Every single one of the 10 best ways to earn money while simultaneously changing the world and making it a better place require that you practice sales and marketing to at least some small degree. However, most social entrepreneurs and changemakers consider the terms “sales” and “marketing” to be dirty words.
I am sure that all of us here have had experience with marketing that is disgusting, unethical, and the epitome of misleading. In today’s day and age, few people haven’t. It’s unavoidable, and it is everywhere. No matter what you do, you are going to wind up coming into contact with it.
It truly is no surprise why sales and marketing can be very difficult concepts for those of us who so highly value authenticity, making a positive difference, having integrity, and cultivating relationships that allow for everyone involved to win. At times, it may even seem impossible for all of these concepts to successfully coexist.
I’m sure there is a fairly large part of you that wishes that you could just skip sales and marketing altogether. In an ideal world, the quality of our work and the legitimacy of our credentials would be enough to draw customers into our companies. We wouldn’t have to worry about luring people in, and we would automatically have a large supply of clients.
I used to be this way as well. I detested marketing, even though I knew it was essential and something that I had to do. I would procrastinate constantly with it, and I would put off doing it whenever I could. It took incredible amounts of self-discipline on my part to even make myself do it in the first place. My coach was responsible for holding me accountable for it, and I had to constantly put it in my calendar to make sure it got done. I did as little of it as I possibly could, and I made sure to only do the bare minimum that was necessary for my survival.
Marketing is essential for you as well.
Even if you are an employee, it is still a vital part of your career. In order to successfully manifest your full potential as an employee for a company, you must be able to properly market yourself to all of your potential employers. Marketing will allow you to successfully enroll each of these future employers in all steps of the advancement of your career.
If you are involved in any form of business whatsoever, you must use marketing in order to attract new clients and customers. Unfortunately, they will have no idea who you are unless you market yourself. Or, if they knew who you are, they won’t have a reason to buy from you, simply because of your questionable number of sales.
I promise you that marketing is a pivotal aspect of your career and the impact that it has on the world. But, in addition to helping your professional life, marketing is also vital for your overall mission. It isn’t just about attracting future clients for your business- it is about reaching as many individuals as possible and making sure that they are aware of your impact. It is about recruiting people for your mission, and getting them to support your movement. It is about helping others to change the world, and making sure that you receive the help that you need.
Even organizations that are non-profits must proactively market themselves. In many cases, marketing is essential because it is what attracts individuals who are potential recipients for whatever service the nonprofit provides. In most other cases, marketing is essential because it is oftentimes the equivalent of fundraising in the nonprofit world. Nonprofits must raise large amounts of money, and this is done through a process that is very similar to sales. Additionally, non-profits that are smart also make sure that they have proper amounts of earned income so they are not merely depending on charitable donations and nothing else.
These earned income streams are absolutely key, as they are responsible for making nonprofits both sustainable and scalable. This is also true for organizations that are “for profits”. You must always have ample amount of revenue to grow.
If your main passion is to change the world and make it a better place, you’re probably not a huge fan of convincing people to purchase things. No one can blame you for that, and I most definitely used to be the same way.
However, if you truly want to inspire people to join your movement, and you want your mission to successfully grow and prosper, you must give yourself wholeheartedly to this endeavor. Sometimes there are going to be duties that you must do, even if you do not particularly want to. This is an unfortunate fact of life.
At the same token, it is incredibly important for you to be talented at what you do for a living. You must have something that people consider to be genuinely valuable to offer to the table. But, if you do not know how to properly market these skills, they do not matter in the grand scheme of things. You could have the most amazing product ever, or the best service that anyone has ever purchased, but if you don’t have people paying you money for either of these things, you will not prosper. Marketing is not just key for staying afloat; it is also the key for being truly successful.
I see the same exact situation time and time again. There is an individual who is absolutely amazing, talented, and an all around great person, especially with people and within their career. Yet, they are floundering financially, and they are constantly wondering why they are unable to recruit new clients.
Did I just describe you at all?
If I did, there may be many things that you could potentially blame your situation on. The economy still isn’t doing well; your employees haven’t been doing a good enough job, or another similar excuse. You may even doubt your personal skills, or question the value that you present to others. In many ways, your self-esteem may even wind up being impaired.
Fortunately, it does not have to be this way at all!
If you consistently dedicate yourself towards becoming a better marketer, and you actively practice both marketing and sales, you can transform your dreams into an actual reality. The art and science of both enrollment and attraction is truly very powerful. Even if you’re bad at marketing and sales, or you think that you are not a people person, you can still do this! It doesn’t matter if you are an introvert or not particularly outgoing.
I guarantee that mastering these skills will be a much easier process than you think. It will cost a substantially less amount of money than many of the other things that you have had to do for your career, and it will take less time and effort. That being said, it is still an endeavor that you must dedicate yourself to and constantly work at. No matter what industry you’re in, it is going to take effort and time. It could wind up being a long and arduous journey, but I promise you that it will be worth it in the end.
or go back to last chapter:
