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Mother
Teresa of Calcutta -
My Marketing Hero!
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Mother Teresa of Calcutta - My Marketing Hero!
by the Rev. Dr. James S. Vuocolo,
Master Certified Coach
© 2003 by James S. Vuocolo. All rights reserved.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a saintly woman. She was born amid an Albanian community in Macedonia as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910; and died almost 87 years later on September 5, 1997 in her beloved Calcutta, India. She was also, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest entrepreneurial marketing geniuses the world has ever known! Think about this with me for just a moment.
The first thing any successful entrepreneur requires is a product or service that others need or want, whether they initially realize it or not. Mother Teresa's product was compassion -- and she had an abundant inventory of it! Indeed, she had reserves of abundant compassion warehoused deep within her soul! Later in life, she would hand out slips of paper on which a photograph of herself, and a prayer, appeared. The text read, "The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace." She would smile and call this her "business card".
Compassion for others was her service. What is your product or service? Be able to state this in no more than two sentences.
A second thing any successful entrepreneur requires is a well-defined target market, or niche. Mother Teresa discovered her niche the day she unexpectedly found a woman dying in the street, being eaten by rats. The slight, under five-foot, nun managed to take this poor soul to a nearby hospital, but found them reluctant to take her in and treat her. In this defining moment, Mother Teresa discovered her target market amid the poorest of the poor, the downtrodden, the sick, the mentally ill, and the dying who no one else wanted to treat, be near, or assist in any way. Mother Teresa's target market was the poor. Define your target, to whom you wish to market your service.
With the perseverance of an entrepreneurial spirit, Sister Teresa began lobbying the officials of her own church for permission to reposition herself from teaching and serving as the headmaster of a school so that she could begin working in her newly found target market amid the suffering and the poor. Their permission was not immediately forthcoming. In fact, she was not allowed to leave her Loreto community until August of 1948 when her patient persistence finally pays off, and the then 38-year-old woman relocates to Patna in order to train as a nurse. To what degree are you persistent in achieving your desires?
Any successful entrepreneur must position himself or herself for success. Sister Teresa goes back to Calcutta, a place that can provide a seemingly endless supply of prospective clients in need of her services. She loves them all. She was a passionate advocate for them and championed their cause -- first, within her own beloved Roman Catholic Church wherein she lobbied tirelessly to gain permission to assist "the least of these, my brethren" (see Matthew 2531-46); then in lobbying the Indian government for a place in which to conduct her work; and then, in lobbying the entire world on behalf of those whom she loved! She establishes the Missionaries of Charity order of nuns, and the rest is history! Having identified your service, your target market, and your willingness to persevere, what action can you take to expand your own position, or reposition yourself, in the marketplace?
In 1979, this small but mighty woman by then known the world over as Mother Teresa of Calcutta is awarded the Nobel Prize. And, like any true entrepreneur, she graciously accepts the funds that accompanies this award, and uses them to further promote her business by expanding the order of nuns she had founded. Known as the Missionaries of Charity, this order becomes, in fact, a well-known brand throughout the world, serving tens of thousands of the poor and dying to the present day. Like many successful entrepreneurs, Mother Teresa did not permit ill health to stop her. She survived two heart attacks and a bone disease that knotted her spine, hands and feet. Yet she proceeded to establish far more than a business in the form of a legacy that can and did survive her own span of years, and continues to serve her beloved clientele with more than 2,535 missionaries working in 72 different nations.
Today, Mother Teresa's memory is revered throughout the world, and she is reportedly on the "fast track" toward becoming a canonized saint within the walls of Vatican City! Well deserved, if you ask me! Her example continues to inspire millions around the world each day to be better people; to love mercy and kindness; to do justice, and walk the talk of compassion. She also inspires me to be a better marketer by daring to open new relationships with others, by taking no one for granted, and by going the second mile to serve my own constituents from a love that never ends. There are far lesser examples to follow in the sometimes-cutthroat world of business. Mother Teresa stands as a stunning reminder that we can usually find a better way to do business each day!
A quality product or service; a well defined target market; position in the marketplace; a unique brand; perseverance; a positive attitude; faith in God and in others; and a legacy to leave behind. Mother Teresa had all the makings of a successful entrepreneur! How about you?
For more information about Mother Teresa, visit
http//www.tisv.be/mt/en/indmt.htm
http//www.s2f.com/stanmeyer/ann/stories/aweb2.html© 2003 by James S. Vuocolo. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced in its entirely, together with the author's contact information. Email jim@soulbusiness.com Web site www.Soulbusiness.com
© 2003 by J.S. Vuocolo. All rights reserved.