2 Critical Skills You Need To Make Money Fast
Eben Pagan reveals the two critical skills that generate the most dependable profits after 15+ years in business: marketing and sales. He introduces the concept of 'playing business versus doing business' and explains how to avoid common distractions that prevent entrepreneurs from focusing on customer acquisition.
Key Moments
How to focus on doing business instead of playing business -- A framework for avoiding business setup distractions and focusing on revenue-generating activities
Most Entrepreneurs Play Business Instead of Do Business
Most entrepreneurs waste time 'playing business' instead of 'doing business' by focusing on non-essential activities
▶ 0:52
Marketing and Sales Are the Core Functions of Any Profitable Business
Marketing and sales are the activities that help you get customers, which is the core function of any profitable business
▶ 0:52
Marketing and Sales Lead to Profit More Than Any Other Skills
Marketing and sales are the two skills that most dependably lead to profit and long-term income in business
▶ 0:14
Being Friendly Is Not the Same as Professional Selling
Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of thinking good selling is just being friendly and answering questions, which is not professional selling
▶ 3:58
Real Selling Is About Helping People — Not Coercion
Professional selling has gotten a bad reputation due to misconceptions about coercion and manipulation, but real selling is about helping people
▶ 2:57
Relevant Clips20
- How-To
How to focus on doing business instead of playing business -- A framework for avoiding business setup distractions and focusing on revenue-generating activities
- Teaching▶ 2:57
Real Selling Is About Helping People — Not Coercion
Professional selling has gotten a bad reputation due to misconceptions about coercion and manipulation, but real selling is about helping people
- Teaching
Business Setup Tasks as Distraction from Customer Acquisition
Business setup activities like naming, branding, and design details are often distractions that prevent focus on customer acquisition and sales
- Teaching▶ 3:58
Being Friendly Is Not the Same as Professional Selling
Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of thinking good selling is just being friendly and answering questions, which is not professional selling
- Teaching▶ 0:52
Marketing and Sales Are the Core Functions of Any Profitable Business
Marketing and sales are the activities that help you get customers, which is the core function of any profitable business
- Teaching▶ 0:52
Most Entrepreneurs Play Business Instead of Do Business
Most entrepreneurs waste time 'playing business' instead of 'doing business' by focusing on non-essential activities
- Teaching▶ 0:14
Marketing and Sales Lead to Profit More Than Any Other Skills
Marketing and sales are the two skills that most dependably lead to profit and long-term income in business
- Answer
Playing Business Is Designing Cards; Doing Business Is Getting Customers
Playing business involves activities that feel productive but don't generate customers, like designing business cards, choosing website colors, or naming your business. Doing business focuses exclusively on customer acquisition and selling products or services.
- Answer▶ 2:57
Professional Selling Means Helping People Get What They Need
Professional selling is about helping people get what they need, not using coercion or manipulation. It's not high-pressure tactics or being overly friendly, but a skilled approach to genuinely assisting customers with solutions to their problems.
- Answer▶ 3:16
Why Entrepreneurs Avoid Sales Training and Why That's Wrong
Most entrepreneurs avoid sales because they associate it with shady tactics and high-pressure manipulation. They think of used-car salesmen or coercive techniques, when professional selling is actually about helping people get what they need.
- Answer
Setup Activities That Kill Early Momentum
New entrepreneurs should avoid setup activities that don't directly generate customers, including choosing business names, designing business cards, selecting website colors, and other branding details that distract from sales and marketing.
- Answer▶ 0:26
Marketing and Sales — The Two Skills That Generate Revenue
Marketing and sales are the two most critical skills for generating profits and long-term income in business. These skills directly help you get customers, which is the fundamental activity that creates revenue.
Show 8 more
- Quotable▶ 1:30
Avoid Activities That Don't Directly Lead to Getting Customers
you want to avoid wasting your time on things that don't directly relate to getting customers and selling your products and services
- Quotable▶ 3:24
Professional Selling Is About Helping Not Coercion
professional selling in reality is not about coercion and manipulation it's about helping
- Quotable▶ 1:18
Playing Business vs Doing Business
playing business versus doing business
- Question▶ 1:27
Business Activities Entrepreneurs Should Avoid When Starting Out
What business activities should entrepreneurs avoid when starting out?
- Question▶ 1:27
Playing Business vs Doing Business — The Critical Distinction
What is the difference between playing business and doing business?
- Question▶ 0:18
Most Important Skills for Making Money in Business
What are the most important skills for making money in business?
- Question
Why Entrepreneurs Avoid Learning Sales Skills
Why do entrepreneurs avoid learning sales skills?
- Question▶ 2:48
What Professional Selling Is Really About
What is professional selling really about?
Entities Touched
Concepts
Questions
Canonical Teachings
Summary
The Two Skills That Generate the Most Money
After 15+ years of business experience, Eben reveals that marketing and sales consistently produce the most dependable profits. These skills focus on the core business function of customer acquisition, which directly translates to revenue generation.
Playing Business Versus Doing Business
Most entrepreneurs get distracted by setup activities like business naming, card design, and website colors instead of focusing on customer acquisition. This distinction between 'playing business' and 'doing business' determines whether efforts translate into actual revenue.
Reframing Professional Selling
Selling has gotten a bad reputation due to associations with high-pressure tactics and manipulation. Professional selling is actually about helping people get what they need, not coercion or simply being friendly and answering questions.
Counterpoint
Claim: “Starting a business requires focusing on setup details like business names, cards, and website design”
Reframe: Successful business building means avoiding setup distractions and focusing exclusively on customer acquisition and sales activities
Eben identifies business naming, business card design, website colors and 'a million little details' as distractions that compete for attention but don't generate customers or revenue
Claim: “Selling involves coercion, manipulation, and high-pressure tactics like shady salesmen”
Reframe: Professional selling is actually about helping people and has nothing to do with coercion or manipulation
Eben explains that people associate selling with 'shady used-car salesmen wearing tacky polyester suits' but professional selling in reality is about helping, not pressure tactics
Related Content
Episode 2: How to Use Virtual Events to Get Clients with Eben Pagan!
Discover Eben Pagan's exact three-tier virtual event strategy that helped him build a multi-million dollar business from a single ebook.
The Danger Of Playing Business
Why most entrepreneurs fail by 'playing business' instead of focusing on the one skill that guarantees success in any business environment.
Eben Pagan on Words That Trigger Emotional Responses
Discover the $1 vs $100 words that can make or break your marketing campaigns.
Eben Pagan's Virual Coach Revi… - The FindFocus Podcast - Apple ...
Get an insider's look at Eben Pagan's Virtual Coach Program through Martin Boeddeker's detailed 2025 review and discover if the investment is worth it for aspiring coaches.
Eben Pagan Virtual Coach Review - Is It Worth It? - YouTube
Discover why a decade-long student calls Eben Pagan's Virtual Coach one of the highest quality courses he's ever encountered, with proven frameworks that work even better when combined with AI.
Eben Pagan's Virtual Coach Review 2025 - My Experience
A veteran student who invested his last $3,000 in Eben Pagan's program reveals the raw truth about Virtual Coach and how it compares to other coaching certifications.
Topics
Coaching Strategies
Business Frameworks
Common Mistakes