Have you ever noticed that some businesses take off quickly and succeed with minimal effort, while others — even with perfect conditions — do not move forward? Why does this happen?
If you type a similar question into a search engine, you will get the usual answers:
“You don’t promote yourself enough.”
“You invest too little in advertising, SEO, and marketing.”
“Your marketing strategy is wrong.”
Sounds logical, right? But that’s not the whole truth. Let’s look deeper and analyze it from the perspective of the laws of sales.
You only sell what is in demand
The foundation of all sales is demand. If there is no demand for a product or service, then no one will buy it — no matter how much you invest in advertising and marketing. Let’s illustrate this with a simple example — coffee.
Suppose I am willing to buy coffee for 5 euros every day. Why exactly 5 euros? Because it is a price I can accept and consider fair. But what if someone offers me coffee for 10 euros? Most likely I will refuse. Not because I cannot afford 10 euros, but because I know I can buy it elsewhere for 5 euros.
And what if coffee everywhere becomes more expensive? Then my habits will change: either I will start brewing coffee at home, or rethink my spending.
This example shows the relationship between price and demand. When demand exceeds supply, the seller sets the conditions and raises prices. When supply exceeds demand, the buyer chooses: where is it cheaper, better, more convenient. This is a natural market law.
Market saturation and its share
Nowadays, product shortages are rare. We live in an era of market saturation: supply almost always exceeds demand. But even in such a market, you can sell a cup of coffee for 50 euros. How?
The key is positioning and value. If coffee for €50 is served in a 5-star hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower, there will be clients who will pay for it. But they will make up only 1% of the total amount of coffee sold in that city.
This leads to one conclusion: before launching a product or service, you need to answer a few key questions:
What is the size of the market? How many buyers and competitors are there?
What is the demand? Do people need this product or service?
What is the right price? Will the price be acceptable for them and profitable for you?
What market share can you capture?
The problem is not always marketing — it is a question of analysis
If you have done a thorough analysis and:
you found a niche with existing demand,
you calculated the price your customers are willing to pay,
and made sure you can occupy a certain share of the market,
then marketing tools act as a catalyst for growth. The right strategy for promotion, advertising, and SEO will help you quickly capture the market and achieve success.
But if the analysis was done poorly or was missed, no marketing activities will save you. You can spend millions on advertising, but if there is no demand or the price is too high, the result will be the same — failure.
Big companies versus small business
Why don’t we hear about such failures? Because big companies do not skip this stage. Before launching a product on the market, they:
carefully study the market and demand,
forecast sales,
and often even before launch create demand through the right advertising campaigns.
Small businesses do not have the resources to “create demand.” They need to capture it and take the niche as quickly as possible before competitors do.
Where is the real problem hidden?
If sales are low, the first questions should be:
Is there demand for our product or service?
Is the price right?
Are we addressing the right audience?
The answers to these questions are the responsibility of the business owner, the sales department, and marketing specialists. Marketing is a promotion tool, not a magic solution. It only works if the product or service meets customer needs and is sold at the right price.
Summary
Low sales are not always the fault of marketing or advertising. Sometimes the problem lies deeper: no demand, too high a price, or an unfortunate niche. Marketing is a powerful tool for growth, but it will not create demand for something people do not need or do not want to buy.
Therefore, before investing money in marketing, make sure that:
Your product is in demand on the market.
The price is acceptable for customers.
You understand your target audience and the size of the market.
Only after that should you start marketing. Then the results will surprise you! 🚀