I used to wake up every morning with a pit in center of my gut. Fear. Pressure. Stress. And I knew exactly why it was there.

Now I was an entrepreneur. I had a business to build. Work to find. Clients to get if my needs were going to be met.

Gurus everywhere were telling me what I had to do.

Market. Market. MARKET.

Each new day I’d wake up and once again the pressure would be on. And the more I tried to market, the weirder things got.

People morphed into prospects, parties became networking events, and conversations were twisted into sales pitches.

It became all about me and not about them.

No wonder my stomach hurt. This kind of marketing went against everything I believed in.

That wasn’t marketing at all – it was manipulation.

Needy marketing quickly turned into greedy marketing.

Motive Matters

Don’t misunderstand. It’s true that gatherings are a great way to meet new people, and some of those people really are good prospects, and some targeted conversations may lead to clients.

It’s not so much what I was doing, but why I was doing it.

It was time to pause. Take a breath.

Reflect on what I knew to be true…

God was still on the throne. He is the source of all good things. Even clients.

My business success didn’t rise or fall based on my brilliant 30-second commercial, clever conversations or smooth close.

I was not on my own.

And you are not on your own.

Work Hard. Give Outcomes to God.

God tells us that we don’t have to worry or stress. We don’t have to pressure others into meeting our needs.

God has simply asked us to obey Him, and He has promised to meet all our needs.

Of course, we talk to others about what we do. It’s only right to tell someone with a problem how coaching can help. It’s a kindness to invite people into a coaching or business relationship when we know it will truly enrich their lives.

Outwardly, our words may sound the same. Inwardly, everything is different.

Fear-based marketing uses people to meet our needs while faith-based marketing loves people and trusts God to provide for their needs and our own.

If you sometimes lose your heart and hope in this crazy high-pressure business-building world, I’d like to share with you my FREE one-page printable sheet containing five of God’s precious promises for provision. Just fill out the form below and you’ll be taken to the download page.

May I encourage you to print it out and reread it daily until the pit in your stomach goes away and you can freely focus on the true definition of marketing – loving and serving people well.