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# Repeat after me — I am not ashamed of sales and marketing!
- URL: https://cje.io/2016/01/27/repeat-after-me-i-am-not-ashamed-of-sales-and-marketing/
- Published: 2016-01-27T03:55:44.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-04T04:24:32.000Z
- Author: Casey Ellis
- Tags: Building, leadership, Thinking

I find that people are often ashamed, almost embarrassed to talk about sales and marketing.

> “Yeah, we’re going OK, we’re actually… kind of, you know  thinking about how to get better at marketing.”

OR

> “I’m thinking about  personal branding…  Nothing douchey or anything…”

It’s mostly because both are done badly far more often then they are done well. Here’s a thought for all of you wanting/needing to improve their sales and/or marketing:

1. ***Nothing happens until someone buys it. This can be a sale, or it can be the acceptance and adoption of an idea. People need to “buy it” before they can “own it”.***
2. ***A sale cannot happen until marketing has colored in the concept for the buyer.***

Sales and marketing are a fact of business, and indeed a fact of life. If your business has collected any money whatsoever from a customer then you have already committed both the crime of sales and the crime of marketing.

Get used to it. Don’t be ashamed of it. Get better at it.