together. 

Cheers!

Jeff Moore