What every Catholic can learn from Steve Jobs
Last week the Consumer Electronics Show was held in Las Vegas and the big buzz was for tablet computers. It seems every tech company is jumping on the craze created by Apple’s iPad. What I found fascinating was comparing the sales pitch for these new tablets with the one given by Apple CEO Steve Jobs last year when he announced the iPad.
- When Jobs was talking about the iPad, he spoke about it being “magical” and how it is a great way to experience the Internet. He gave practical examples of using the iPad and emphasized its ease of use and how fun it is to use.
- When the various CEOs this past week introduced their tablets, they talked about how they had dual-processors, included so many gigs of memory, and ran the latest Android OS. They reiterated the great tech specs their tablet had compared to the iPad and other tablet devices.
Which do you think is the more effective sales technique? The non-Apple CEOs were selling toothpaste; Steve Jobs was selling white teeth. Instead of focusing on the details of his product, Jobs instead focuses on how his product will change people’s lives.
So why am I discussing selling tablets on this blog? Because I am, down-deep, a tech geek? Perhaps, but I think this topic tells us something about how to effectively evangelize. Although it can be crude to compare evangelization to sales, in both cases you are trying to influence the decision-making of another person.
If you look at the early Church, especially in New Testament times, you see that the first apostles took the “white teeth” approach to evangelization. They proclaimed that they had seen the risen Lord and that he had transformed their lives. Again and again St. Paul speaks of the transformation his experience with Christ had on his life – and that others can have the same transformation. He did not get into the details of exactly how Christ is God or things of that nature; he spoke of the power of Christ to change lives.
When evangelizing, eventually one will need to discuss the details of the Faith: exactly what the Church teaches and why. But that is not the “lead” in effective evangelization; instead we must proclaim that Christ has changed our lives and that he can change yours as well. Those who are in most need of Christ will be drawn to our experience and it will lead them to want to know more about this Jesus Christ and his Church that have so radically changed our lives.
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Pingback by Tweets that mention What every Catholic can learn from Steve Jobs « Divine Life – A Blog by Eric Sammons -- Topsy.com — January 11, 2011 @ 9:36 amI agree that we need to emphasize the practical power of Christ to change lives, to do all the things he proclaimed in Luke 4. Often the most powerful way to draw other toward Christ is by explaining “I was….but then I met Christ, and now I’m…”
But this form of evangelization can drift dangerously close to the prosperity, consumeristic mentality of most churches today. Most of these churches share the good news of “what Jesus can do for you”; the Savior, instead of God, becomes a product who will make your life easier, more pleasurable, or more controllable.
But, using your teeth analogy, the Church shouldn’t proclaim “Look at my white teeth! If you follow Jesus, your teeth will be just as white, and that will do wonders for you. You will be more beautiful, more popular, and instantly become more attractive. All of your dreams will come true, and the rest of your life will be magical.”
Instead, She should scream “Look at my white teeth! They’ve been washed clean! They’re now free of disease, free of stain, and will last till the end of my life. But its not really about the teeth. Now that I don’t have to worry about my teeth, I’m free–free to live, free to carry the burdens of others!”
The Church–who holds a sacrifice as her central sacrament–needs to “ask not what Jesus can do for you, but what you can do for Jesus”.
(All of that said, I know plenty of Christians who first fell in love with Christ through the practical benefits He brings, but then experienced a deeper conversion where they didn’t value Him solely for His consolations. It seems the “look what Jesus can do for you” tactic is a valid hook to draw people into initial contact with Christ.)
Brandon,
You bring up important distinctions. As with most things Catholic, we need to take the “both/and” approach and not the “either/or” approach of heresies. We need to BOTH proclaim what Jesus has done in our lives AND base it in real doctrine, including the “hard” doctrines of suffering and dying to self.
But even when we speak of suffering and death, we should always include that this brings joy-filled living, as surely as Easter follows Good Friday.
Thanks for a thought-provoking piece.
When Steve Jobs introduced the IPad, he was promoting an entirely new product. By the time competitors brought out their tablets, the novelty had worn off, just as it wore off for laptops ten years previous. So it makes sense for the CEOs to promote their competing tablets based on technical advantages, since no one is buying tablets for the “magic” anymore.
The analogy applies to evangelization. Too many people now see religion as a form of therapy. If the “lead” for being a Christian is that “Christ has changed our lives”, you will attract people unhappy with their lives. That’s fine, but they may just be there for the therapy. They will stick around as long as the novelty lasts, then like move on to yoga or some other form of self-improvement. Religion can resemble the laptop (and soon the tablet computer) in the trash bin.
The Apostles did teach that Christ had changed their lives, but that was not the main point. The main point was that Christ had saved them and all the faithful from death.
In my elderly opinion, religion is about life and death. Or it should be. People want the truth. They want to know what the Church teaches and why. There may not be as many truth-seekers these days, but they are asking the right questions.
I have experienced the same type of thing when talking to people about the Theology of the Body. I talk about how it transformed my life, which gets them interested. I then go into the theology behind it, which reinforces WHY it is life-changing. For some, this has also then led to a conversion to the Catholic Church because they see that since the Church seems to be correct about this, they start investigating other things the Church says. This has been a far more effective approach than starting with the theology behind TOB.
Thanks for the reflection…very much on target!
Great post Eric! Really great thoughts. I think you’ve really hit on something. Why is it so crude to compare sales to evangelization? Sales is the art of persuasion. Of course, some sales is cheesy and dishonest, but not all. When sales is done well and done right, it’s about matching a customer’s desires with what you have to offer.
See, that’s what we’re dealing with, a person’s desires. Sometimes a person doesn’t exactly know what they desire. They are seeking but not sure for what. We are trying to get in touch with those desires and steer them toward the truth. Straight doctrine doesn’t appeal at first because that’s not relevant.
In my experience, Dennis is right on the money. You have to tell people the benefits from your own experience. That is what will appeal more often than not. Of course, sometimes people are attracted by doctrine. But most people are attracted to something through other people. People don’t buy from businesses, they buy from other people. You’re not lying when you tell people the great benefits you’ve received from being Catholic and faithfully following the Church’s teaching. They may not experience the same thing but then again, they may.
I think not wanting to appear like bad Protestant evangelists like the health, wealth and prosperity gospel peddlers has stymied us into not boldly proclaiming the truth of what being Catholic offers. We have the greatest offering in the whole world and we hide it because we’re afraid all our claims won’t come true for everyone. The fact that everyone doesn’t get infused contemplative prayer didn’t stop Teresa of Avila from writing about this amazing pinnacle of the Christian life. Meanwhile, people aren’t attracted to the Catholic Faith because we’re hiding what being Catholic can potentially lead to.
Thanks for bringing out this important insight Eric! You are right, the details of the Faith are not an effective lead in evangelization. We can’t sugar coat the truth and they must understand the demands at some point. However, the value proposition is the life-giving fullness and peace that life in Christ can bring.
St. Paul had been knocked from his horse. He had seen a vision that eye had not seen, that ear had not heard, something incredible. We have not seen the vision to the degree Paul did, but I suspect if we reflect on it, we have seen part of the vision, and we need to share both what we have seen, and also share what we can of St. Paul’s experience.
Of course, as always, it depends on the individual listener – like referred to by another commento, if the guy already has an ipad and knows its benefits, get to the gigs and twirls as well as reinforcing the same or exposing additional practical benefits. If the gal is clueless, explaining gigs and twirls works about as well as astrophsyics works on a two year old so focus on exposing the joy of Christ over the specific words (no play intended). And of course, again, if you’re expressing the true Joy of Christ in your life, you’re not expressing “Prosperity” but Joy, even if the events happened to involve or lead to money, so the commentor’s fear of the danger zone can be guarded against by not confusing money’s comfort for Joy’s peace.
You make a great point. I’ve been thinking a lot about how we as Catholics need to do our best to make our parishioners feel more welcome. In addition we need to make sure we share with them how being faithful to Sunday Mass and/or Religious Education will benefit and make a difference in their lives.
“Our heart are restless until the rest in Thee.” – St. Augustine. We were made for union with the Trinity. Christ became man to make men gods – to share in His divinity so that we could becomes His friends, partakers of the “divine nature” as St. Peter puts it. This is where true hapiness lies, or better yet, true beatitude. When we tell people we know what they are looking for and that we have found it, that draws them in. Then, the more that their love for God grows the more they come to love the things God loves, the salvation of souls. By His grace, only when we are caught up in this love do we become evangelists, do we exude that Christian joy that is contagious. This has nothing to do with the health and wealth gospel. It leads to the cross because of love. Also, the more one loves the more one desire to know the one they love. That is where doctrinal teaching comes in. One cannot catechise someone who is not first evangelized (with children both have to happen at the same time). I think that is what lead to the 60′s and 70′, catechises without evangelization.
I agree with most of you all and especially Don. We need to bring them in, get them interested, and then sell. Too many time people ram the gospel down people’s throat and they immediately turn you off. Show them you care about them as a person, build a relationship, then show them the path to eternal life. Jesus himself show the need and helped before approaching the heart. We all should follow Jesus’ example. Once we rectify the need then the heart comes next. Those of you who disagree so be it, but realize the results are not up to us but up to him who sent us. Lets do our part and God will always do his part with or without us, the choice to participate is entirely up to us as individuals.
Excellent post, Eric. Persuasion, whether in sales or evangelization, is about showing the benefits, while answering/addressing questions/doubts with factual evidence. Obviously, sales are about money/material profit, while evangelization profits the soul.
I have to say that evangelical Protestant and “non-denominational” churches take an effective approach to connecting to people before showing the benefits of opening your heart to Christ (conversion). Some examples: welcoming and getting to know a visitor at a church service (not just at the door) and organizing social events to get to know people outside of (away from) church. People connect to people, not just abstract ideas. When you’re invited to their church service, you see that it’s a highly emotional, expressive experience, with lots of singing asking Jesus to come into your heart, and when you see everyone around you singing this way, you feel it’s acceptable to openly express your desire for Christ through singing. The pastor makes great efforts to relate selected Scripture to daily life and repeats certain points. Then, the singing resumes. And the music is contemporary, with large bands of musicians and singers. The songs are very simple and easy for everyone to sing–the octave range is limited. The idea is for every person attending to vocalize and be very involved, especially emotionally. The communal feeling, highly emotional services, and simplification of the theology appeals to a lot of people. Once you get to know their theology, you see that it’s inconsistent, threadbare and deliberately omits parts of or mistranslates the Bible (as well as misrepresents Catholic theology). But we can learn from their approach to evangelizing through welcoming and involving others and sharing how we benefit from the peace and joy that result from our imitation of Christ, both in this earthly life and the eternal life.
I’ve taught Marketing Education in High School for over 25 years. I’ve also taken both Catholic and Protestant mini courses in Evangelization.
It was ironic that I noticed the similarity to the STEPS of EVANGELIZATION matched up to the STEPS of CLOSING A SALE.
Check them out if you wish.
Then again…
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/apple-rejects-pro-life-pro-family-iphone-appagain
(sent from what will be my last ever Mac, unless…)
Good discussion, but when dealing with believing Protestants, the issue is not Christ, it is the Church, or in your analogy, the toothpaste. A different challenge to be sure.
Yes, great analogy. I would challenge the thought to an even deeper understanding and importance.
Steve Jobs is successful and always has been because he believes with such conviction that he radiates certainty in his products. He is not “selling” anything. He doesn’t have to. The belief is so powerful, he simply shares his excitement. There are no tricks or tactics.
People of faith must do the same. We are not “selling” anything. When we live and breathe our faith we can intelligently share it with our friends in a most natural way. We too must radiate certainty. Certainty to the point of not having to scramble for the right words or a better method of debate.
Our confidence must result in simple conversations. When we live and breathe our faith, truly seeking personal holiness, we can open new horizons for our friends with ease.
The goal needs to be a full integration, not simply tactics. Yes, we can learn a lot from Steve Jobs and it’s much deeper than a sales approach.
I quoted your selling “white teeth” example on my blog… http://newmediacatholic.com/2011/03/12/comment-on-relationship-of-sales-and-evangelization/