How many times has this happened to you?  An overzealous co-worker comes to you about an idea, product or service that they believe should be marketed to the masses?  Everyone else is out there, the competition is eating our lunch, I'm tired of reading their ads and no one knows we're alive, etc.  These are the many excuses I've heard.  At times you may be coerced into cooperating, perhaps even intimidated by their persuasive and passionate presentation.

Before you make this costly mistake, keep in mind the word "capacity."  Put the ownership back on the presenter and ask a simple question.  "Bob, do we have the capacity to market at this point?  In other words do we have all the resources we need and can we handle the potential business customers will give us?"  If the answer is no, then politely decline the request until the operations are ready for marketing to assist.  This is a simple concept, but one that many miss.  The worst mistake a marketer can make is to market a bad product or service.  Ensure the operations are operable to make the product  more marketable.