Secrets of Power Marketing - Introduction

If a man can . . . make a better mouse-trap than his neighbor, the world will make a beaten path to his door.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Once, this statement of Emerson's may have been true. In fact, millions of us were raised on the "theory of the better mousetrap”. Entrepreneurs believe that if they create a great new product or service, someone will invest. PhD’s believe that if they get the best education, they'll get the best jobs. Investors believe that if they find the right company with the best management or product line, they will make a fortune.

In Emerson’s time, that may have worked. Today, experience shows that the world will no longer beat a path to your door just because you are talented. You may be the most highly educated person. The best inventor. The most intelligent thinker. The most artistic painter. But the results speak for themselves. Many people with truly excellent skills are either hurting for business - or driving cabs.

The one common denominator I have found among high achievers in many fields - and I've studied and talked to a great number of them - was not that they were the best at what they do. The key to their success was their ability to market - or be marketed.
"Preposterous," you may say. "Excellence always wins out.” But think about it for a few moments.

Is the best wine the one that sells the most? Do consumers buy the best product or service, or the one that is most cleverly marketed? How many products are successful in the marketplace simply because they were marketed effectively?
Now, I am not suggesting that you sell low-quality products. I want you to do good work. I also want you to do good marketing.


George Torok
co-author, Secrets of Power Marketing