Jeff Widman (.com)

I didn’t want to post this. It’s basic. We forget. That’s why it’s worth your time.

Last week, a guy I’d never met tweeted that he’d spend a half-hour meeting with any Seattle-ite willing to drive him to the airport.

In that brief conversation, Dave McClure used words like:

Customer acquisition
User engagement
Organic growth
Viral
SEO
Intimidating

Okay, I added the last one. Now don’t get me wrong–Dave is a brilliant (and friendly) guy who gets stuff done. However, I was reminded…

Acquiring customers in a scalable fashion is tremendously important. It’s called “being efficient” and if you don’t figure it out, you’ll go bankrupt. But I wonder–how often do we focus on the tool instead of the goal? (Think GTD software programs. Marketers are not immune.)

Last Sunday, Andy Nulman gave me his definition of marketing:

A lot of people forget that it’s more than just telling a story, it’s about a relationship–between a customer and a business. A win-win relationship.

I used to wonder–why do we focus on the tool instead of the goal?
Anything you create by yourself is a tool.
Relationships require two groups.
That’s why. Difficulty.

Marketing Tools.
Brainstorm.
Create.
Use.

But don’t let people become numbers. Ever.
(They won’t let you.)

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