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Most people think that marketing is mainly about advertising. A salesperson might regard marketing people as those who do the brochures and look after the website. But both views are only part of the picture, because marketing actually covers almost every aspect of a business.

I’ve been in marketing for 30 years and have worked as a brand manager, marketing director and freelance consultant in almost every type and size of business. And I’ve discovered that, although theory underpins what we all do, marketing is about innovation and the ability to learn from one’s mistakes.

This book has some classic marketing theory written in an easy way. I have split it into seven chapters with 50 secrets that cover all the practical aspects of marketing. You must read them all, even if you think they’re not all relevant to you. Be inquisitive and see what marketing people do elsewhere. Open your mind and ask yourself how each secret could work in your business.

 Marketing is a philosophy. You must get yourself into the habit of thinking like a marketing person. Open your mind and imagine how you could seduce your customers and outwit your competition.

 Identify markets. Everything starts with the customers and you must understand what makes them tick. To do this you need to be a bit of a clairvoyant and a psychologist, and to learn from experience.

 Create what people want. At the end of the day someone must buy something, otherwise you have no reason to be in business. You must create what people want so they will choose you above your competitors.

 Look where people buy. These days people don’t just buy from a shop or a salesperson. You must make sure that they can get your product wherever they would expect it to be available.

 Devise your promotional mix. There are literally hundreds of ways to promote your business and products. You must pick the tool that’s right for the customer at each stage of the buying process.

 Get on the Internet. You don’t need to be an Internet expert or be able to program a computer. But you must have an open mind and the imagination to see what the Internet could do for your business.

 Make an achievable plan. At some point someone will ask you to write down what you’re going to do and why. Planning is rarely fun, but it helps you to clarify your thinking and justify what you intend to do.

 When you’ve read these 50 secrets you’ll know more about marketing than anyone else in your organization. Then again, I’ve been in marketing for 30 years and I’m still learning!

Marketing starts with your customer and ends in profit.