George Kao critiques marketing messages that claim 'no selling' is required, arguing such claims are misleading because the promoters are themselves using marketing tactics to sell those systems. He urges creators to watch how marketing teachers actually behave, and to reframe marketing as service—build trust by providing genuinely helpful free content, then offer logical low-risk next steps (e.g., workshops) to deepen relationships. The piece closes with a call to treat one's message as a cause.
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Have you ever been approached by somebody who says, I have an income opportunity for you, that no selling is required? Or have you ever seen someone marketing a system? I just saw a paid advertisement today that says stop marketing and start coaching. And this person's system is supposed to require no marketing and get you all the clients that you want. Well, I actually happen to know this person's system and I can guarantee you there is marketing involved. So I guess my message here is whatever system you are being sold to make money or to get enough clients, pay attention to how you are being sold that system. What is that person doing to you? Because whatever that person is doing to you is probably what they're going to teach you to do to others. Okay, for example, this ad, this paid advertisement I saw about, stop marketing. Start coaching. Like a paid advertisement is the most traditional form of marketing. And you're telling me that your system has no marketing involved. So I think a lot of marketers, they rationalize, they say, well, this thing is not really cold calling or this thing is not really selling. You're not really selling, you're just contacting your friends about a business opportunity or about referring you or whatever. But it's the main thing that we're all uncomfortable with is the feeling of self promotion. Now what does that mean? It means talking about your business or your services when you feel like the context isn't quite right, when it doesn't feel quite the right fit for that relationship or that conversation. Right? That's when we feel like something's icky about it. But when you have instead built up a relationship of trust where you have been serving and helping them. For example, I do marketing and I teach marketing and I tell you that what I'm doing is what I teach, right? I am constantly putting out videos and blog posts that I believe are genuinely helpful for my audience. And you know, people don't have to even sign up for anything to get these videos and blog posts. They can just, they could just watch them on social media, right? And once I built up a relationship with an audience, then at the right times, when I have something that I really feel excited to share with my audience, I share with them. And I share generally my low cost workshops that are a natural and low risk step for an engaged audience member to say, you know what, I've watched your videos, I like your philosophy and yes, I want to work a little bit deeper with you and this is a workshop that's low risk and I'll go ahead and do that. And so, and then Maybe after that they'll decide that they want to work more with me or not, doesn't matter. But hopefully I've helped them. But the key is this. Whatever your marketing teachers, your marketing advisors and mentors are telling you, watch how they do their marketing and you will see what's really working for them. Don't just listen to people who says no marketing is involved, no selling is involved. Well, by the very nature of them telling that to you, they are trying to sell you on something, right? And so watch what marketers do, okay? Watch what marketers do, not just what they say. And bring marketing back to being about service, really. I see my message as a cause and I hope you will see your message as a cause as well. That there's an urgency of getting your message out to the world as soon as possible while you are still in this life. And so if you do that with heart and with building a relationship with your audience, you will find there are times that feels right to you to then invite them to something, hopefully low risk, some low risk service or product that is a really feasible next step from just consuming your free content. Some kind of low risk thing that gets them into more of a relationship with you, using your services in that way. So I hope this is helpful. And until the next video, I'm George Kao. Always open to your questions and your comments and I'm encouraging you to turn it from marketing into service and your message into a cause. Be well.
