Marketing Is Sales At Scale

I got a few (appropriate) "and then what?" responses to my LESSS is More post. So, this had to be done. Whenever somebody uses the term “marketing,” I've learned to remind myself of this Christopher Lochhead quote: "Marketing is sales at scale."

It's a reminder that marketing is just the retelling of the transformation the brand offers - the story that drives actual decisions, actual business, and actual outcomes. This is the natural extension of what you do next, and only after, any proper branding exercise (which, if you missed it, see “My Personal Strategy Guide To Do LESSS In 2026”).

There are only 4 business relationships you need to worry about.

For the more creatively minded types here, and the investor types too, you've probably already noted the differences between what "sales" and "scale" mean in different contexts.

Enterprise sales (business to business, B2B, or whatever level of fancy you speak at) is one thing. Boutique sales (businesses to individuals, B2C, or even individuals to individuals - artists, I'm talking to you now) is something else entirely.

We all intuitively know this. Salesforce isn't Netflix, and Louis Vuitton isn't your neighborhood handyman, Louis V (“Ayyyyo, Lou-eeee! I told my brother I know a guy, so when he calls you up…”). Even if they all have parts of their marketing approach in common, they're clearly not the same businesses. But, at least for sake of this post, there are only 4 business relationships you should know about.

The strategies rhyme, though. They even have similar structural poles holding them up. But if you confuse them or swap one in for another, you'll be frustrated, confused, or worse - customer-less (or fired).

I don't want that for you. I really don't want that for me. That’s why I wrote this down.

And, it’s actually why understanding the difference between scaling and scales matters so much. Not everything that matters should be scaled. That’s slowly becoming the theme of my life. How did so many of us forget this?

What does it (re: business relationships) all mean?

After you've worked through the LESSS is More framework, and after you've understood the transformation you're offering at what level (enterprise or boutique), you're ready to drill into one of these four categories.

Admin note: I’m using the “B2” framework because it’s good shorthand. B = business, 2 = to (cute, I know), and C = consumer. As covered before, enterprises thrive on scaling, and boutiques thrive on spreading the word. You get into trouble when you try to scale a boutique or rely on word of mouth to grow an enterprise. I’ll keep it very simple:

Enterprise B2B: Sales at scale = repeatable playbooks that move P&L conversations

Enterprise B2C: Sales at scale = narrative + performance channels that move behavior at volume

Boutique B2B: Sales at scale = one reference call that opens three more doors (leverage, not volume)

Boutique B2C: Sales at scale = the experience itself becomes the sales mechanism (word of mouth is the channel)

Those are all "marketing is sales at scale," but the nature of the sale and the kind of scale change in each box.

Four examples you’ll recognize

Salesforce sells to companies. The transformation they offer is logical. You need an enterprise solution to track customers and potential buyers - they're a cost-effective big company solution nobody will be mad about proposing. Companies feel comfortable saying they use Salesforce, which protects all sorts of middle managers from risky decisions. The marketing message remains focused on appealing to those decision makers. Enterprise B2B.

Netflix sells to individuals. The transformation they offer is emotional. We "need" something to watch. To laugh. To cry. To keep us from sitting alone with our emotions (less generous), or to help us process and articulate what we're feeling (more generous). You return to their product for a fix, because it works. Enterprise B2C.

Louis Vuitton sells to individuals (and distribution strategy, sure, but that's a separate conversation). The transformation they offer is status-sexy. From French royalty to cultural ambassadors, they're a "look what I bought myself" or "look what someone gave me" brand. You tell the story of what you got, when, and why - and that storytelling is what boutique marketing always generates. Boutique B2C.

Louis V, the neighborhood handyman, sells to individuals. The transformation he offers is secure. You have something that needs doing. He'll handle the details and the know-how, and you feel safe in his hands. You tell the story of Louis V's work anytime somebody "needs a guy," because now you "know a guy." That's boutique, word-of-mouth-driven consumer marketing. Boutique B2C.

A quick extra note on “combos”: These exist and you’re right to already be thinking of them too. Imagine a specialist advisory firm selling services to companies. They’d have a small, focused team that works with a very specific kind of client on a very specific kind of problem. The transformation they offer is logical and emotional: "We see something in your situation nobody else sees, and we'll help you act on it." One delighted client turns into three more via a case study, a reference call, and a "you should talk to them" email. That's "reference at scale," not volume. A case like this checks multiple boxes, but would still probably be Boutique B2B (until a PE firm buys them and… another post I guess).

Where do you fit?

Figuring out where your business fits into these relationship types will tell you what your marketing plan - your version of sales at scale - actually looks like.

For the LESSS is More example: Just Press Record is a boutique, customer-to-customer solution (I sound so official now, don’t I?). I send emails to invite guests. It's extremely direct, meaning everything goes through me, and that makes it next to impossible to scale - but that detail is so (so, so) on purpose. These are one-on-one connections. My goal is to make sure the experience is so differentiated, strange, and hopefully fun - that guests will tell stories about being on the show. In many cases, they refer other interesting people too, which helps to further spreading the word (and not scaling it).

Now you go

Where does your business fit into these relationship types? Why?

And here's a bonus question: What about businesses or ideas that hit multiple categories? I'm living this across all my ventures right now. That’s why I interjected that example above.

The more you sit on this, the more you’ll start to realize that most of us are actually living in multiple examples. The question isn't "pick one." It's "am I marketing each one appropriately, or am I trying to run enterprise playbooks on a boutique offering (and vice versa)?"

I already see another post on category confusion in the making.

Tell me about what you've got, or message me with questions. This is a fun prep to my own year-end work!