The 5th "P" Of Marketing

'Come, follow me’, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men.

     - Matthew 4:19 (NLT)

   You Are God’s Marketing Vehicle

Fundamentally, marketing is a means for influencing others to buy into lifestyle enhancement regardless of whether the benefits take the form of a product or service.  Similarly, as Christians we are also charged with reaching and encouraging others and influencing them to embrace a lifestyle enhancement—a spiritual lifestyle enhancement. We are living epistles and advertisements for God in the marketplace. Jesus didn’t demand that people come to Him in order to hear the gospel. He went to them. He went into the marketplace and through towns teaching the gospel.

Marketing is Fishing

Jesus gives us a great commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NKJV; 1 Timothy 2:3-4).  Jesus tells us, “Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men,” and, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men” (Mark 1:17, NKJV; Luke 5:10, NKJV).

As God’s ambassadors, we are charged with seeking, or fishing for, and catching individuals to bring into the kingdom of God for salvation (1 Corinthians 9:22). In this way, marketing is analogous to fishing.

Marketing is fishing from a kingdom perspective. For instance, both fishing and marketing involve skillfully and strategically:

• Targeting a certain area or audience.

• Casting a line with a hook or slogan.

• Offering an enticing bait or benefit.

• Reeling in or recruiting.

Most of us are familiar with the infamous 4Ps of marketing:  Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. But I’d like to introduce you to a new one: the 5th “P” of marketing:  your kingdom Platform.

The 5th “P” of Marketing:  Your Platform

Your kingdom platform is defined as what you and your business stand for from a kingdom, or a godly, perspective, and it should always reinforce God’s principles such as the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (1 John 4:8; Galatians 5:22-23). Your kingdom platform should serve as the overarching theme from which your marketing strategies and tactics are spawn.  Ultimately, your entire business culture and philosophy should be grounded in your kingdom platform.

Example:  You might be an interior designer. Because for you, interior decorating is a Higher calling than just making a room look pleasant and inviting, your kingdom platform may be centered on creating joy and peace for people within their living spaces. In this way, your platform reinforces godly principles and, consequently, serves as a strong spiritual foundation for your marketing initiatives.

You don’t necessarily have to advertise your kingdom platform unless you feel led to do so. You just need to identify it, commit it to God, and ensure that the remaining 4Ps of your marketing plan align with it. Having a kingdom platform is just another way to bring your business plans and marketing programs to a Higher level of success and significance.

Success = Quantity + Quality

Do you ever wonder how people define success? In my experience, and probably yours, it’s usually by “quantity” numbers – profit, sales, assets, real estate, etc. Whereas all these are valuable indicators we seem to equate success with growth in size and profit. But do we loose perspective when we only look at these numbers? What about the “quality” numbers that deal with relationships, loyalty and significance. I don’t want you to think that I’m not interested in financial success. Profitable growth allows for us to fulfill our business and personal goals. However, I learned early in my career that we need to add numbers relating to customer and employee sense of connectedness into the success equation. But those aren’t as easy to define or quantify. That may be one reason many stick with the meaning of success as financial profit.

Years ago I had that privilege of working with Nobel Prize Laureate Milton Friedman, Economist at the University of Chicago. He is famous for his quote, “There is one and only one social responsibility of business – to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase profits.” I remember thinking it sounded rather harsh but I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Friedman and I found, thankfully, his definition of resources included the more variable assets of empowered employees and loyal customers.

One of my favorite business leaders is Bill Pollard, former chairman of ServiceMaster. In his book, Serving Two Masters? Reflections on God and Profit*, he says, “Profit is a tool for accomplishing our end goals of honoring God and developing people. As we manage with economy and care for those producing the profit, we recognize profit as a virtue of accountability, not a vice of self-aggrandizement.” There it is – profit and numbers can become a way to prove our human success rather than a way in which to serve our clients, associates and God’s plan for our businesses.

But the quantity factor is not only misused in business. Pastors regularly get the question, “How big is your church? How many members do you have? How many staff do you have?” So success in ministry is evaluated by “how many” rather than “how well”. Some see church growth by the numbers in the pews rather than the spiritual maturity and growth of those people.

So how do we include the less-tangible numbers of how well we serve our associates and customers into the success equation? It isn’t easy but here are some suggestions.

I would start with a baseline survey for customers and work associates that would ask emotive questions describing their reasons for working with you or purchasing your services/products. If the answers are given in a linear number scale you will be able to use this as the foundation. Follow-up surveys on a bi-yearly basis or other significant timeframes will give you the ability to put both quantitative and qualitative information into your success formula. There are other successful methods used to do this and I hope you will research the options that fit your circumstances the best.

The bottom line – don’t just think quantity – think quality. Both are necessary numbers to make a balanced equation of success.

*Serving Two Masters?, by William C. Pollard, Ó 2006 by the ServiceMaster Foundation. Published by HarperCollins Publishers.

Coaching: Turning Talent Into Strength

How do you coach your associate to own their StrengthsFinder talent themesand turn them into Strengths?

Remember a talent theme is defined as a naturally recurring pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that can be productively applied. WOO (Winning Others Over) has the potential to being drawn toward strangers and making a connection.

Strength is defined by Gallup as the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity. An example of turning WOO into a strength is the ability to build a network of supporters who know you and are ready to help you.

Here is my process and questions to coach others to turn talent into strength. (By the way email brent@brentobannon.com if you want the worksheet)

1. What is the name and # of my talent theme? Ex: Individualization is #2

2. What is the Gallup definition of my talent theme? Individualization is intrigue with unique qualities of people. They have a gift for figuring out how different people can work together productively.

3. What are the 3 best words or phrases from your Gallup Insight Report that best describe this strength in me? * You can easily identify what people are thinking and feeling. * You intuitively understand people’s hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows. * You can predict how someone will react in different situations.

4. What are the best stories from your life that demonstrate this strength? It is not uncommon for people to open up to me about their hopes and dreams one on one. Away from the hustle and bustle of life they can get perspective to help them with goals, relationships, and life.

5. How does this strengths work for me? How does this strength work for others? Individualization easily builds trust and rapport with people. It helps me be authentic and perceptive of people. It helps me customize my message. It helps others to feel safe to be confidently vulnerable to gain clarity and perspective for life. This strength is able to ask powerful coaching questions that draw out deep purposes from people’s hearts.

6. How does this strength work against me and others? Individualization can slow me down rather than speed me up. I have to be careful not to make assumptions of people and check it out with them directly.

7. What are 3 action items to maximize, mobilize and monetize this strength? * Study personality theory, human development & coaching. * Spend quality time asking questions to customize presentations and coaching. * Charge higher prices for one on one VIP Coaching Intensive’s.

8. What person or best practice has helped me better develop this strength? Getting me MBS degree, Gallup Certification, and PCCI coaching classes.

9. What professional and personal goals can this strength help me achieve? * Become a world class strengths based coach. * Develop more intimate relationships with wife and two kids.

10. What is a fun name, memorable motto, or phrase to best remember this strength in me? Strength Spotter

11. Write your strength affirmation (Personal, Positive, Present tense, Precise, Purposeful, & Passion) and repeat daily. Brent is easily engaging, coaching and drawing out the best from people successfully with his Individualization strength.

12. How many MPH am I driving this strength professionally and personally? (0-40, 40-80, 80-120 on the Strengthometer) I’m driving 75 MPH professionally and 50 MPH personally.

Bring GALLUP Certified Strengths Coach and Convene Resource Specialist Brent O’Bannon to your Forum Day or organization and learn the art and science of Strengths Based Coaching. Learn more at http://brentobannon.com/strengthsfinder-keynote-and-workshops/

Pursuing The Right Numbers: The Only Place Where Profitability Should Come Before Prosperity Is In The Dictionary

But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today. - Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)

As business leaders, we are inundated with numbers. Sales, profit, revenue, dividend payouts, market share, ROI, PE ratios, compensation levels, tax brackets, income statements, cash-flow projections, balance sheets, and budgets are often a part of our daily narrative.  Numbers.

From a global perspective, many of us are focused on stock market indices such as the S&P Index, NASDAQ, NYSE Index, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index, Korea’s KOSPI Index, Britain’s FTSE-100, France’s CAC-40, and Germany’s DAX 30.  More numbers.

The core of most of these numbers, or metrics, is centered on one concept:  Profitability.  

Business growth and profitability are certainly important for us as His ambassadors in the  workplace and in the marketplace.  But, how do we keep all of these numbers in the right perspective?  A Godly, Kingdom perspective?   

One way to keep our focus on God when it comes to the numbers, is to reflect on what His Word says.   We know that it is God who gives us the ability to gain wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18) and that He desires for us to prosper (3 John 1:2).  Let’s take a moment to compare and contrast the concepts of profitability and prosperity.

Profitability vs. Prosperity

We know that profitability is generally defined as the state or condition of being profitable or yielding a financial profit.  An enterprise is typically deemed profitable or unprofitable based purely on its financial status and results. In this way, profitability is defined based primarily on the parameters of financial results.

Prosperity, on the contrary, is generally defined as a prosperous or successful condition or a state of good fortune. The concept of prosperity is broad in scope and includes a number of elements and criteria that may deem an enterprise or individual as being prosperous. Unlike profitability, prosperity is not based primarily on financial parameters.

One way to think of prosperity and profitability, in relation to one another, is that prosperity is an overarching umbrella concept, which includes many different forms of success with profitability being just one of them. Unlike profitability, prosperity denotes a broader range of richness and wealth. Prosperity is not just about money. Prosperity is a state of spiritual and material abundance that extends beyond the temporal boundaries of the world. Prosperity transcends beyond the worldly parameters of economics, materialism, and consumerism. Prosperity extends beyond revenue targets, compensation packages, and tax brackets.

The business world values profitability, but God values prosperity. “Trusting in the Lord leads to prosperity” (Proverbs 28:25, NLT). As Christian business leaders, we must detach ourselves from the world’s value system and not relegate ourselves to just focusing on profitability.  We must raise our value systems to a Higher level by pursuing total prosperity instead of just profitability. Don’t pursue money. Don’t worship the numbers. Pursue and worship God.  Follow His financial plans for your business, and you will prosper (2 Chronicles 26:5). Prosperity should be our primary concern, and profitability should be secondary because profitability is simply one aspect of prosperity. The only place where profitability should come before prosperity is in the dictionary.

Heat up or chill out

A recent conversation with a colleague ended with the comparison of these two commonly used phrases, and an “Aha!” type of insight.

HEAT UP – What we want to happen when we are enacting strategy.

CHILL OUT – What we want to happen when we are figuring out mission, vision, values and goals that lead to those strategies.

It is not a good idea to get them confused!

Heating up adds fuel, combusts, gives warmth, attracts a crowd.

Chilling out — condenses, reduces, solidifies, and slows.

Another way to understand this is to consider fog. Fog isn’t warm enough to evaporate and it isn’t cold enough to solidify. It is in between. When we face a tough and confusing issue in business, we may feel foggy. What to do?

We do well to chill out first, and then begin to heat up.

If we start acting before we’ve reduced a critical issue to its essence, people end app working frantically, and not from a common understanding. In such a case, heat leads to destructive forms of conflict, regrettable actions and/or reduced profit margins.

Chilling out is a way to get to the:

• WHY are we working at this?

• WHO will work at this, WHO supervises them, WHO needs to be consulted, WHO holds decision power over this, and WHO is funding this?

• What is the criteria for our success?

• WHEN must the work be completed?

• WHERE will the work be done?

• HOW will we proceed from here and in what order of steps?

Chilling out in this way helps all the key players collect the fuel needed to heat up and to do it together, from a common point of reference. Heating up happens far more efficiently that way.

Yes, it probably feels silly to ask, “Should we chill out or heat up?” when faced with a big one. But before completely rejecting this idea, you might ask yourself what question you are asking (or not asking) in its place.