I often meet thought leaders who, to put it mildly, don’t love sales and marketing. People tell me they love to do the thinking, and would happily deliver programs day in and day out, if only they didn’t have to sell.

The bad news is that to run a thought leaders practice, you need to sell. I have yet to see one successful example of a thought leader outsourcing their sales. Not one.

The good news is that the best sales is really service. Show up to a sales opportunity with a service mindset, and make a difference. (Just don’t forget to ask for the business at the end.)

And similarly, the best marketing is a great product. Make your programs the best in the world, and the marketing will take care of itself.

Strangely enough, if you focus on creating the world’s best programs, and serving the people who enquire about them, you might find you love sales and marketing after all.

photo credit: dreamtime.com