"Bah to brochures" and other superficialities

This is our corporate brochure. Does it get us any business? I doubt it, but our time spent on the brochure could be measured in minutes (or at most an hour or two).

Ford Harding makes a telling point in this posting, "Bah to Brochures". I especially like the way, after he tries to explain to someone at a SMPS gathering in Washington, D.C., that brochures really don't matter that much, and in any case, you can prepare simple collateral marketing material (if it is really important) within a few minutes, Harding observes:

At this point, the man who had asked the question cautiously stood up and said, “Yes, but what I really want to know is, do you have an opinion about brochures?"

Some people really don't get it.

You aren't going to sell any architectural, engineering, or construction services with a great brochure. The hours of time you spend agonizing over text, layout, printing, and (if you get this far) distribution could be better spent actually seeing current and potential clients, and finding work.

John Poole has the right idea. His blog, Constructionomics, is a good read, but he knows if he is going to find work in the industry he is actually going to have to knock on doors -- at site trailers, if necessary.