Putting off marketing is like an untied shoe. There is effort in lacing up your shoes, but until you do so, they won’t fully function as they were designed – in fact, they may slow your pace instead of enhancing it. There are a lot of similarities between untried marketing and untied shoes.

I was walking near my office recently. It was a windy day and threatening to rain, so I was anxious to get inside and out of the weather. I had crossed the street when I felt something slap at my ankle. My shoe was untied. Has this ever happened to you? I contemplated what to do. On one hand, I needed to stop and fix the problem. It would only take a short time to retie the shoe. On the other hand, I could not stop in the middle of the street and tie my shoe – it was not safe. However, a loose shoestring is a tripping hazard – I have done so several times in my life. On a more emotional level, I rationalized that I did not want to take the time to do so and delay my momentum getting down the street to my office. I did not want to get wet. I was only three blocks from my destination, so I figured I could just put up with the unfettered string flopping about until I got inside my office.

Again, there are a lot of similarities between untried marketing and untied shoes. For instance, there are a lot of excuses people in business give to delay marketing. Most of them have to do with one of these categories.

• It takes too much time

• It costs too much

• It will change the way we operate our business

• I’m too busy to stop and make the change

There is a problem with each of these excuses: they stunt your business growth. Marketing is all about moving your business forward. (If it is not helping you move forward, you need to change your marketing tactics.) Note that I called these excuses, not sound business decisions. There are healthy business reasons to delay a marketing campaign, for instance, the market is not quite ready for what we are promoting. However, these excuses may be masquerading as good decisions that are well thought out, but they really amount to an aversion to change and growth.

How do you respond to the four excuses for not marketing? Let’s take them one at a time.Marketing planning takes too much time. Any kind of business planning that increases the worth of the business takes time. For that matter, anything in life that has value takes time. Planning your marketing is a discipline, just like exercising on a regular basis is a discipline.

Marketing costs too much. I would argue that not marketing will cost you more in lost revenues. However, let me be frank about marketing: it is expensive. Too many business managers see it as an overhead expense. Marketing is actually an investment in growing your business. It is a necessity if you want to grow.

Marketing will change the way we operate our business. That may be very true, but it is a good thing. Why? Because the marketplace does not remain stationary. It is always moving and changing. If your business does not change with it, you will eventually lose market share. Marketing helps you stay relevant.

I am too busy to stop and make changes. This is a very myopic way of seeing things in business. Sure, we all go through very busy stages throughout the year, but marketing helps you look beyond where you are right now. What are your sales going to be in six months or a year from now? Marketing plans ahead, reads the marketplace and strategizes how it will keep consumers engaged with your brand.

The bottom line is marketing helps your business be the best it can be. Why walk around with your business shoes untied? Make sure you are using your marketing to grow your brand and promote your business.