---
title: There are dumb questions.
description: Are you asking dumb questions of your marketing team? Talk to us about the right questions to ask.
image: https://www.toddhockenberry.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dumnb-questions-1.png
---

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###### Posted by [Todd Hockenberry](https://www.toddhockenberry.com/blog/author/todd-hockenberry) ● Jun 28, 2016

# There are dumb questions.

 

In reality it is not the questions that are dumb it is the underlying mindset that generates them that is misaligned with reality.

![dumnb-questions.png](https://www.toddhockenberry.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dumnb-questions-1.png?width=320&name=dumnb-questions-1.png)A few examples:

- Why can't we get to #1 on Google searches for -pick one- keyword?
- What one thing can we do to grow our leads?
- Without any effort on our part what can you do to grow our sales?
- And the follow on version, How can we grow our leads without making any monetary investments?

I am over simplifying a bit on the specific questions but the ones I list are the logical underlying questions people are asking if they think marketing is something anyone can do, or as engineers often do by holding marketing in contempt ,as something less than a discipline worthy of study and execution.

The root cause of these questions is a mindset many B2B manufacturing and industrial companies have that still views marketing as a cost and not as an investment. If they viewed their retirement planning like they did their marketing they would say a few months before they retire "OK, now how do I get enough money in the bank to retire in a few months". Nonsense right. But that is how far too many business owners and executives view marketing.

They want to turn it on when they need it, like when sales slow down or they have a bad quarter.

Developing the marketing discipline to be successful in any market requires:

- [building a marketing strategy](https://www.toddhockenberry.com/blog/topic/what-is-the-best-go-to-market-strategy-for-us)
- developing the suite of tools to build ongoing [marketing platforms](https://www.toddhockenberry.com/blog/topic/do-we-need-a-new-website)
- [attracting interest](https://www.toddhockenberry.com/blog/topic/how-do-we-get-found-online)
- [converting that interest to leads](https://www.toddhockenberry.com/blog/topic/we-need-better-qualified-leads)
- [converting those leads into customers](https://www.toddhockenberry.com/blog/topic/how-do-we-grow-sales)
- [building loyalty](https://www.toddhockenberry.com/blog/topic/how-can-we-grow-with-existing-customers) and deeper sales relationships over time with customers

There are no shiny things out there that you can chase that will build any of the above marketing processes. There are no magic tricks we can deploy that make your video go viral or make your crappy website number one on Google.

[Inputs and outcomes](https://www.toddhockenberry.com/blog/topic/do-we-need-marketing-help). Make the effort to build content, promote it, develop a killer lead management process, be responsive, react quickly, educate, be helpful, match the buyer's journey, focus on a target persona....do the right things as inputs and you will be rewarded with the right outcomes.

**Ignore the inputs** and suffer lagging sales, ineffective lead generation, and indigestion that comes with wondering why marketing is not doing a better job of generating leads.

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 Topics: [Marketing](https://www.toddhockenberry.com/blog/topic/marketing)

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