I was recently at an airport terminal to pick up a rental car for a 2-day meeting. The woman behind the counter was very professional until she asked if I’d prefer the basic or comprehensive insurance coverage.

I said no to both as I’d be using my existing auto insurance. It was a polite one-liner, but it must have hit a nerve.

The kind tones gave way to fear-stoking statements aimed at making me change my mind – the high costs should I have an accident, the statistical probability of that incident, etc.

She was just doing her job, or what she thought was the best way to do it.

Are we guilty of the same? Do we stoke fear to sell when we don’t really need to? Yes, fear sells, but does it really help us reach our goals?

What if our messaging focused on kindness instead? What if we replaced fear-based marketing with faith-based marketing?

After he was tempted in the wilderness, Jesus preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” That resonates differently from preaching that threatens, “Repent, or you will go to hell.”