Very few newbies are tolerating the hours required to download and verify an entire blockchain. There are lite clients but look:
http://www.google.com/search?q=bitcoinNobody sees them when they first google Bitcoin. They just get the bad client that is on bitcoin.org. Until users google Bitcoin and get an easy-to-use experience, Bitcoin sales will be slow and the price will not go above $15.
I am a quick learner but it still took me forever to figure Bitcoin out. Now I see why my client wants to invest in the currency but, still, the software sucks.
Yes, "marketing" will always be an issue because first off "bitcoin" doesn't get 2.7% of every txn so there is no money for it. And secondly, putting a light client on the bitcoin.org page would be kind of like the FED endorsing visa vs. mastercard -- the currency should not endorse a particular vendor solution.
Regardless, thanks for your persistence! Are you an investment advisor? How did your client learn about bitcoin?