A phrase slipped out of my subconscious the other day.
Smart marketing.
This year I made a commitment to root out and expose the subtle conditioning and presumptions that underpin our business systems, especially around marketing. I have been sharing my experiences of shining a light on the conditioning that runs beneath the surface, so deep we often don’t even consider questioning it.
Smart marketing is definitely part of our subtle subconscious conditioning. It's totally accepted as a concept but if we dig into it a little, it's clear that it's not a comfortable concept for conscious entrepreneurs.
It carries with it an inference of underhand behaviour. We all know there’s no such thing as a free lunch; so there must be an ulterior motive to any action. We assume that the person in charge knows what buttons to press to get a result. It says we are being played for profit.
A business needs to turn a profit. Sales need to be made. A business has a motive. But there is a difference between a motive that is based on positive contribution rather than making a quick buck.
Smart Marketing is a phrase saturated not just with the latter, but with a big slap on the back for the manipulation that is wrapped up in it.
And this is where our language belies our social conditioning. Because most entrepreneurs aren’t truly about making a quick buck above all else. Most people are more interested in fulfilment and satisfaction than money, it’s just that our society values our wealth more than our contribution. If we valued our contribution more than our wealth, the balance of “power” in the world would instantly shift. The world would become a more balanced place to live and thrive, on every level.
This is my vision.
And my mission is to support those who choose to bring a different energy and presence to entrepreneurship, where contribution and impact is the primary concern and where following your soul is as normal tomorrow as cost-benefit analysis is today.
