Selling and Inviting

Selling versus Inviting: Seth Godin

As a marketer, the job is to create a product/service that the customers are willing to pay for the value perceived. That's the job of selling. Inviting, on the other hand, is to allow the customers to come and either say yes, I'll buy, or no, I'll not buy, and the inviter can casually say, Next Please.

Selling is a hard thing to do, according to Seth, because marketers will work to create a product/service with specific benefits which will be needed by the customers, and then communicate the product/service to the right customers so that they will ultimately come and purchase. Just like Apple's product, Ipad and Iphone. What we see was the customers lining up in front of the Apple Store, and the line just looks never-ending. However, what we may not see is the tasks which Apple's researching the products, finding what the customers want, and after creating the product, communicate the product through marketing communication channels, like this (Steve Job leading the marketing activities).

Marketers sell, sales assistants wait and serve customers in the stores.