Parable of the Sower: Can it Really Teach Us a Lesson in Marketing?

The Bible parables can teach us insights which we can pertain to our Christian business. A parable which is popular among network marketers, for example, is the Parable of the Sower.

It was Jim Rohn who popularized the application of this story in that business. In Mark 4:1-20 we read how a sower scatters seed on a trail, on rock-strewn soil, among thorns, and on first-class ground. Only the seed that fell on high-quality earth grew, harvesting thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

The parable certainly pertains to the Word of God and how different individuals receive and apply it in their lives. But some people make use of the story in instructing how prospecting must be done. For them, selling or marketing is a numbers game. You have to get in touch with lots of folks so that even if only few would respond, you should be okey. Please take note that in the story, 75% of the seeds appeared to be wasted.

One article on direct marketing I read in fact put it this way - "By mindlessly mailing out a pre-determined number of postcards each day, you will not fall short to receive sign-ups! Those people who over-analyze…who contend on having whole control over all of the factors of direct marketing - will constantly fail."

But is prospecting in reality a numbers game?

To a some degree, all of us play the numbers game in marketing. However, it is not accurate to presume that if you get in touch with more individuals you will get more business. It doesn't' matter how many prospects you see. It matters how you see the right prospects.

Would you rather contact ten prospects and get one sale, or attend to one prospect and get one sale? Definitely, it never feels great to have nine prospects pronounce no.

Hence, prospecting is a productivity game, not a numbers game. And to take full advantage of your prospecting efficiency you should swap the conventional "more is better" quantity concept with a "less is better" quality concept.
Valuable, effective prospecting necessitates that you be aware of that your prospects will become clients who are either time abusers or time wasters. They can be classified in one of the following four categories:

1) Low profit/high maintenance

2) High profit/high maintenance

3) Low profit/low maintenance

4) High profit/low maintenance

Prospect types 3 and 4 are unmistakably the sort of folks you desire to do business with on a regular basis.

One of the important rules in marketing is "Seek not to convert. Seek the converted."

In his immortal Scientific Advertising book, Claude Hopkins said:

"Many things are possible in advertising which are too costly to attempt...e.g., changing people's habit is very expensive. To sell shaving soap to the peasants of Russia one would first need to change their beard-wearing habits."

So, can we truly apply the Parable of the Sower to Marketing? Yes, but for a reason different from what traditional teachers used to teach. The Bible, our Christian business guide, reveals that not all prospects are good prospects and as wise entrepreneurs, we ought aim for the right prospects.

Article Source: http://www.newsarticlessite.com

Jose Anajero invites business owners and internet entrepreneurs to visit the blog Christian Business in the Internet Age. Find Your Purpose. Fulfill God's Plan. Achieve Financial Freedom.

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