Issue #8 - Tabibu Juha, Marketing Ain’t Sales
I’ve got an Instinct you’ll hate this one
Doctor Ethan Powell is in jail for murder.
Young, hot shot therapist Theo Caulder wants to rehabilitate him and build his own career in the process. In one of their meetings, Caulder inadvertently (bullshit, it’s all intentional) steps on Powell’s pain points, which results in a scuffle, won by the physically superior Powell.
Caulder is now in a headlock. Powell could snap his neck any second. But he likes his little Tabibu Juha (we’ll find out later in the movie that Tabibu Juha means “idiot doctor”) and he’s willing to play a game:
If Caulder can guess what Powell has taken from him, he gets to live. If not… well… Powell already has one murder pinned on him, what’s another body going to change?
Caulder’s first guess: CONTROL
Nope, he never had control. We don’t either. We’re all chemical reactions and somewhat predetermined thoughts. Sure, there’s free will, but some things just happen and there’s nothing you can do about it. Strike 1.
Caulder’s second guess: FREEDOM
Are we truly ever free? I dare you to go out today and quit your job. Pack up and leave the country. Break up with that abusive spouse. Kinda not so easy. Strike 2.
Caulder’s last guess: ILLUSION
Bravo!
Yes, all we have are illusions. The illusion of control. The illusion of freedom. The illusion that all this somehow matters.
Caulder gets to live, and he only loses his illusions and a bit of skin.
I’m going to do the same thing to you today. I’m going to hold you captive with my narrative and help you shed your illusions. Hopefully, not your skin.
The illusion is this: MARKETING = SALES
Let’s dive in.
You can watch the scene here.
The premise
We now go to Batman’s rogue gallery, specifically - The Riddler. So, riddle me this:
If the sales department does sales. And the marketing department does sales.
Who does branding, positioning, awareness and resonance?
Such a cliché
And yes, I’ll agree with you. It does sound like a major cliché to say that
MARKETING IS NOT SALES
Like, who would be stupid enough to believe the opposite in the first place?
Nobody, right?
But still, why then do you ask marketers how many sales they’ve brought in?
….
The sound of silence. Great Simon and Garfunkel tune, btw.
Let’s get something straight:
The goal of sales is to convert leads into paying customers. The goal of marketing is to reach your audience and communicate what you have to offer. Marketing gets in your potential client’s face and establishes a connection.
BUT, it’s not up to marketing to close that sale.
Do sales and marketing have common points? Of course. Does marketing help with sales? Of course.
Should marketers be judged on the amount of sales they make? No.
Maybe on the amount of leads they bring in, but in most situations even that KPI is a bit iffy. Because there’s no perfect attribution model.
OK, Vlad, but how DO YOU measure the results of marketing efforts then?
By impact and resonance.
Are people interacting with your stuff? Do they write in private and congratulate you? Do they ask you for guidance? Do they recognize you as the industry standard?
Are you getting leads? Are you starting conversations?
Well, if you are, that’s marketing at work.
You’re welcome.
Don’t believe this is a valid topic of discussion?
A marketing manager commented on my teaser post for this newsletter:
“I would've assumed my goal as marketing manager would be to generate sales.”
No, P… eter, that’s not your goal. To put it in your terms, your goal as a marketing manager is to put the company in a position to make more sales. Slightly different, but it makes a world of difference.
Still don’t believe this is a valid discussion? Check this out!
But maybe, just maybe, Marketing is a little bit about Sales?
I get it, you didn’t like what I said, and now you're trying to squirrel away and find a loophole.
Like… E-mail Marketing?
This must surely be about sales, right?
My friend Fi… tipaldi posted this a while back:
“Am I the only one who is tired of those cliche marketing quotes?
‘Marketing isn’t about selling - it’s about building relationships’
I think marketing is about selling
Especially digital marketing
Of course it’s about selling - we all want to sell stuff, this is the ultimate goal
And we sell by building relationships
But let’s not kid ourselves
It is about selling.
Am I the only one who thinks this way? :)’
No, Fitipaldi, you certainly aren’t. Yes, I understand you e-mail marketers define yourselves by the amount of sales you produce, but I believe you’re shooting yourselves in the foot in this process.
See, there’s a mentality gap between what I preach and what you preach.
If the only point of building a relationship is selling, then that process is tainted.
If the point of building a relationship is to build a relationship, then that process is pure.
You want to tell me intention does not matter?
OK, Fitipaldi, imagine two different scenarios:
You want to get laid. You woo the lucky lady/guy, and you try to get him/her into bed.
You want to be in a long term relationship. Sure, that includes sex, but it’s not the end result.
See the difference? That’s the difference between marketing and sales. Both have the end result of stuffing money in your pocket, or stuffing a hole, but the approach is different.
And the approach marks the difference.
Got any arguments to go with that theory?
You people and your lack of belief….
No problem, I have enough material to go around. Have at it:
Exhibit A
Get into heads, not wallets. Splendid.
Exhibit B
It’s like… you don’t even need sales if your marketing is on point. Bonkers, I know!
Exhibit C
The above is Louis Grenier (crazy good marketer) speaking about his recent brand redesign.
Point being, you hire someone for a vision, not for the money they can bring you.
Exhibit V
As you’ve most likely guessed, this one’s my own:
For the non RO readers, the e-mail says:
“Hello Alexandra,
Hope you’re OK and healthy!
I just wanted to say your website looks wonderful! I love your informal and sincere tone that you’ve used in presenting your services. I’m sure people will connect with it.
Hope you’ll have a lot of students!
Have a nice day!
Georgiana”
You see, I wrote Alexandra’s website :).
And by Georgiana’s own admission, an authority in the field of my client, I did a bang-ass job.
Since Georgiana is not my client’s ideal customer, this interaction will not lead to a sale.
But, from a marketing perspective, the blessing of an authority in your field is gold.
And for a copywriter, the feedback from a field authority on his work is platinum, baby!
Still don’t believe my marketing over sales rhetoric?
I’ve had potential clients who declined working with me but are loyal subscribers to this newsletter. What do you make of that?
Two types of entrepreneurs
There are two types of entrepreneurs in this world: those who need to sell and those who need to sell to stay alive. Those in the second category are prone to compromise.
That’s why I never work with them.
My philosophy is this:
My goal as a marketer/writer is not to sell. My job is to build a brand, grow it, create connection and create resonance. If that all leads to a sale, great. If not, it's really not my problem. Because it's not my job.
I always tell my clients: "I will bring you in the best position to produce a sale. If you close it or not, it's up to you."
The clients I work with do not expect me to produce sales. They expect me to create a connection and resonance. They sell themselves and/or they have their own sales department.
Then again, me and most marketers have different audiences. I prefer to work with people who don't need to make a sale to survive. These established players take a lot longer to land, but they usually pay the big bucks and are easier to work with.
Why? Because the pressure to sell is not breathing down their neck and, as a consequence, they are not breathing down my neck. And my copy/content does not get muddled with the "sell now" desperation.
Those brands which need to sell now?
They have small brand energy. If you want to make it, you need big brand energy. That comes with time and experience. And by understanding that the cleaning lady can’t write your copy, HR can’t do branding, and marketing can’t do sales.
Recently, I’ve restarted watching House M.D. The recurrent plot point is that each organ does ONE JOB. The anus does not do the job of the brain. Or everything would be out of wack. Marketing does not do the job of sales.
Yes, even in the case of e-mail marketing. It’s not like we’re more or less human on e-mail.
The second-biggest issue of Marketing and Sales
It’s probably going to surprise you, but most people don’t actually like to do marketing. Or sales.
They just go through the motions hoping to get results. But they don’t like to get down and dirty and actually communicate with people. And it shows… badly.
I say, you either love your job as is, or you find something to fall in love with. And if that’s not possible, go home. Change the job.
Even a supermarket cashier can find a way to love his/her job, so why can’t you?
Watch the movie Perfect Days. On the surface, it’s about a guy cleaning toilets. He’s not in love with cleaning toilets, but he does the best job possible out of respect. FOR HIMSELF!
Marketers/writers… where has your self-respect run off to?
Don’t believe this is a real problem? OK, this brings us to:
The horror of: being nice is just a compulsion
Now, when I saw this piece of shit, I actually got nauseous from anger. Please stop the planet, I want to get off.
Biologically, sure, we’re the same species, but I think that guy lost his humanity somewhere in the parking lot.
If you can’t see what’s wrong with such an approach in a field that’s all about human resonance… there’s really no explanation required.
You’re promoting and learning from people who are nice to you just because they want to make a sale. Brother… that person is just a piece of shit, and I’d like to get as many of them as possible out into the open.
No, you don’t have to con anybody into buying. I can show you how to market, and even sell, like a principled human being.
Not even selling is just about selling
I know, tough luck, but it’s true. Selling, if you want to do it like a human being, not like an absolute cum dumpster, it’s just about helping someone out.
Yup, selling is about identifying an issue you can solve, finding a client and presenting that issue in a way that handles the client’s objections. If you do it in a kind and compassionate way, it almost sells itself.
If you do it in a way that’s a win-win for both yourself and your client, you get to keep the money and retain a good night’s sleep.
But yeah, most sales people are happy just pocketing the money, ethics be damned…
Audience feedback
My last newsletter bashed some well known LinkedIn authority, namely Adriana Tica. She was so kind as to comment on my post and tell me I have some issues.
Oh yeah, I do. A lot. Mainly with people like her and people like me.
Think Tesla and Edison. Mozart and Salieri. Van Gogh and painters of his time.
Tica’s argument in favor of distribution is that no artist ever bought himself a meal with the money he made posthumously. My argument against Tica is that the great thinkers and artists of history died in poverty specifically because of the narrow-minded, money hungry, efficient hacks - like herself.
If you watched the scene I mentioned in the introduction, you’ll know what I mean. I have the look that doctor Theo Caulder has. That look that betrays the fact I’m angry, and I know something’s wrong with the world.
It’s people like her calling us crazy for seeing things differently and putting our stock in passion and craft, not profit. That’s what’s wrong with the world.
I’d rather die a poor principled man, rather than a wealthy sell out.
Matter of principle.
Oh, and I won’t die poor. The same post that incurred Tica’s wrath brought me a new consultancy and probably ghostwriting client. Proving that my approach is gaining ground.
Wah, wah, wah, wah….
Going forward
Yes, this issue is a little bit more balanced in terms of length. Next one will also be a little bit shorter. I guess…
If you loved this issue, you might be interested in
Previously, on B00ls: Issue #7 - The Format Does Not Influence The Principle
You make the channel your bitch… not the other way around
Next time, join MadVlad as he takes on…
Issue #9: The Friendliest of Foes
The blank page is not your enemy
You can get access to the full archive here if you missed any other issue.
In the meantime
If you liked my stuff, this is how we can work together:
I write for you. Check out the Experience section on my LinkedIn
I consult marketers and founders. Ask about my marketing, not sales approach
I consult writers. Ask about my marketing, not sales approach to writing
Are you a marketer/writer/founder who wants to learn how to market and THEN sell?
Reply to this e-mail if you’re interested in the above.
Know somebody who’d also like that? Share my newsletter and point them in my direction. I’ll give you a beer if you’re ever in Bucharest.
Offers 2 and 3 are detailed up on LinkedIn. But you can also find them here:
Cheers
If this was the first, but also last time we meet: Thank you.
I write for myself, but you reading my writing gives it additional meaning. I literally could not resonate without you.
The best testimonial for a marketer is the line of clients who still want to work with him, not the fact that he drove X sales this month.