Make sure that whoever is in charge of your marketing department is a believer in the capitalistic, free-market system.

Certain psychological theory suggests that people eventually arrange their lives and their actions to come into alignment with their most deeply held beliefs and what they tell themselves in their self-talk most of the time.

In other words, we all work toward real-world solutions--both consciously and subconsciously-- that match our belief system, most recurring thoughts and most prevalent internal self-talk.

In light of this, it is critical that the person running the marketing for your company has the right self-talk and underpinning belief system that will allow you to enjoy high sales and high profits.
This is best achieved by a firm belief in the free-market system.

Your top marketing person must believe that successful product development and value delivery to your customers is worthy of being financially rewarded. The person in charge of your marketing efforts must believe that your business should work hard to create value for your customers and in exchange for that value, you should earn a profit as high as the market will allow.

Market conditions will change, so your product offering and the value you offer your customers must change right along with them. Your chief marketer must clearly believe that you should profit in accordance with the value that you deliver to your customers. He or she must also understand that the market decides what is a fair exchange of value, you don't.

Capitalism, or more accurately "economic individualism," frees the human spirit to achieve, allows everyone to directly benefit from their individual hard work and success and enables an entire society to self-regulate itself and protect itself from an oppressive or autocratic elite class or monopolistic behavior.

Economic individualism believes in the right to private property and believes that individuals should be free to decide where to invest and what to produce or sell and what prices to charge with only minimal limitations. Of course, this also means that your customers get to choose how and where to spend their money, giving them the freedom to spend elsewhere whenever they want.

Does this sound like a crazy marketing tactic to you so far?

Please stay with me on this one for just a few more paragraphs to allow me to explain why this is so important.

There is a growing movement throughout the world and in my country (the U.S.A.) to try to demonize the capitalistic, free-market system. Detractors point to greed and exploitation of resources--both natural and human resources--as the underlying fault of capitalism.

People who rail against free market capitalism often point to the relatively rare but high profile cases of excessive corporate greed and malfeasance as evidence that the whole economic system is a dismal failure. They propagandize about inefficient utilization of resources to demonstrate that capitalism is evil. They talk of unfair profits and price gouging.

The truth is that these practices of corporate greed and malfeasance simply cannot be maintained in a system of true economic individualism or capitalism.

The capitalistic, free market system is solely responsible for some of the greatest advances that mankind has ever known and has seen my nation grow from birth to lone superpower in the world in little more than 230 years, a mere blip in terms of world history.

The capitalistic, free-market system has proven time and time again that not only does it encourage people and entire societies to reach unparalleled levels of prosperity, but that it can also topple tyranny and protect against widespread corruption. Capitalism allows people to prosper and reach a level of success limited only by their dreams and imaginations.

The free market system drives people to achieve their highest potential and encourages them to be fair and ethical. If they are not, a competitor will seize the opportunity to compete for that share of the market because there will always be a competitor with a better cost structure, cheaper selling price or better business practices that consumers view more favorably.

Put in simple marketing terms, we consumers choose to do business with those brands and companies that we like and trust. We choose to reward brands that deliver value to us and that behave in ways that we see as acceptable. We don't reward companies and brands that don't.

Unlike most other economic systems, there is no room for excessive greed, long-term price gouging and exploitation in capitalism. The system is self-correcting.

To be sure, there is a dark side to the human psyche and some managers succumb to the temptation to cheat, exploit or otherwise take unethical short-cuts in order to gain fame, money and profits.

Instances of managers behaving in such a manner underscore the weaknesses and frailties in people, not the economic system in which they operate.

The free-market system is actually the cure for unethical business behavior as capitalism will not tolerate such behavior in the long-run.

Consider the following:

• If a company is operating in an unethical manner in the marketplace, consumers will flee from that company as soon as there is a better option. Consumers also understand that sometimes not purchasing anything at all is the best option.

• The free market system encourages entrepreneurs and business managers to develop better alternatives as soon as they see an opportunity to compete for any given market.

• Capitalism encourages seeking and creating the cure for corporate greed and malfeasance.

What does all this have to do with the person responsible for your marketing function?

Everything.

If the person running your marketing does not believe that a high sense of moral responsibility and ethical behavior is absolutely critical to your long-term success then you are in trouble.

If the person responsible for your marketing programs does not believe the customers will flee from your company and your brands as soon as there is a better alternative, then you are in trouble.

If the person running your marketing does not believe that earning the highest profit the market will allow is the fuel that drives innovation, and that profit is the foundation that allows you to constantly deliver increasing value to your customers, then you are in trouble.

If the person running your marketing does not believe that the best way for you and your company to do any lasting good in this world is to first earn enough profit to stay in business, then you are in trouble.

Why any business would entrust its marketing to an individual who is not a staunch supporter of capitalism is simply beyond my comprehension for such an individual will either consciously or subconsciously act according to their deepest beliefs that achievers should be punished, that capitalism is bad and that high profits are unfair.

You and the head of your marketing department must understand capitalism and fully embrace its tenants and accept the awesome responsibilities that go with it. Once you do, your business will have a mindset that will allow it to soar to unprecedented levels of success.

Build your business brands to prosper in a free market environment and you will be focused on enduring business success that is continually enriching to both you and your customers.