Marketing Can’t Fix a Broken Mindset, But It Can Fuel Growth If You’re Ready

The Frustration No One Talks About

As a marketing strategist, I often sit across from passionate, driven business owners and nonprofit leaders who want growth. They’re hungry for more appointments, more visibility, more revenue.

But after putting strong marketing strategies into place: ads with the right message, placed in front of the right audience, things stall. Leads don’t convert. Funnels fizzle. Teams can’t follow through.

It’s not that the strategy is wrong.

It’s that something else inside the business isn’t ready for growth. And more often than not, it comes down to mindset.

The “Marketing Doesn’t Work” Trap

I hear it all the time:

“Marketing doesn’t work for us.”
“We’re spending money and getting nothing back.”
“We tried everything.”

But when we take a closer look, what’s really happening is this:

• Leads are coming in—but no one is available to follow up.
• Staff aren’t trained to close the sale or serve the increased demand.
• Systems are outdated, clunky, or just missing entirely.
• The offer isn’t clear, and the messaging keeps shifting based on fear, not data.
• There’s no clarity on what success even looks like.

This isn’t a marketing problem—it’s a growth problem.

And marketing can only do its job when you’re ready to grow.

Why I Start With the Numbers

When I begin building an advertising plan, I ask three essential questions:

1. What’s the average value of a new client or sale?
2. How many leads do you need each month to reach your revenue goals?
3. What’s your current lead-to-sale conversion rate?

It surprises me how often these numbers aren’t clear. But without them, marketing becomes a guessing game—one that’s easy to lose.

When we’re able to answer those questions, we can:

• Design campaigns backward from your business goals or strategic plans
• Select tools and platforms that align with your audience and budget
• Build realistic expectations around results and ROI
• And most importantly, avoid wasting time and money.

Marketing Is a Mirror

If your business or organization is chaotic, unclear, or overwhelmed on the inside—your marketing will reflect that on the outside.

Your audience will pick up on it, even if you try to hide it behind good design or clever copy. And when that disconnect is felt, trust breaks.

Marketing doesn’t work when:

• The call to action can’t be fulfilled
• Internal systems can’t support external interest
• The messaging doesn’t align with what’s actually happening
• Fear overrides strategy
• Or no one knows what to do with the leads once they arrive
  

What Growth-Ready Businesses Do Differently

Here’s what I see in clients who are truly ready for intentional marketing:

• They know their numbers (or are open to figuring them out)
• They’re willing to align internally before pushing externally
• They value clarity over cleverness
• They trust the process and are open to testing and learning
• They treat marketing as a long-term investment, not a quick fix

These are the clients I love working with, because the results are real, measurable, and lasting.

Let’s Talk About Growth

If you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start making progress, I’m here to help you align your growth goals with a purposeful marketing budget—so you’re spending the right dollars, in the right places, with the right messages. When we work together with clarity and intention, we can fill your pipeline with leads that convert and create real, measurable progress. That’s how marketing becomes an investment—not a gamble.

But if your goals, offers, or operations are still unclear—don’t rush into marketing just yet. Instead, take a moment to build a stronger foundation with the right kind of support. Here are some of my most trusted partners in Erie who can help you get there:

• Click Pragmatics – Casie Lucas-Szumigala offers expert communication consulting to help teams improve internal alignment, onboarding, and workplace culture.
  
• TLW Strategy – Trina Walker is a nonprofit strategist who supports leadership alignment, strategic planning, and team development.
  
• Action Coaching | Matt Bresee – Business coaching focused on maximizing profits, streamlining operations, and building strong teams.
  
• Heidi Inspired – Heidi Parr Kerner offers public speaking coaching, team sales training, and tools to help you qualify leads, close deals, and negotiate with confidence.
  
• Jacob Jones – Penn State Behrend Center for Family Business – Jacob helps businesses understand their data, define their numbers, and map growth from a financial perspective.

Once your internal direction is strong, that’s where I come in. My role is to align your external strategy—your marketing, branding, and advertising—with those clear goals, ensuring every dollar works toward your growth.