It Comes Down To This… Lies, Damn Lies, and Marketing Myths

What if the marketing promises you’re banking on are leading you straight to a dead end?

In this episode of It Comes Down To This…, I sit down with Atul Minocha, a marketing veteran and author of Lies, Damn Lies, and Marketing, to unpack the myths and missteps that trip up CEOs and business leaders. We dive into why so many marketing efforts fail, the hidden pressures that push agencies to overpromise, and how to align your marketing with real business goals. Atul shares his journey from engineer to fractional CMO, exposing the pitfalls of “random acts of marketing” and fake ROI, while offering practical ways to make pricing and strategy work for you.

If you’re tired of throwing money at marketing that doesn’t deliver, this conversation will help you cut through the noise and get results.

Guest Introduction:
Atul Minocha is a fractional CMO, partner at Chief Outsiders, and the author of Lies, Damn Lies, and Marketing. With over 25 years of experience at Fortune 50 companies like Toyota, Kodak, and Honeywell, Atul transitioned to helping small and mid-sized businesses avoid the traps of ineffective marketing. His no-nonsense approach stems from a career that began in engineering, giving him a unique lens on how data, strategy, and creativity should work together. Today, he coaches CEOs to focus on “big marketing” and dodge the hype that wastes time and money.

Key Takeaways:
– Most CEOs have had bad experiences with marketing, feeling it’s a money pit with no clear results.

– “Big marketing” (strategy, customer insights, positioning) must come before “small marketing” (ads, SEO, trade shows) to avoid wasted budgets.

– Pricing isn’t just numbers—it’s a powerful tool for branding and positioning that marketing should own.

– Avoid “random acts of marketing”—uncoordinated efforts driven by urgency that lead to no measurable impact.

– Fake ROI and misused data can mislead CEOs; balance gut instinct with rigorous analysis for better decisions.

Chapter Markers:
00:00 What If There’s More? – Rethinking Success and Significance  
01:33 Meet Jordan Wilson: Strategist, Storyteller, and Recovering Overachiever  
04:12 From Burnout to Breakthrough – Leaving Corporate to Find Purpose  
08:25 The Lies We Believe About Productivity and Self-Worth  
13:04 Why Slowing Down Can Be the Smartest Move  
18:02 Creating Margin for What Actually Matters  
23:18 Redefining Identity Outside of Achievement  
28:41 Building a Business That Aligns with Your Values  
34:09 The Discipline of Rest and Creative Recovery  
39:35 How to Lead Without Losing Yourself  
44:12 Final Reflections – You’re Already Enough

Keywords:
Atul Minocha, Monte Clark, It Comes Down To This podcast, marketing myths, fractional CMO, big marketing, small marketing, pricing strategy, fake ROI, business strategy alignment, marketing for CEOs, random acts of marketing, data-driven marketing, business growth, marketing ethics