Lipgloss and Jesus
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 02/26/2009 at 5:07 PM
Dear (former) friends. I am writing to inform you that I have joined a network marketing company. I realize that this decision may cause you to terminate our friendship. I apologize for the inconvenience.
That was the e-mail I felt like writing when I decided to begin selling beauty products. My trepidation about confessing my new venture was not unwarranted. After all, one of my friends said, "It just seems like a small thing; and when I think of you, I don't think of small things."
Though I started the business as a sister-bonding endeavor, I felt awkward. As much as I loved the products I was representing, I had my own negative stereotypes of network marketing and was sure my friends did, too. And yet, I felt a peace and even a nudge to go ahead and try it.
Two-and-a-half months have passed since I started, and telling people has become easier. Mostly because everyone I've sold to has raved about the products and experienced great results. But also because through the business, God has revealed something to me about the way His Kingdom works. I wrote about it in "Lipgloss and Jesus:"
As I began to understand the tenets of the company I was serving, a surprising thing happened. I made this realization: Evangelism is essentially network marketing.
Consider the similarities:
- You have a "product" you believe in.
- You are seeking to share the results of your "product" in a way that entices others to try it.
- You are seeking to duplicate yourself in other "believers" in order to get the word out more effectively.
As I considered the factors that made this particular company successful (with 100 percent growth per year for the past five years), I realized that they relied heavily on the principles of evangelism outlined in Scripture. In fact, I could not ignore the parallels.
I have been shocked by the depth of what the Lord has taught me through something as seemingly superficial as selling beauty products. Another friend of mine, upon hearing about my discoveries confirmed how it directly related to her plight of fundraising for the mission field.
Becoming a beauty product peddler actually revived my passion for evangelism. And so I think my friend was mistaken. What I am doing is not a "small thing." What about you? What ordinary ventures has God used to teach you His truth?
1. k. said the following at 6:15 PM on Feb 26:
Er, with the teensy little difference that the goal of network marketing is to make money.
2. Leah said the following at 6:28 PM on Feb 26:
My mum is an Avon rep, and I've recently considered it too. Only problem is I'd probably be competing with her lol!
It all depends on your attitude. My mum doesn't pressure anybody and doesn't repeatedly approach people who have said they're not interested. She has her regular customers now, who get a catalogue every campaign. Mum won't always get an order from all of them, but sometimes they share their catalogues with their friends. Mum also leaves a catalogue in the staffroom at school. There are lots of non-aggressive ways to market this type of product :)
I also love the 'analogy' with evangelising too... definitely something to think about!
3. BDB said the following at 6:38 PM on Feb 26:
I know an accomplished Mary Kay woman who everyone assumed was too dainty to ever leave the U.S. for someplace hard. As she told her husband on the trip to our Mexico mission, "They don't know me." They leave Monday for a short-term mission to Nigeria.
4. Chris Roberts said the following at 7:04 PM on Feb 26:
I have always tried to resist the notion of treating evangelism like marketing. In marketing you are trying to convince people your product is better than anyone else's product. Realistically, you know some other products will work just fine for most people, even if yours happens to be better. You also have to constantly up the ante of marketing because your competition is upping the ante on their end. On and on it goes.
Evangelism is not marketing. We are not peddling a product. We are not trying to make people realize a need we can fill better than the other guy. We are speaking the word of God to people, praying that this person would be someone the Holy Spirit has awakened to their need for a savior, praying that the Holy Spirit would give us wisdom to say effective words, praying that the Holy Spirit would bear fruit in this encounter. If the person remains unconvinced and unconverted, the marketing approach has not failed. It does not become time for more aggressive marketing. It doesn't mean re-imaging the product. It means time to move on to new soil.
I realize you do not mean to say everything in evangelism is like everything in marketing. Nonetheless, the unhelpful connections people make between evangelism and marketing are significant enough that I would much prefer to just not go there.
5. Ruth from Canada said the following at 7:26 PM on Feb 26:
This was good. Thanks for posting...it helps me think of evangelism in a different light.
6. Catherine said the following at 10:20 PM on Feb 26:
#4 "We are not trying to make people realize a need we can fill better than the other guy."
I think there may be more similarity between evangelism and marketing than you think. Really, "trying to make people realize a need [God] can fill better than the other guy (Satan, the world)" is EXACTLY what we're trying to do! There are differences in our approach, yes, but she never claimed that they were exactly the same. The similarities she listed show some of the things that ARE the same. We are called to be creative, savvy, knowledgeable, attentive representatives of Christ - like good salespeople, only what we're "selling" people on is the free gift of salvation that comes through Jesus Christ!
7. L said the following at 8:15 AM on Feb 27:
I have to say I am curious about the brand. Of all the network marketing "parties" I have attended, I have not "raved" about a single one. :)
8. Suzanne Hadley said the following at 8:50 AM on Feb 27:
L (#7),
Arbonne. Seriously, their products are great. It's always a good thing when you have before and after pictures of your own family members! :)
9. Beckie said the following at 10:07 AM on Feb 27:
Not entirely related...but it's also cool to realize that your cosmetic buying choices can honor Christ as well. Whether it's supporting your friends in their ventures, or a company that donates profits to human rights groups around the world (www.iamapeacekeeper.com) our purchasing decisions are an opportunity to show what's important to us...even when buying lipgloss.
10. Rachael said the following at 10:17 AM on Feb 27:
If I weren't a Christian and I felt someone 'had an agenda' with me and no love, I would feel uncomfortable. But if that person loved me even if I decided not to become a Christian and kind of proved herself to me, I'd have more respect and might be more interested in talking about the faith.
That's my guess. I'm not really into agendas, though I think a long time ago I used to meet with someone for a one-on-one Bible study with someone I didn't incredibly connect with, and there have been many times when I 'did ministry' when it was more of a commitment or agenda than heartfelt something...
I like 'ministry' best when my heart is in it. It's not all about feelings, though, I know. And there may only be a few heartfelt blessings when committing to something, and many ministries need the commitment even if there aren't a lot of gushies...
11. Rachael said the following at 11:27 AM on Feb 27:
I should add that even if people's hearts aren't in it that doesn't mean evangelism shouldn't be done.
And I should add that I was talking with my mom about the 'If I wasn'ta Christian..." and her response was that she would want someone to share (and I think that in the past she has said that when she wasn't a Christian, she wanted to hear)
So evangelism shouldn't rest on our feelings.
I just know that I can feel uncomfortable if I think someone has an agenda.
12. Dani said the following at 11:55 AM on Feb 27:
Although some of the parallels mentioned here are legit, this strategy is showing its flaws in the U.S. right now.
In the last decade (or so), many churches have labeled themselves "seeker-friendly." They use basic marketing principles to promote Christ and bring people into the church.
But, a study last year (blogged about by Motte in September) showed that seekers who went to those churches never got past the seeker stage. And many of them simply left after a time.
When we think of evangelism as marketing, it's easy to take that too far. [ex: We need to retain our customers (i.e. keep Christ interesting and new).] In fact, the Holy Spirit does everything; our only ability (and responsibility) is to tell others the gospel.
We can get people into our church doors, but no fancy marketing will get people into the family of Christ. Only God can do that. : )
13. Katrece said the following at 1:16 PM on Feb 27:
I really appreciate stay-at-home moms. I have many friends who participate in selling products from Avon, Mary Kay, etc. It gives them an opportunity to bring in extra income.
But I find it can make turning down their products a little sticky. I very rarely participate in gatherings where someone presents a product they are selling. I'm most likely not going to buy the product. But when really good friends have a gathering I feel pressure to go. Of course when you go, you have to buy something :q Yet I'm trying to save money. Also, I don't want to spend money on something I don't want/need. I do want my friends to be successful, but this form of marketing doesn't appeal to me.
Maybe it's because of where I am in my life. I'm single and have no children. Once I'm married, have children, and stay at home, my perspective may change.
My brother and sister-in-law are having a house built. My sister is a stay-at-home mom. Their girls are one, and three years old. My brother's an accountant so they have the money for the house but have cut back in other areas. So they can have some, "extras" in their home's design, my sister-in-law has gotten a job. She stays at home with their two girls during the day, while my brother is at work. Two nights a week, and on Saturdays, she works at a fast-food restaurant. During those hours, my brother is home with the girls. This schedule will last about six months.
I appreciate their plan because my sister-in-law is not peddling things to our family and others. Thus I have no pressure to buy something :) Many members of her family try to make money through the, "lip gloss" approach. I think she doesn't try to make money that way because she knows the pressure it places on others. It seems like every product is the, "best."
I support my brother and sister-in-law at times when they need a free babysitter. That appeals to me far more than a stick of lipstick.
Again, nothing against those that do "lipstick marketing." :)
14. Leah said the following at 7:26 PM on Mar 2:
Dani (12) - I agree with your comment, but keep in mind there's a difference between marketing truth and marketing a church for the sake of numbers. Marketing the gospel truth has a limit, because there will always be info in there that people don't want to hear but have to. Marketing a church for numbers' sake doesn't have that limit. It should, but often doesn't. The uncomfortable stuff just gets swept under the carpet and the seekers either hang around just coz they're being entertained or, like you said, move on because there's nothing of substance.
Katrece (13) - the idea that if you attend a party you 'have' to buy something doesn't sit with me. I've been to several Tupperware parties run by friends and I've not once bought anything and nobody cares. My mum's an Avon rep, and she doesn't do parties or "peddle" anything. I've not once seen her plug a product except for times she buys something for herself and is surprised with how well it works. There have certainly been MANY times I've handed back the catalogue and said "nothing this month thanks". It's really no big deal.