In Harry Beckwith’s Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing, I was reminded that I am selling (evangelizing) something invisible: God. You can’t see, smell, touch, taste, or hear Him, but He is there. He’s everywhere…but He IS invisible. And using the secular terminology, if you are in ministry, you are a service provider, and you are ALWAYS selling Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28:18-20, the Great Commission, tells us to “Win, Baptize, and Disciple, everyone in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” THAT’S selling/marketing. And Beckwith is a master of selling and his simple concepts are PERFECT for helping the church to be more productive in our main goal, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Beckwith’s writing style is very easy and enjoyable. It’s an easy read and absorb. Thought he is instructing from a purely secular mindset, his principles translate very well to contemporary church strategy. Marketing is what we do…although it’s not what we call it…we call it evangelism. But think about this: remember the last movie/book/tv show that you enjoyed SO MUCH that you told all your friends about it? You evangelized that show/book/movie.
I pray that more church leaders will utilize resources like Selling the Invisible, I believe that their congregations would increase, their baptism numbers would go up, and more people would make weekly decisions that change their lives.
On a side note, this is an older book, written BEFORE 9/11, and I found it fascinating to hear what the predominate marketing thoughts were BEFORE our entire economy shifted. What was written in stone even back then, is no longer a sure thing.
Invest in a copy of Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing, and let it change you for the better.
QUOTABLES
- “Marketing [evangelism] is not a department, it is your business.”
- “Do you thank people enough…are you sure?
- “No matter how skilled you are, you must focus your skills.”
- “Don’t start by positioning your [church], start with the position you have.”
- “Too often the path to perfection leads to procrastination.”
- “With whom are you really competing?”
- “Find out what your [customers] are REALLY buying.”
- “Who is setting your standards: your industry, your ego, or your clients?”
