About Marketing: shrewd marketing starts after the sale is made. Once the sale is completed, many customers suddenly feel they're not getting the same attention they got when the sales person wanted their business. While marketing to new customers is good business, maintaining current customers is even better business.

About Selling: too much focus on the sales presentation causes sellers to talk rather than listen—but it is the listening that reveals the customer concerns that can lead to a sale. Apply the 80/20 rule to sales presentations; have the customer do 80% of the talking to the seller's 20%.