Business Strategy - Push vs. Pull

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In business, there are two ways that you can sell something. You can use either the Push Strategy or the Pull Strategy.

Both of these two strategies will get you what you want, but they are vastly different in approach and produce vastly different results, particularly in the long run.

First, let's take a look at the Push Strategy.

Now this strategy is easy to understand. You want to sell your customer something; so you shove the product in their face and push your way through to the sale.

You can stand on the streets and hand out flyers to anybody who passes by. Just stand there and shove the flyers at them. Who cares if the flyers are read or not, it’s all just a probability game anyways. Out of the one thousand flyers you give out, at least one must find someone who will be interested in buying from you.

Or you could simply do this: stand in front of your competitors' doorstep, grab their customers and persuade them to come over to you by offering them special discounts.

If necessary, you could use even more extreme tactics. Bad-mouth your rivals in the most vicious ways possible, drag their customers by their sleeves (or necks if necessary) to your shop, beg them for help and tell them if they do not help, you will die. If they are not convinced, you can even try breaking down and crying. Eye drops work wonders at these moments!

Or if you have money, and I mean lots of it, you can advertise as aggressively as your money will allow. Put full page ads in all the newspapers, bombard the radio airwaves and TV stations with your commercials, and put up huge billboards all over town.

Yes, the Push strategy works but ask yourself, do you really think this is the best way to do business?

What about the other strategy - the Pull strategy?

The Pull Strategy works like this - you still want to sell something, but instead of 'forcing' people to buy from you, you create something - a product or a service so good that it will make people WANT to buy from you.

When you are hungry, you automatically think about the mouth-watering whoppers of Burger King. It is not about how hard they tried to shove their brand down your throat, it is about the juicy burgers that they always serve without fail whenever we patronise them.


You feel like looking stylish. You want to buy a branded bag but do not want to spend mega bucks on brands such as LV or Christian Dior. So, you will automatically walk over to a Bonia store because you know you can own a five star branded product at a three star price.


Are you feeling tired and having aches and pains after work? Do you wish someone was there to give you a great massage? You would probably consider buying a massage chair to pamper your hardworking-self. What brand comes to mind? Aha... Osim! Yes, Osim comes to mind. Osim does not have to shove their chair in your face, they want you to feel like owning one.


And I hope that should you ever feel like improving your English or getting your children or your employees extra English classes that the brand ERICAN will be the first one to pop in your head. I hope ERICAN never has to yell or shout too loudly, but rather simply impresses upon you that English is Erican and Erican means English. This is something that we have tried very hard to do over the past twenty glorious years of our existence.


I hope I have successfully explained the differences between the Push and the Pull Strategies.

If you are in business, I also hope I have made you understand that in order to position yourself correctly and sell more effectively, you must always adopt a Pull Strategy rather than a Push one.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong