You Can't Pull and Push at the Same Time

Everyone likes a good "pull" marketing strategy. The idea that your idea would spread on its own, draw people, create demand, be exclusive. That you don't have to call people, place ads, or bait them.

But "pull" strategies don't work if you add "push." Not even a little bit. The pull is allergic to the push. It's pushtose intolerant. And pull people can sniff out a push every single time.

But pull is risky. Marketers start off with pull, and then get scared that it's not enough. So they add push and they're right back where they started... with everybody else.

Comments

[Mike Watkins]

I love the Far Side pic. Is says a lot about evangelism. A change in tactics might see more doors open. Thanks

[Lori Bailey]

Love this thought! And pushtose intolerant will be cracking me up for a while ;)

[Wade]

Have to agree with Mike, one of my fav cartoons of all time...so Ben, did you see the cartoon and then have to find a topic to use for it or vice versa? I'm just glad you used it...made my day a little gigglier. =)

[Paul Stewart]

This is so true Ben. I have seen it in so many churches.

My biggest fear as we begin our church is that when times get tough and numbers are down, we will lose our most fundamental convictions. We'll stop challenging our people to share their faith with people far from God and rely on advertising to other Christians. We'll stop taking risks and start pleasing people. We'll lower the bar on leadership & discipleship. We'll stop reaching out to "the least of these" because there is just too much drama and we'll move our attention to the "normal" people (people just like us). We'll try to get people to think we are remarkable without actually doing anything remarkable.

Sorry, I know your post was just about marketing, but I seriously wake up in cold sweats over these things.

[Ben Arment]

Paul, I love your application. When I apply this to evangelism, I probably disagree with my own opinion. But you're right, I was thinking purely about marketing.

[daniel d]

I'd agree as this is something I struggle with as well. Talking strictly outside the walls of the church and more so towards product or service marketing... clients want / need results so the pull always sounds great theoretically in the beginning but the push creeps in as a safety net, just in case. Or sometimes the push is the actual marketing which ties the pull into some tactical strategy that disrupts the pull eventually. I think it's less intentional than intentional in some cases but the need to create back end results often taints the process of the true pull.

I'd love if it you could expand on some practical examples, in your opinion, of good pulls without the push.

From a church perspective I think the push is when someone tries to evangelize without a relationship first, without carrying and loving on someone before trying to convert them. The pull is the love and example.