I wander around the shops, sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend. We go to our favourite retailers, we look at the latest season ranges, we point out items we like (or do not like!), what the other might like (or not) and sometimes we might go as far as the changing room or the till. Often when I get home and try (or retry) the clothes on I decide it is not for me really / it does not go with other items in my wardrobe / it is too big / too small, and I end up having to take it back.

Many years ago, I was introduced to a personal shopper at a large department store when I needed a posh frock for an event. She was brilliant, she listened to what I wanted, what I liked / did not like and then left me with a coffee and a magazine whilst she disappeared to gather some options together. When she reappeared, she had brought back a selection based on my requirements, along with some suggestions of her own. Surprising to me, the one I loved most and subsequently bought was one she had chosen for me and would not have been one I would have picked out myself if I had been let loose in the store.

It is a similar situation when I am working with clients on their marketing.

Often when we first meet, they tell me what marketing activities they have tried before or what they think they should be working with. By the time we have discussed their requirements, their target market, their objectives, I usually have some suggestions of my own to put to them that I feel would work better.