If You’re Doing All the Selling, Your Marketing Isn’t Working

Hustle culture guru but sometimes very wise man Gary Vee once said, “If you’re good at sales, your marketing sucks.” Or something close to that (credit to Arian Hamilton’s YouTube channel for surfacing the idea) i'm paraphrasing.

I couldn’t agree more. But let me take it a step further: If you’re paying for ads too soon, your marketing probably sucks too.

Here’s the thing: If you’re pouring all your time and energy into long sales calls, meticulously crafted video sales letters, or endless sales pages, then your marketing isn’t doing enough of the heavy lifting.

Now, don’t get me wrong—those tools work. I’ll write a video sales letter or craft a sales page, and they do convert. But when you’re leaning entirely on these tools to close deals, it’s a sign that your marketing isn’t working as well as it could. You’re spending all your energy convincing people at the very end of the process instead of setting things up so that they’re ready to say yes long before the sale even begins.

What Happens When Marketing Works

Think about the last time you stopped at a service station because you were thirsty. You walk over to the fridge, scan the options, and reach for a Coca-Cola or Pepsi.

Why? Because the marketing has already been done.

Now imagine if Coca-Cola approached sales the way many small businesses do. Instead of you casually grabbing a Coke, there’s a sales rep waiting by the fridge. They start a 25-minute sales call right there in the aisle, explaining why this drink is better than the others. They try to convince you, through sheer effort, why it’s worth your time and money.

It sounds absurd because it is.

You don’t need a sales call to pick a Coke because the marketing has done its job. It’s built trust, created familiarity, and positioned Coca-Cola as the go-to choice before you even step into the store.

That’s what good marketing looks like. It does most of the work long before the sale.

When your marketing works, people come to you ready to buy. The sales process becomes effortless—less about convincing and more about confirming. If you’re constantly relying on long, drawn-out sales tactics to explain your value, it’s a sign your marketing isn’t pulling its weight.

Why Ads and AI Aren’t the Solution

This is where many businesses go wrong.

They think paid ads will fix the problem. But ads don’t create success—they amplify what’s already there. If your marketing foundation is weak, ads will simply highlight the cracks to a larger audience.

Paid ads are great for scaling success, but they’re not meant to build it from scratch. Before you spend money on ads, you need to ensure your messaging, positioning, and value are clear. Otherwise, you’re gambling with your budget—and hope is not a strategy.

The same goes for AI.

AI is incredible. It can generate ideas, draft content, and analyze data in ways we couldn’t imagine a few years ago. But AI isn’t a shortcut to great marketing. It’s only as effective as the strategy behind it.

AI can’t build trust. It can’t replicate the nuance of personal connection. And it can’t create the kind of authenticity that makes people feel seen and understood.

Used well, AI can support your efforts. It can save time, streamline workflows, and help you get things done. But it has to be paired with organic outreach, real conversations, and a strong foundation of trust and connection.

Marketing Should Make Sales Feel Easy

When your marketing works, sales calls become shorter. Long pitches become unnecessary. The decision to work with you feels as effortless as grabbing a Coca-Cola from the fridge.

Here’s why:

Marketing creates trust over time. It builds excitement and familiarity, so by the time someone reaches your sales funnel, they already feel confident in your value. They’ve seen your content, resonated with your message, and decided they want to work with you before you’ve even asked.

But when your marketing falls short, the sales process becomes exhausting. You’re constantly explaining, justifying, and overcoming objections. That’s not sustainable—and it’s completely avoidable.

If you’re relying on long-form sales tactics to do all the work, it’s time to rethink your approach.

Sales and Marketing Need to Work Together

To be clear, sales pages, video sales letters, and calls aren’t the problem. I’ll write them, and they do convert. But they shouldn’t have to carry all the weight.

Marketing and sales are partners. Marketing’s job is to prime your audience: build trust, create excitement, and position you as the solution to their problem. Sales should simply seal the deal.

If you’ve done the work upfront, sales feel light and natural. Your audience already knows your value, so the sale becomes less about convincing and more about confirming what they already believe.

The Real Fix: Stronger Marketing

If you’re constantly struggling to close deals, the problem isn’t your sales process—it’s your marketing foundation.

Start by asking yourself:

Does your audience understand what you offer and how it helps them?

Are you building trust through consistent, authentic messaging?

Are you creating enough momentum with your marketing, or are you leaning too heavily on sales?

When marketing works, everything else gets easier. Your sales process feels smoother, your leads come to you more qualified, and the growth of your business feels sustainable.

Before you jump into another ad campaign or spend hours tweaking your sales page, take a step back. Look at your marketing.

Ask yourself: Are you building trust and creating clarity at every stage of the process? Or are you still trying to sell Coke with a 25-minute call at the fridge?

Good marketing does the heavy lifting. Let it.