A friend of mine called and said,

“Hey! I have a client that’s raising funds for a second diabetes treatment center and I wanted to get your feedback… Let me buy you a steak.”

Now, I’m not one to turn down a steak, so we sat down, she shared her pitch, and when she finished, I leaned back, smiled, and asked her one question:

“So, this company has the cure for diabetes, needs $500,000 for a second location, and is trying to raise funds from investors?”

She nodded.

And I said, “Then give it away for free.”

Her face twisted in that familiar look of confusion that I’ve seen a hundred times before — the “Wait… what?” reaction that happens when someone realizes we’re not playing by the same marketing playbook.

The Problem: The Math Was All Wrong

I told her that $500,000 is a nonstarter for most investors.

To a venture capitalist, $500k is the cost of a pilot project or a proof of concept — not the cost of expansion. The math doesn’t inspire confidence.

But that wasn’t the real problem.

The real problem was who they were asking for money from.

They were trying to get people who have diabetes — the very people suffering from the disease — to pay to cure their own struggle.

Now, anyone who’s worked in healthcare or marketing knows this: most health-related purchasing decisions are emotional, not logical. They come from a place of urgency, pain, or fear. That’s not a great space to build sustainable growth.

So I told her, “You're asking the wrong people to fund the wrong thing.”

Because here’s the truth — for every person living with diabetes, there are dozens more who are affected by it.

Family.

Friends.

Co-workers.

People who’ve lost someone they love.

These are the people who would rally around a cause.

They just need to be invited to.

The Solution: Go the PBS Route

I told her, “Forget investors. Forget trying to sell it to diabetics. Go the PBS model.”

Create a message that says:

“Every dollar raised helps save a life.”

Not “every dollar buys a treatment.”

Not “every dollar builds a center.”

But “every dollar saves a life.”

That’s not a slogan. That’s purpose-driven math.

Because when you market through empathy — through shared human stories — you reach beyond the immediate customer and tap into a much larger ecosystem of emotional stakeholders.

Instead of asking for money to run a business, you’re inviting people to join a mission.

How This Is Customer-Centric Marketing

So how does this tie back to Customer-Centric Marketing?

Simple.

Customer-Centric Marketing flips the math.

Instead of focusing on what you need from your customers, it focuses on what your customers need from you — emotionally, socially, even spiritually.

In this case, instead of trying to “sell” diabetics on the treatment, we would:

1️⃣ Feature stories of those living with diabetes — real, personal, authentic stories that give a face to the mission.

2️⃣ Highlight the ripple effect — how families, friends, and workplaces are affected, showing how the issue extends far beyond the patient.

3️⃣ Invite participation — not through purchase, but through contribution. Let people see themselves in the cause.

When you feature the people your mission impacts, they become your advocates.

And when your advocates share their stories, they become your marketers.

That’s Customer-Centric Marketing at its core — turning your customers (or in this case, your community) into the amplification of your message.

The Bigger Lesson: Flip Your Thinking

I looked at her and said, “You’re trying to get a diabetic to pay for a cure. But what if you let the world help cure diabetes instead?”

There was a pause. Then a slow, knowing smile.

Because the truth is, most startups, nonprofits, and even established brands are stuck in the same loop.

They chase the same investors.

They pitch the same “value proposition.”

They talk about how their solution works better than the competition.

But what if you flipped the whole thing?

What if, instead of focusing on selling your product, you focused on amplifying your purpose?

What if you stopped trying to convince the market that you’re special — and instead showed how your impact makes them special?

That’s the difference between transactional marketing and transformational marketing.

The Real Takeaway

When I said, “Give it away for free,” I wasn’t talking about devaluing their work.

I was talking about expanding their reach.

Because the truth is, if you have something that truly changes lives — something that heals, saves, or empowers people — you’ll always find a way to monetize it.

But if you start by leading with the sale, you’ll never earn the movement.

Customer-Centric Marketing is about building movements — not transactions.

So let me ask you:

Are you doing the same thing as your competitors?

Are you all saying the same thing in slightly different fonts and color palettes?

What if you flipped it? What if you gave your idea away for free — and in doing so, built something no one could compete with?

If you’re ready to think differently about how your company grows, let’s talk.

Because sometimes, the best way to get everything you want…

is to stop trying to sell it — and start giving it away.