Once upon a time, any business whose check would clear was a potential client. I had no idea what marketing integrity even was. In those days I worked with almost anyone. I was new. I was eager. I wanted to grow my portfolio.
Those days are over. I am now a marketing snob, and I’m OK with that.
Over the years I have grown my business in a way that allows me to maintain my integrity as a marketer. How? By not taking clients whose services or products are something I can’t get behind. Don’t get me wrong, I could sell the heck out of a broken soup bowl…but at the end of the day, who wants soup leaking out of their bowl?
In the spirit of good client/marketing fit, I have developed a 3-prong test for whether or not I can take a client integrity-wise:
- Would I buy your service or product?
- Would I want my mother to buy your service or product?
- Would I be proud to put my name with yours on your service or product?
If the answer is “no” to any of those questions, then I will tactfully suggest that I may not be the marketer for you. There are plenty of other marketing firms that will work with you. Others that don’t equate their reputation with that of their clients. Others who may even see it as a challenge. I am not that marketer.
Marketing Integrity
So what kinds of businesses won’t I work with? That depends, but any of the following need not contact me:
- Inferior products
- Illegal products or services
- Unethical products or services
- Well-deserved bad reputation
- Pornography
- Gambling
As a marketer, my name will be associated with yours. My reputation will be associated with yours. People who feel wronged by you will look to see who helped you sell them something they feel harmed by. They will see me as that person. That’s not something I’m willing to be.
When looking for someone to help with your marketing, be sure to align yourself with a company whose ethics and integrity match your own.
Contact us if we are a good fit for you. Otherwise, save us both the time.