Reframing 'Icky' Sales and Finding Your Purpose-Driven Message with Liz Painter

n this episode of the Do Good and Do Well podcast, I talk with Liz Painter, an experienced messaging strategist and copywriter. With over two decades in journalism, software, and technology, Liz now dedicates her skills to helping purpose-led organizations communicate with authenticity and integrity.

We dive into the tricky challenge of marketing and sales when it feels "icky"²²². Liz shares her journey to align her work with her deep-seated desire to make a difference. We discuss the power of deeply understanding your audience through research and the non-negotiable role of integrity in all forms of communication. This is a grounded conversation about finding clarity, staying true to your values, and building a business that genuinely makes a positive impact.

💡 Key Takeaways

Reframing Sales: Sales and marketing aren't inherently "evil". They are simply about telling people how you can help them. If you're really good at something, it's "rude" not to tell people about it, as this is how you make a difference

Integrity is Core: Liz's background in journalism taught her to always maintain a core of integrity. This means only using marketing tactics you are genuinely comfortable with, especially when you are a purpose-driven organization.

Deep Audience Understanding is Key: To communicate meaningfully, you must deeply understand your customer. The most effective method is to talk to them (e.g., customer interviews), but you can also use methods like review mining on sites like Amazon or Reddit to understand their motivations and problems.

The Power of a Point of View: To be noticed and engage people, your organization needs to be clear on its point of view. Define what your organization thinks about specific industry issues and what it aims to make better.

Actionable Clarity Exercise: To get in touch with your purpose and find your authentic voice, try a simple exercise: handwrite a letter to one specific customer or supporter, expressing why you do what you do and what you want to change.

⏱️ Episode Highlights

03:22: Liz explains her "pull" to work with purpose-driven organizations, reflecting on a personal need to have a positive impact on the world.

06:58: We discuss how Liz's journalism background emphasizes integrity, storytelling, and conciseness, contrasting this with the often-manipulative online marketing tactics.

08:58: Liz shares a defining moment from her journalism days – the ethical discomfort of the "death knock" – which cemented her core value of integrity in her work.

11:58: The crucial importance of conducting customer interviews (or "having a chat") to deeply understand your audience and uncover their true motivations for buying.

5:02: The value of an external person (like Liz) to help a founder gain clarity and a new perspective on their business and messaging

👤 About the Guest: Liz Painter

Liz Painter is a messaging strategist and copywriter specialising in customer research, email marketing, and website copywriting, particularly for purpose-led businesses and organisation.

LinkedIn: (The best place to find Liz): linkedin.com/in/lizpainter

Website: commacomma.co.uk

https://www.instagram.com/commacommacopy/

🔗 Episode Links

Peta O'Brien's Podcast: The Soapbox Podcast

Lucy Lucraft: lucylucraft.co.uk (Producer)

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please find me on Linked In (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfoxcoach/).

This episode was written and recorded by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft (lucylucraft.co.uk)

You can find me on Linked In, or sign up to my weekly newsletter https://dogoodanddowell.myflodesk.com/newsletter which is where you’ll find the best of me. I send emails on doing good and doing well and some behind-the-scenes stuff.

Or if you’re a coach and want tailored supervision and business development support, join this newsletter instead (Still Coaching: https://dogoodanddowell.myflodesk.com/still-coaching).