Marketing Is NOT Selling!
January 21, 2008 by Heather Jumah
Most people equate marketing with the dreaded “S” word–Selling. Successful marketers know that marketing is not selling, marketing is about education.
What? Education? What does education have to do with selling you ask? Everything. Your position as a successful marketer is that you will educate as many people as possible about your service or product. When you come from a point of service, a point of educating consumers, all the dynamics change.
This is why it is so important to have systems in place to help you educate your prospects. For instance in my business Girls Who Network, we have several educational systems in place. We have the blog, which you’re reading, that provides a lot of useful information for our prospects. We have monthly newsletters that provides useful information, we have a free weekly call called Girl Power Hour that provides useful information and we offer strategy session that provide education as well.
Girls Who Network comes from a point of serving and educating the community, this way interested prospects have the opportunity to contact us and see if they want what we have to offer. By educating them we have broken down the traditional “I don’t want to be sold” barriers.
So think about your business. Rather than “selling” your prospects, how can you “educate” your prospects. Hey “teacher” try this and watch your sales soar!
This is a good one about marketing. It’s not even about the product sometimes. I’m finding that people are just interested in my business because of the way I talk about it and the new information I am giving them. The way you talk about your business has a lot to do with it. If you are excited and giving them something new (educating them) than you sow that same feeling into them and they are excited and want to learn more and become involved in what you do. Marketing is all about your attitude. If you’re out here pressuring people more than likely it won’t work…….
I would agree with Alicia….that is one of the big ideas that attracted me to GWN. It is not about sales…it is empowerment!
Helping others is just great all around…..synergistically - everyone wins!
Great way to look at it. I’ve always been focused on selling and maybe I should start looking at things a bit differently.
This is what I have been missing, I was in sales before I bought my own business, which is about marketing, not about selling. I have been trying to approach from a sales point of view and not having much success.
I am looking forward to all I can learn from all of you!
Marketing is not always selling but it has to do a lot with finding the need of a person or a group and then filling that.
Education. This article really surprised me when I came across it because as of late I have developed the same mentality about marketing. Marketing isn’t necessary selling your product, it can very much be selling your idea instead. Living in Washington D.C. has proved to be a great experience for me because of the wide array of non-profits and NGO’s that have offices here.
Recently, I have stumbled upon a very cool non-profit called SpringBoard Enterprises. Their mission is to expand woman-entrepreneurs access to the equity markets. Along with the Paley Center for media in NYC, SpringBoard is co-hosting a forum entitled AllThingsMedia this October. AllThingsMedia is the first-ever venture forum held exclusively for women-led entrepreneurial ventures in emerging media and entertainment.
Being male, I unfortunately do not quite meet the criteria, but thought it important to at least help spread the word on this ground-breaking event! Pay it forward: Here is a link, check it out!
http://www.springboardenterprises.org/vcf/atm
U are absolutely right; There has been a lot of confusion in people about marketing and selling. these are two different steps of the business process.
Yeah… Educating is the right thing. But if we’re just educating means that we can’t be persuasive. We let them make the right decision of approaching us again if they are interested. Just make sure that they know how to reach you. =)
This really is true, I would know because I am a “marketer”. Great insight, haha!
Marketing is a good why to get users to shoppers that will buy your “junk” (-:
But you are right, this is not the same thing.