Whether you agree with him or not, Seth Godin is always provocative, always worth a conversation. Here is one that got me thinking (a lot) recently.
Marketing is now officially about wants, not needs. That's what your entire day should be about. Your church, your company, your restaurant, your blog, it doesn't matter. Give me what I want or I'm out of here.
I may not like this, but it is hard to disagree with it. I'm not sure when it happened. I mean, I'm not sure when we crossed the line from "wants" being more important than "needs." The fact it - it happened and it is the new reality.
Just like illiteracy or a-literacy is the new reality. I may protest to high heaven that people should read more books - but the reality is that they don't and they won't.
I may protest that people should not focus on their wants but on their needs - but the reality is that wants have trumped needs.
I may write profound posts (I don't, but if I did) and believe that is well worth your time to read them, but if you are not interested, if they don't appeal to your interests, your wants, your desires - the reality is that you won't read my blogsite.
I may think you need to hear substantial theology that is carefully reasoned and explained in laborious detail on Sunday morning, but if that isn't what you want, there is another church that will give you what you do want - and you will be out of here and over there real soon.
It is just the NEW REALITY. And for all of us who are in the people influencing "business," or, (if you don't like that phrase) the people influencing vocation, we better come to terms with this NEW REALITY.
What do you think about this?
And how are you personally on the wants vs. needs thing?
Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com
