Marketing Is Serving: The Ancient Principle That Built the Modern World
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Today I want to expand your understanding of marketing by revealing something most people have never considered.
Marketing is not a modern invention.
It did not begin with social media, advertising agencies, or smartphones glowing in people’s hands late at night.
Marketing has existed since the first moment one human recognized the need of another.
At its simplest form, marketing is this:
Finding people with a need, and connecting them to a solution.
Or even more plainly:
Finding people with a problem, and helping solve it.
This is why, at its core, marketing is not manipulation.
Marketing is compassion in motion.
Marketing is service.
The Greatest Principle: The Greatest Is the Servant
In Bible, Jesus Christ said in Matthew 23:11:
“The greatest among you will be your servant.”
Most people interpret this in small, visible acts.
Serving tea to guests.
Helping carry chairs after church.
Assisting someone with their groceries.
These are beautiful acts of service.
But they are only the shoreline of an ocean-sized truth.
Service can scale.
Service can reach cities.
Service can reach nations.
Service can reach the world.
Service at Scale: How the Greatest Businesses Were Built
Imagine telling your neighbors:
“Send me a message of what you need, and I’ll go buy it and deliver it to your home.”
You would be serving them.
You would be solving their problem.
You would be practicing marketing.
Now imagine that same idea operating globally.
That is exactly what Jeff Bezos built with Amazon.
He created a system that serves millions of people daily by solving one simple problem:
Convenience.
Whether people admire him or not is irrelevant to the principle.
He is serving.
And because he serves at scale, he receives at scale.
Now imagine another situation.
Suppose you created a system where your friends could stay updated on each other’s lives, even years later.
That would be thoughtful.
That would be service.
Now expand that idea to billions of people across the world.
That is what Mark Zuckerberg built through Facebook.
He solved the problem of human connection across distance and time.
Again, service at scale.
Even closer to home, consider Checkers and their Sixty60 initiative.
With a few taps, groceries arrive at your door.
Someone saw a problem.
Someone created a solution.
Someone served.
And now millions benefit.
Cashflow Follows Service
There is a direct relationship between how many people you serve and the level of impact and income you experience.
Not because money is the goal.
But because money is the echo of service.
It is the receipt of solved problems.
Jeff Bezos does not know you personally.
Yet he has served you.
The creators behind Checkers Sixty60 may never meet you.
Yet they have served you.
Service does not require proximity.
It requires intention.
Jesus: The Ultimate Example of Service
Jesus said in Matthew 20:28:
“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”
His mission was solving human problems.
In Luke 4:18, He described it clearly:
Good news to the poor.
Sight to the blind.
Freedom for the oppressed.
He came as a solution.
He came as a servant.
And He became the greatest.
This reveals a powerful truth for business owners:
Greatness is not found in how many people serve you.
Greatness is found in how many people you serve.
The Traits of Great Marketers
The greatest marketers are servants first.
They listen.
People need to feel heard before they accept help.
They care.
Not artificially. Not temporarily. Genuinely.
They are patient.
They treat each person as valuable, not as a number.
They understand something most people never learn:
How you serve matters just as much as what you serve.
People can feel the difference.
Service with sincerity builds trust.
Service without heart builds resistance.
Why Marketing Becomes Easy When You Understand This
When you realize marketing is serving, everything changes.
Rejection stops feeling personal.
If you offer water and someone says no, it simply means they are not thirsty.
It does not mean water is useless.
It does not mean serving is wrong.
It simply means they do not need it right now.
When you promote your business, you are not forcing something onto people.
You are offering help.
You are offering solutions.
You are serving.
And that is something to be proud of.
Your Challenge This Week
Identify three ways you serve your community.
It could be something like:
• I fix and maintain cars so people can travel safely.
• I train others to discover their potential.
• I educate the next generation so they can build a better future.
When you clearly see how you serve, you will market with confidence.
You will lead with purpose.
You will grow with integrity.
Because the greatest marketers serve the most people.
The greatest businesses serve the most people.
And the greatest among you…
will be the servant.