Every one of us is a marketer.

We spend our days persuading people to do what we want them to do.

“Buy now.” “Click here.” “Please retweet.” “Only 5 4 left.” “Don’t drink and drive.” “Eat your greens and you’ll grow big and strong.”

My friend Mark and his wife Cindy own and run a tiny bakery. If four whole wheat buns in a batch of two dozen don’t rise they look each other in the eye and ask, “How will we feel if someone takes these home?” And then they simply don’t sell those four buns. Mark and Cindy are in it for the long haul. Yes, they have to balance the books at the end of the month, but they don’t make that happen by putting all of their energy into persuading people to do something.

They spend their days wondering how what they do can make a difference, and how it will make their customers feel.

You could spend your time working out how to make people act in the moment. Or you could think about how you would like to make them feel in the long run.

Image by Quan.