And in my crystal ball I see happy clients who love our services more than anything else in the whole wide world

I'm a bit of a sceptic when it comes to the mystical world of psychics - a load of old gobbledygook if you ask me. I believe (and this is my opinion only) that they simply help you to believe what you want to think of as the truth. And what's the point in that? It's not reality and it's not solving the problem.

And (yes, here comes the connection to marketing) many of us also rely too much on our psychic abilities when defining key marketing messages, strategies and value propositions. We form them based on what we think our clients should need, why we think they want to use us and what we believe they should value in our offer. But, it's time to resist the allure of the crystal ball and build your marketing from reality - from the people who you are selling to and who use your products/services.

Marketing should not be about guess work, it should be grounded in facts. Do you really know what your customers are thinking? Do you know what they need, what bothers them, what keeps them in the office late at night? Do you ever ask:

• What they think of your service - what impact it has had on their business? Anything tangible?
• Is there anything they would like to see more of for you? Anything they aren't happy with or you could do better? 
• How you differ from your competition and what makes them keep coming back to you?
• What challenges are they facing at the moment? How could you help?
• What are their objectives? Is there anything you could be doing to help them achieve them?
• What are their personal priorities - saving time, keeping the boss off there back, reducing their budget? How could you help them with these personal 'hot buttons'?

It may feel like a brave move but asking clients these type of questions can help you when you're creating your marketing messages and tools. It will provide you with robust knowledge that can help you create materials that speak directly and persuasively to the critical issues your existing and prospective customers are facing. By understanding value as your client's see it, you will be able to present a much more compelling case to prospective customers.