First of all, I’d like to thank Rene Descartes for his inspiration behind the title of this blog post. I do believe that if Descartes was around today he’d be thrilled with the direction of sales and marketing around the world. But to the point of this post……….
In this rapidly evolving Web/Sales/ Marketing 2.0 era, the days of slick tricks and manipulative techniques are going the way of the dinosaur. Consumers, more than ever, are getting smarter. They are more informed and prepared than ever. And they’re just waiting to be fed.
And what do I mean by ‘fed’?
Well as we’ve talked about time and time again on this blog, he who produces the most remarkable and valuable content in his field is king. That’s how it works—pure and simple.
Look at Steve Jobs….Seth Godin …..Wayne Dyer.
All of these men do what they do in extraordinary ways. Steve Jobs has dedicated his life to finding enriching technology that will bless the lives of others.
Seth Godin is the king of marketing today. The guy produces bestselling books faster than I can write a blog post. Every day he sits down at his computer and gives the world valuable and relevant information. And he gives it to us for free. No cost at all. Unbelievably awesome.
Wayne Dyer has over 30 best-selling books in the field of Self-improvement, Awareness, and Intention. The man has been doing this for years and years. Giving, producing, teaching, writing, speaking, helping, and persisting.
And what do all these mean have in common? Although one could argue they share many, many traits, I’d like to mention just one:
They are passionate teachers. Their lives are built around giving other people information and tools to enhance the life experience. And not only do they love to teach, but they’ve been doing it consistently every day for years and years.
And what has been the result of their labors?
Well other then the fact that each has positively affected millions and millions of people in their field, all are incredibly rich. And I’m not saying a little rich. These guys are multi, mulit-millionaires. And for lack of a better term, these guys, among many appropriate titles, are great salesmen.
Selling and Prosperity are Beautiful
Now you might not feel that ‘salesmen’ is the proper description for these men. My answer to this is simple: Selling is a beautiful thing, especially when it’s a result of great teaching. Selling is not a bad word. Rather, it’s poetry in motion. These men attract prosperity into their lives through their labors.
And the wonderful thing is they deserve it. In fact, they deserve every stinking penny they make. Heck, each one has made me way more money than I’ll ever give to them. This is why I don’t hesitate to give them my money. They are great teachers that offer great value which to me is worth whatever the asking price.
A Gift Economy
Today we live in a gift economy. The more we give, the more we’ll get back in return. It’s beautiful synergy. Thrilling in the very least.
Zig Ziglar used to say, “If you help enough people get what they want, they will in-turn help you get everything you want”.
Wow this statement is awesome. I’ve seen it work in the incredible lives of the men mentioned above but I’ve also seen the principle hold true for entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and small businesses across the world. No matter what the profession, this principle of teaching to sell will always hold true.
Why?
My friends will at times ask me why I blog so much. As I really don’t do much ‘hard selling’ here at The Sales Lion or my other blogs, some are confused as to what my ultimate goals are.
Fact is, I absolutely know, without any doubt, this blog is leading me down a new path of greatness. Just as my other blog catapulted my company to the top of its field, this blog is and will be the portal by which I can bless the lives of others. It is the means by which I can help small businesses to overcome the traps that so many succumb to. It is the way by which I can help professional sales people and marketers elevate their skills and reach results they never dreamed possible. And finally, this blog is my greatest learning tool. It pushes me. If forces me to think. It makes me better.
Abundance
But as I continue to walk this road of giving and teaching, the inevitable results will be abundance for myself and others. This is what life is all about. It’s a universal law and is why I’m terribly grateful for the fact that I’m alive during the information age. Never before can so many people give value to others simply by the stroke of a key. It’s unbelievable when you actually consider the beauty of it all.
So my challenge to you is to give. Give your knowledge freely. Know you’ll get it back 100-fold. Think abundantly. Be the best teacher you can be. Teach, teach, teach. And as you become a great teacher in your field, know that you’ll taste success. Know that you will sell freely and easier than ever before because you’ve established incredible relationships with incredible people. This is the world we now live in. Smile and embrace it.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
You mention the gift economy… which has never really gone away. Right now, it is making a gradual back in a big way. Something that people need to realize, though, is that the gift economy goes beyond just being an enticement for people to buy. It is more than a presale strategy. In a full blown gift economy there would be no need for buying and selling because giving and receiving would be at such high levels. The web makes a world gift economy more possible than ever before, and today there are visions of a world gift economy as never before.
There are gift economies at various levels. A 1% gift economy is where 1% of available products and services are free. In a 100% gift economy everything is free. It would be an incredible state of abundance! A 10% gift economy is within reach for many, and matches the tradition of tithing 10%, except that the giving is to the community rather than to a religious establishment. Those who cannot give 10% can start at 1% or even less. But the challenge of the game is to see how much one can give.
Another thing to keep in mind is that there is always work to do, whether in a gift economy or not!
Hi ‘Meta’, and thanks for stopping by. You bring up some really good points. It’s obvious you have quite a deeper understanding of ‘gift’ economy than do most people, as noted from your comment and your website. Keep up the great work you’re doing