Jack of all trades, master of f*ck all.

Posted on | June 4, 2010

I’m sorry if this seems like another rant. I really am. I’m suddenly aware that these posts are making me seem like the grumpy old man waving his walking stick at the kids and shouting at them to “get off my damn land!”

I’m really a very nice person. Honest. I like puppies and everything.

(actually I f*cking hate dogs)

But anyway…I’ll get back to my point. This kind of occurred to me after reading a post on LinkedIn asking for recommendations for a good (and cheap, of course…it’s always got to be cheap) PR & Marketing company.

Why would you ever want to combine these two? They are separate skill sets. They have separate experience and separate applications.

The problem is, I can see why they asked. It’s not their fault.

There are so many companies out there that claim to be all things for all people. There is a HUGE problem in our industry of conflating entirely different skill-sets. This leads a lot of companies into doing work they just aren’t good at, which this leads to disappointment and, ultimately, a damaging reputation hit. I love seeing design companies that make great claims to marketing strategy, or website companies that make great claims to design. More often than not they just aren’t very good at one (or, to be honest, both).

So which is it? Are you a PR company or a marketing company? Are you a design company or a sales company? Do you actually have a focus and understanding of what you’re good at? Are you actually  good at any of the things you list on the ‘our services’ section of your website?

So in the interest of full disclosure:

I can’t design, I don’t do websites and I’m only an amateur hand at photography.

I’m also not a PR expert and I don’t claim to be.

I’m not a Sales trainer and would never pretend to be.

I’m not an Event Planner and I won’t ever be.

(should I go on?)

What I am good at (and consequently, so is my company) is figuring out how to make money for my clients. How to find income streams, how to bring products to the market, how to build a brand and how to expand. We’re good at building companies. We’re good at clarifying companies. We’re good at reaching out to new markets and new opportunities.

Our role is to develop the long-term strategy that will bring our clients the requisite return. We’re a marketing strategy company. When it comes to implementing that strategy (be it advertising, design, PR etc.) we bring in the best. And we get the best out of them.

I would much rather be a master of one than a jack of ‘jack shit’.

- Jordan ‘sweetness and light’ Fleming

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