Sales Fixes a Lot. Marketing Makes It Happen.
If you run a meat plant, you already know this:
Operations is everything.
Yield. Labor. Food safety. Scheduling. Margins.
If the plant doesn’t run well, nothing else matters.
But here’s what doesn’t get talked about enough:
You can run a tight operation… and still struggle to grow.
Because sales may solve a lot — but marketing is what fuels the engine.
That’s something marketing strategist Sarah Scott explained perfectly in a recent conversation.
“We’re High Quality” Isn’t a Strategy
If I ask a processor what makes them different, the answer is usually:
“We’re high quality.”
That’s not differentiation.
That’s the expectation.
Quality today is table stakes.
The real question is:
Why do your top customers buy from you instead of someone else?
If you don’t know the answer — clearly and specifically — you’re likely competing on price without realizing it.
And price is a dangerous game.
Start With This (Simple) Exercise
Before building a marketing plan, do this:
Who are your top 5 customers by revenue?
Who are your top 5 by profit?
Are they the same?
What are they actually buying from you?
Why do they choose you?
Then here’s the uncomfortable part:
Ask them.
Most businesses assume they know why customers buy.
Often, they’re wrong.
The Curse of Knowledge
Processors love their product. They should. But sometimes we overshare.
You want to explain:
Your sourcing
Your plant upgrades
Your generational history
Your specs and processes
Your customer wants to know:
“Can you solve my problem?”
Clear beats complex.
The best brand isn’t the one with the most information. It’s the one with the clearest message.
Data Is Useless — Until It Drives Action
You can build dashboards all day long.
But if the takeaway is just “cool chart,” you’re missing the point.
Ask instead:
Where are my margin gaps?
What products aren’t moving?
Where am I overly dependent?
Where is my next growth opportunity?
Data should drive decisions — not decorate meetings.
Not Everyone Is Your Customer
If you market to everyone, you market to no one.
Are you:
A premium partner?
A service-first supplier?
A margin optimizer?
A low-cost operator?
A logistics advantage?
Each is valid.
But you can’t be all of them.
The more specific you are, the louder the right customers hear you.
The Reality: Urgent Kills Strategic
If you run a plant, you’re constantly reacting.
Phones ring.
Labor shifts.
Equipment breaks.
Orders change.
Marketing strategy doesn’t scream for attention the way operations does.
But ignoring it quietly limits growth.
The Bottom Line
Sales solves a lot.
But marketing:
Clarifies who you serve.
Sharpens why you matter.
Protects your margin.
Exposes your next opportunity.
The best product doesn’t always win.
The clearest message does.
And if you want to grow beyond where you are today, the first step isn’t selling harder.
It’s getting clearer.