At some point in your career, it's likely that you've been involved in a project that seemed to meander endlessly without any real direction. It could be a marketing project or just about anything else. In marketing, there's a name for a project like this: the platypus.

How is your firm different? Since the "what" of your firm has already been defined, it may be a good idea to take a close look at the "how" of your firm as a way to set yourself apart from the competition.

I talk a lot about writing things - e-mails, firm brochures, websites, and the like. I talk about how they don't have to cost a lot and they often aren't difficult. But the fact is, sometimes writing is difficult.

It's not that any of us purposely want to mislead our customers, but most of us are optimists. We want to communicate what we hope to deliver, and we often fear that under-promising could disappoint a customer.

Often, your staff will take your marketing message to customers and prospects, and they're almost certainly the ones who will deliver on the promises your marketing campaign makes. Take some concrete steps to make sure they get it.