The functional definition of marketing we use in this course is:

Marketing is the work of designing a system that brings about a change among the people we choose to serve.

This definition is very different from what you’ll find online, but it’s far more practical, accurate, and applicable to your practice.

Marketing is deeply connected to leadership. Many of the books referenced in this module are leadership and mindset books for a reason.

As John Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less.” Marketing is simply influence applied with intention and structure. It is an aspect of leadership, because your job is to bring about a meaningful change in people.

Let’s break down the functional definition:

• Marketing is the work of designing a system.

  We care about systems because systems create consistent and predictable change. A one-off action, like sending a single email blast, is not marketing. Marketing is the creation of a repeatable system that works over time.

• A system that brings about a change.

  Change starts with you. It begins with your vision of what is better for the people you serve. That vision is a leadership function. Your belief in a better future is what fuels the system.

• A change among the people.

  This is not something done to people. It is not forcing a service or message onto them. Marketing is about changing behavior, belief, or desire within the people you seek to help. It is about internal transformation, not external pressure.

• The people we choose to serve.

  Marketing is not meant for everyone. It requires clarity and intention about who the change is for. A system only works when it is designed for a specific group, not a random population.

This is the foundation for everything that follows in the course. Once you understand marketing as a leadership-driven system that creates change, the rest of the frameworks snap into place.