If you've found yourself thinking this way from time to time, you probably need a different perspective on what marketing can do for you. You need an understanding of what I call "honor marketing".

For most of human history, business was conducted on a local level; the town barber generally stayed the town barber for decades, and a barber new to town might be considered an outsider for just as long. Every businessman had a vested interest in protecting his reputation at all costs - because without it, no one would do business with him again. In some ancient societies, ritual suicide was preferable to a loss of honor and a good name.

Marketing is the communication of credibility. That's all it is: putting your best foot forward, knowing - and ensuring that others know - where you stand, and promoting your business values to the readers most receptive to them. When done wrong, marketing descends into cheap theater; but when done right, marketing protects and promotes your business with depth and honesty.

Honor makes the difference. Make it work for you with these tips:

Be different. When you had your website designed, did you begin by checking out the competition? Does your brochure read almost exactly like every other one in your industry? Are you convinced that the same clients always want the same things, and that your best marketing option is to go toe-to-toe with your competitors?

Direct competition is a terrible thing for a business. Sometimes your public knows exactly what it wants, and other times it doesn't know until you show it to them. Don't be afraid to strike out in a new direction - if the need is genuine, you'll often find yourself with a cornered market. Be different, and force others to compete with you.

Be authentically flawed. Most of your prospects distrust people and things that seem too good to be true. So why then do most businesses go out of their way to avoid mentioning their imperfections? Embrace your flaws and turn them into strengths; use your shortcomings to highlight your qualities. Give your readers a complete and authentic picture of who you and your business are. You'll attract more customers in search of exactly what you offer and how you offer it.

Be strategically offensive. If your target market is everyone, then it's no one; as you decide on what customers to attract, also be thinking about which ones to reject. More people define themselves by what they aren't, rather than what they are. Make it clear up front which market segments you do not serve, and you'll attract more of the ones you do.

Be protective of your honor. Let your prospects know, without a question, what they can expect from you. Don't work with clients who accuse you of dishonesty, and never allow someone to cast your words or intentions into a form that doesn't represent what you truly stand for. Treat every threat to your honor as you would a threat to your family and your life.

Be your message. You don't need to promote yourself. No one believes you anyway. Instead, get your values up front - stand for something and make a difference. Promote an idea and keep communicating that message. Be your message, and people will listen to you. Stand for an ideal, and your value will sell itself.