Perth business owners have ranked Marketing as their biggest business problem, a survey by a Perth-based business coaching company has found.

A small sample of 80 business owners, of whom mostly turn over less than half a million dollars annually on average, with 26% turning over $5 million plus, agreed that marketing was a hassle and even more of a issue than market conditions.

In the media, you hear money is tight, especially with the GFC and the mining industry over here, so we thought that would come out as one of the biggest issues,” Reuben Taylor director of Business Success Excelarators tells Marketing magazine. “But marketing, wanting to grow their business but not knowing how was their biggest challenge. Marketing is always the problem and the solution.

“It seems the businesses that haven’t changed their marketing through the GFC are in a better place because of it. They’re even saying ‘what GFC?’ Meanwhile the others who pulled back their marketing through the GFC are just starting to get back into it, but slowly. Rather than saying what can I do about it, I got a sense of blame, theyre blaming their circumstances, it’s outside of them, its got harder, they’re not getting on with the job.”