communicating value | marketingforhippies.com

creative writing + marketing = <3

By: Tad | Published: January 14, 2012 · Leave a Comment

A long overdue blog from my Toronto colleague Chris Kay Fraser of www.fireflycreativewriting.com. She’ll be writing a few more posts coming up about how creative writing can help you with your marketing.

Words Are Funny Little Animals

Using creative writing to create balance, boundary and beauty in your business life.

(For Tad’s Awesome Blog)

Does this sound familiar? It’s late, and I’m at the computer, my forehead resting in my hand. I can’t remember the last time I got up. Somewhere beyond my consciousness, my body is registering signs of major fatigue. My eyes are blurry, no matter how much I rub them. But I want to put in another hour.

Now, I don’t want to be presumptuous, but if you’re reading Tad’s fabulous blog, you’re probably at some stage of self-employment. And, with the fall coming, I’m guessing that you have a lot of work ahead of you, and you’re wondering how you’re going to take care of it while you get it all done.

Before I was self-employed I imagined that it would be like a gorgeous meadow of freedom and time. I learned quickly, though, that I’m not always my best boss. Any other boss would take one look at me on that late-night computer binge and say, “Holy crap, girl. Go to bed.” It would be unethical to work someone else this hard.

But it’s only me in here, and my motivation is often stronger than my self-compassion.

So, I’m here, hijacking Tad’s blog for a couple posts to talk about how I’ve managed, and not managed, to use writing to navigate the sometimes-stormy waters of my self-employed adventure, which will heretofore be referred to as my S.E.A. My business is writing* – I run workshops and retreats, cajoling out people’s stories. Slowly, I’ve realized just how much magic these tools have in store for my and my business itself.

Writing has formed a little life-raft for me, for when the self-employed seas are choppy. In the next few blog posts, I’ll give you some ideas and questions and toots to make a life raft your own. Of course, you could also make a cruise-boat with patio chairs and indoor pools. Or a dark green submarine. The metaphor is yours.

In the next three posts, I’m going to share three tools with you.

1. The work journal.

2. Keeping the creative lights on.

3. Self-loving-love letters.

I’d also like to hear your stories. Please don’t be shy to use the box below to chime in. We’re only as alone as we allow.

Here’s the first tool I’ll offer you: The work journal.

This is a pretty simple concept. Every morning, before I sit down at my computer, before I take any calls or start reading through anyone’s stories, I take out my work journal and I write, draw or doodle one page about how I feel.

There’s no formula, the idea is just to slow down enough to connect to what’s really going on before I begin my day. Sometimes I draw a little face to show my mood, sometimes I record dreams, sometimes I rant about something that’s upsetting me.

At the end of the day, I do the same thing. This may happen at four in the afternoon or it may not happen until 2am. It’s important to me that I’m not putting limits when my workday should end, just ensuring that it does end, and that I’m not carrying my work into my sleep and dreams.

Keeping a work journal lets me:

1. Gently witness what’s happening in my work day. No matter how hard I work myself, how tired I get, I need to be willing to see it. This makes a little bit of room for the self-compassion which is often lacking when I’m not paying attention.

2. See trends arising in my emotional life. If I’ve started every morning anxious for five days, I can begin to ask important questions and address what’s really going on.

3. Consciously start and end my day. Since I work from home and there’s no actual space between myself and my business, the work journal is an important symbol for opening and closing my day. It’s a little like flicking on and off a light in the office in my brain.

4. It reminds me that I am more than my business. When I first started the work journal, I became aware of how long a day really was! After ending my day, instead of mindlessly heading back to the computer to send more emails, I began to play the guitar more, I took the time to weed my garden, or call my parents. I bought a ukelele and taught myself to play. I took a hula hoping class. I have a lot to thank that little book for.

So? What does this say to you?

Does the idea sound terrible and limiting or is it exciting and inviting? Have you tried anything similar yourself? Would you consider it?

Talk to me!

And stay tuned…. My next post on this blog will be on keeping your creative lights shining.

| Categories: Inner Work - Tags: authenticity, communicating value

guest post: learning webs

By: Tad | Published: January 12, 2012 · Leave a Comment

I was in Thailand a month ago, chatting with my friend Shilpa Jain.

We were talking about how people learn things.

And she shared this idea of a learning web. And how there are different ways we can learn things.

As she spoke, my mind immediately raced to the relevance for business.

Learning Webs – Back to the Source

by Shilpa Jain

I’ve been working in the field of ‘alternatives’ to education for a long while now – really since I was a young’un, running around my neighborhood, inventing my own games and art, reading books of my choice, etc.

Though by its own measures, I did “well” in traditional public school (by which I mean, I got good grades), I never really liked school – its competitions, its limits, its labels, its random subjects disconnected from real life and real issues.

As I got older and started learning more about the historic roots of the education system and its impacts on diverse communities over the world, I realized that my personal dislike was well-founded. This system has been wreaking havoc on individuals and communities for a couple centuries now.

And it’s time to stop.

Mostly, people agree on the ills of schooling. They know it’s cutting kids off from interactions with their families and neighbors; from a sacred connection with Mother Nature; from their own bodies, hands and spirits. And, they know it’s a rat race, and a lot of people suffer from the labels and competition imposed through schooling.

AND, they know that it’s not helping in solving the problems we are up against – but, instead, is actually feeding them by producing more capitalistic, obedient and submissive consumers…

But when it comes to other possibilities, people are often at a loss. There is the endless call for ‘reforming public education’ – which for many folks means a ‘better’ version of the same thing: just smaller classrooms, better trained teachers, more technology, better textbooks, etc.

Others are experimenting with charter schools, democratic schools, free schools – or homeschooling cooperatives, unschooling, natural learning communities….   Despite their creativity and the numerous generative possibilities they are opening up, they are usually called ‘elitist’ and dismissed on the grounds of being inapplicable to the ‘majority’. Which is unfortunate.

I want to add a little more to this conversation in my own support of self-designed and community-supported learning: learning webs.

A few months ago, I was invited to host a workshop for an innovative educational experiment in Puerto Rico called Nuestra Escuela (Our School). They are built on a mission of love. They are committed to throwing out labels of ‘juvenile delinquent’, ‘at-risk’, ‘dropout’, ‘failure’, etc. and instead embracing the brilliance, creativity and potential of the young people (ages roughly 13-18) in their communities.

They asked me to help support them with thinking about how to nuture deep learning and collaboration in Nuestra Escuela – something that would align with their mission and vision.

I started reflecting on the answers to the question, “What is one of the most meaningful learning experiences you have had?” I, and the community I worked with in India, Shikshantar asked this question a lot, as we were working to generate alternatives to the education system.

Invariably, the kinds of answers people gave had to do with one (or more) of these six relationships/opportunities:

1.     mentors – someone who inspires you, who can guide you, who gives meaningful support to you in times that matter

2.     experiments – personal and collective – little challenges that you give yourself, or that you agree to do with a group, to stretch yourself, come closer to your spirit and truth, and to live in greater alignment with your values

3.     apprenticeships/internships – longer-term commitments to deeply learn something that matters to you, usually with folks who have some kind of expertise in the field

4.     travel: journeys and visits – going to interact with people and places where what you want to learn is happening; the journey itself is often part of the learning experience

5.     self-study: looking at books, films, websites, etc. that delve into the different aspects of your interest area

6.     reflection: writing, journaling, creative expression of some kind, to digest what you’re learning, capture your understandings, and reflect them to others who can give you feedback as well

I like to image these six things as spokes coming off of a center point – which is where you put your question or the subject you want to learn. It could be anything from ‘organic farming’, to ‘indigenous history’, to ‘how can I have a healthy relationship with my partner?’, to ‘how can I become less angry and more patient?’

After you have a sense of what you want, and that can be a group or collective decision too, you generate the mentors, experiments, apprenticeships, travel, self-study and reflection that can help you learn it.

As our friends at the Berkana Institute say, “Start anywhere. Follow it everywhere.” That’s how you grow your learning web – by being as curious as you can be and committing to learning as much as you can. If you remember that everyone is a source/resource, with lots to share in terms of experiences, ideas, stories, and questions, there is simply an endless supply of possibilities.

There is no limit to the number and diversity of personal and collective learning webs that can be generated. It only depends on what you can balance and handle. And, as they say in Open Space, “Be prepared to be surprised!”

Learning webs can lead you to amazing aha!’s, wonderful relationships, and many other things that you couldn’t have known when you started. They knit you back to the real world and to the web of life. They encourage compassion, communication, complexity and commitment. They enliven your imagination and root you with purpose.

Most importantly, they return the power of learning to the source: you and your collectivities. And, for me, when we harvest the power of our individual and collective wisdom, well, we’ve found what we need to build a world that works for all beings.

My reflections on this:

are you stuck trying to teach your content to your clients using only one strand of the learning web? What might happen if instead of doing the traditional teleseminars and workshops you were to support people in learning in other ways? Is it possible that we get so stuck on ‘giving info’ that we don’t pay enough attention to their learning?

if you’re stuck trying to learn something, might another approach to learning work better for you?

are you relying only on high priced seminars and marketing gurus for your answers when the wisdom might be right there in your own community?

What are your thoughts? Write them below in the comments.

| Categories: quality of life, The Irresistible Offer - Tags: communicating value, irresistible offers

wrapping your gifts

By: Tad | Published: December 1, 2011 · 5 Comments

My friend Jenna and I were hanging out tonight having a crafts night. She brought everything you could imagine we’d need. She is far craftier than I.

So far, she’s made the most amazing card (see here).

And I wrapped two books (that I bought with a Greenwoods book gift certificate sent to me by a colleague of mine Julia Kious Zabell (thankyouthankyouthankyou).

As soon as I’d finished wrapping them, I felt so excited to give it to them.

But the gift hadn’t changed. It was still just two books.

But they meant more to me.

I was more excited to share them.

Just from putting some care and craftiness into how they were wrapped.

And it strikes me that it’s the same with our businesses.

Sometimes people are hesitant to put care into the ‘wrapping’. They’re hesitant to make their website beautiful, to get a beautiful headshot, to put more attention to the design of their products. That somehow it’s gross. That somehow it’s not honest. But the truth is, they’re a little embarrassed every time they give out their business card or brochure. They look at their posters hanging up at the organic grocery and silently wish it was better.

(note: she just finished a second sweet card. with cotton balls! amazing!)

Some people think wrapping is fake.

But tonight, do you know what I think it is?

I think it’s lovely.

My dear friend and colleague Carrie Klassen has likely been the most important influence in my business life around this simple lesson: beauty matters. Explore her website and you’ll see why I love her so much.

Be proud of what you offer. Dress it well. Treat your marketing like a special event – the kind it’s such a pleasure to dress up for. A wedding, a special birthday, a graduation, an anniversary. We dress up so we feel beautiful and to inspire those around us.

I’m not talking about synthetic, neon light beauty. I’m not talking about super models. I’m not talking about making something beautiful ‘so they’ll buy’.

I’m talking about candle light, hand made, vintage and craftiness. I’m talking poetry and crafting your words to be ‘just right’. I’m talking about setting up your workshop space so it feels warm and inviting. I’m talking about the beauty of art. I’m talking about making it just the way you want it so that it makes you proud – so that it radiates ‘youness’. I’m talking about weaving in your quirk and kinks.

As my dear friend Erica Ross (whose work embodies this so perfectly) says, “Making the conscious choice to slow down and beautify something or somewhere, in my view, is a sacred act of love and community.”

I think of the chef who not only makes amazing food but presents it ‘just so’ with so much care and attention put to the placement of things. I think of the tea ceremonies the exist around the world. It’s not just the tea, it’s the whole ritual of it – the presentation. I think of the improv comedy show I do every week in Edmonton and how we clean up the house after every show and sweep the stage. It’s not just the performance, it’s the whole experience. I think of a jazz band I once saw who dressed in tuxes and how the band leader acknowledged that tuxes on a jazz band might seem odd, ‘but’ he said. ‘I think it has a little something to do with respect.’

I’ve performed close up, sleight of hand card magic since I was 12. I love it so much. And, as I grew up, I began to see how much bad magic there was in the world. Actually, I should correct myself . . . how many bad performances there were. So much terrible patter and awkward people doing magic tricks. So much rushing through the show and not letting the moments sink in. So much trying to impress people with technique rather than charming them with a performance. In 1943, Dariel Fitzkee wrote his masterpiece in the world of magic Showmanship for Magicians. He pointed out that being ‘technically’ proficient (even brilliant) in sleight of hand wasn’t the point. The point was the show. The performance. That the magic lived in the mind of the audience, not the hands of the magician. The best modern example of this is Derren Brown.

I’m suggesting that what you find beautiful is something that others might just find beautiful too. And that if you really get honest with yourself and take the time to make it beautiful (for you) that you’ll be a lot more excited to share it.

John O’Donohue puts it so well in his book Beauty: The Invisible Embrace. Beauty is a human need, it’s not a luxury. Beauty is not the domain of the obscenely wealthy. It’s something we need to reclaim in our lives. Beauty isn’t something that we earn enough money to one day acquire. It’s something that we weave into our lives every day in the simplest of ways. And then we realize that a life full of beauty is wealth.

We’re reminded that it’s not all about listing features and benefits. It’s not all about the facts.

“There is a relentless search for the factual and this quest often lacks warmth or reverence … The wisdom of the tradition reminds us that if we choose to journey on the path of truth, it then becomes a sacred duty to walk hand in hand with beauty.” - John O’Donohue

When you take the time to not only create something beautiful but then wrap your work in genuine beauty, you’ll be so much more proud of it and excited to share it. I used to love my old website. Then I began to like it less and less. I just wasn’t proud of it anymore. People would ask me, ‘do you have a website?’ and I’d say, ‘yeah, but . . . let me just email you.’ Anything to avoid sending them to my site. I was embarrassed by it.

And then a dear friend of mine Jaime Almond helped me create this site. She designed the banner for me. She showed me how to use the site. It was incredible. Suddenly, I was so proud of my site. Suddenly, I wanted everyone to check out my Marketing for Hippies site. Now, nothing had changed in me. Nothing had changed in the services I offered. I’d not learned anything new in marketing. Nothing had changed – except the wrapping. And I was shocked to see what a difference it made in my own enthusiasm for my own business.

And, consider this, if wrapping things so beautifully has you more excited to share them, don’t you think it might have your clients a bit more excited to share what you’re offering, now that it really looks like a gift? It always was a gift, but now people recognize it as such.

I think perhaps we stop too soon in our creations. We make wonderful things and then forget to wrap them. Or we get too lazy.

Back in the day, when I was hanging out with anarchists and protesting the IMF and World Bank and wearing my jeans and shirts til they were threadbare and tattered, I had a real judgment of fashion, aesthetics and beauty. But, I’ve come to appreciate it. That the way we carry and groom ourselves is a gift to the world too. That our words and actions can be a part of what feeds the soul of the world with beauty.

That there is a beauty in self care.

There is a beauty in the gift and a joy in the wrapping.

A colleague of mine Katie Curtin, a wonderful life coach for the artsy and eclectic souls of the world, shared these words with me,

Putting love, and care and creativity into how we present ourselves, whether it’s in our personal appearance, or the materials we create makes an exquisite difference to how we feel about ourselves and our offerings.

And it’s not about the expense, or being perfect, or being slick- it’s about truthful beauty, the art of expressing oneself through all the ways we interact with the world.

I am terribly imperfect at this, and like you for a long time had an attachment to old jeans and sloppy clothes as a sign of being a rebel. And how often have I not taken the time to wrap things as artfully as I could. Thanks for this reminder of the importance of how we wrap things !

Sometimes people think the wrapping is unethical.

But tonight, do you know what I think it is?

I think it’s lovely.

| Categories: marketing philosophy, Tad's Rants, The Irresistible Offer - Tags: attraction, beauty, communicating value

your platform: six things you can be known for (and one other)

By: Tad | Published: November 15, 2011 · 30 Comments

If you want to succeed in your business – you need to become ‘known’ for something.

How do businesses ultimately succeed?

By word of mouth. People telling people because they want it to thrive. Because they love it. Because they know it will be useful to a friend.

In short, the business is known for being good at something.

And that ‘something’ should be clear from the first moment people meet you. That something is your brand.

It should be something that’s so clear that people can express it to their friends.

It doesn’t need to be something you can sum up in a slogan (but bonus points if you can) but it should be something people can feel and ‘get’.

And, of course, this can all feel a bit daunting.

So, let’s break it down.

I would submit that there are six things your business can be known for.

That your platform isn’t just one thing. It’s not some pithy sound bite or elevator speech or a single Unique Selling Proposition. It’s a weaving together of six things. At least.

And, I’d submit that most businesses settle for being known for only one of these things (almost always the same one – which also happens to be the least inspiring and the one most likely to have you relegated to commodity status where people compare you only on price).

Before I give you the six (plus the one other). I need to tell you a story – to give you an image in your mind.

Imagine a young man on an island (which we’ll call Island A). It’s not that great a place to be. But, it’s all he knows, so he goes about his days. Then he starts hearing that his is not the only island in the world. That there are other islands. At first he doesn’t believe it, but the more he visits the docks and meets these visitors the clearer it becomes. It’s true. And then, one day, he hears about a particular island (which we’ll call Island B). And his heart leaps. He wants to go there.

Of course, he needs to get a boat to go there.

But there are so many boats to hire! Which one to choose?

Your business is a boat. It helps people like this young man get from Island A where they’re struggling with some problem (i.e. set of symptoms they don’t like) to Island B where they have the result they want (i.e. something they’re craving).

So, in this image we have six elements I want to lift up for your consideration. Each of them is something you can become known for.

The Captain: you.
Boat: what you do. Your irresistible offering.
The Journey: the problem you solve and result you offer for a particular group
The Sea: your particular point of view and map on that journey.
The Sky: the overarching reason and cause that all of your work is an expression of.
The Unimagined Possibility: beyond the place they can imagine going, there might be something even more wonderful.
The Deepest Fear: if they do nothing – what are they secretly afraid might happen? (this is the ‘other one’ because it’s not something you can really be known for but it plays a role).

If you’ve been following my work for any time at all, you know that a core theme of mine is about identifying the ‘journey’ that people are on.

Metaphorically, it’s like people are on Island A where they’re struggling with some problem (i.e. set of symptoms they don’t like) and they want to be on Island B where they have the result they want (i.e. something they’re craving).

And your business is like a boat that takes them on the journey from Island A to B.

The truth is that some people will just want to buy from you because they like you, the captain, so much. Some people have such a great vibe that people spend money with them because they just want to support them and be around their vibe. This is the heart of any kind of holistic work because the implied message in holistic healing is, ‘do what I say and you’ll end up like me’.

And when practitioners have a bad vibe – all the marketing tactics in the world won’t help them.

But, the best vibe in the world isn’t something you can build a business on. You can have such an amazing vibe and still be broke unless people are clear about the other four pieces.

And, in your marketing, you want to make sure that you’re speaking to their journey, not just talking about your boat and how great it is. The homepage on your website should be about the journey, not about the boat. The first words in any presentation you do should be about the journey – not about the boat.

But most marketing is just people talking about the features and benefits of their boat. But when people see you as a boat, sometimes it can be hard to tell you apart from all the other boats. And so you’re a commodity. They have lots of options and ‘let’s see who’s cheapest’ becomes the mantra.

So, getting clear about the nature of the journey is vital.

On the outside edges of that journey are two other islands. Behind to the left of Island A you can imagine Island Z. That’s where they’re secretly scared they’re going to end up if they do nothing. These are fears like, ‘if i don’t handle my dating life I’m going to end up old and alone’, or ‘if I don’t keep my mind sharp I’m going to end up with alzheimers like my great grandparents.’ These fears are rarely talked about, but they’re deeply real for people. These fears aren’t things you can be ‘known’ for but understanding them gives you an incredible empathy and sensitivity which will allow you to engage the other three more deeply and safely.

The key here is that Island Z is not real. It’s a mirage. A nightmare fantasy. The worst case scenario. That’s why it’s not part of your platform. It’s a part of their internal world.

To the right of Island B, we have Island C. If Island A is the pain they’re in now and Island B is where they want to get to, then Island C is what we know is possible for them that’s even beyond Island B. As I wrote a few days ago,

Island A: I’m lonely. Island B: I want to date someone. Island C: we fall in love and say, ‘I never knew I could feel this way.’

Island A: I’m sick. Island B: I want to be healthy. Island C: we cleanse, do yoga, start juicing and say, ‘I never knew I could feel this way.’

Island A: I’m broke. Island B: I want to to be able to pay my bills on time and have money left over. Island C: we do the work needed to handle our money and say, ‘I never imagined I could feel so at peace and proud in my relationship to money.’

Island A: I’m full of angst and depression. Island B: I want to feel good again. Island C: we get deep into our personal healing work and one day wake up saying, ‘I feel so beautiful and light. I feel so at peace.’

Island C is what might be possible in the life of ONE person that they hadn’t previously considered. This i different than the bigger cause we imagine which is what we envision for our whole community or the world (though they are likely connected).

There’s the pain they feel. There’s the thing they’re craving, but the thing they’re craving only goes to the limits of their imagination. Our cravings take us to the end of what we know but no farther.

And then you have a certain map or route that you’d recommend for how folks can get from Island A to Island B. You have a certain Point of View about the journey. You can think of that as everything that’s under the water connecting these two islands. It’s your diagnosis about the underlying, root causes of why it’s so difficult for folks to make this journey. I’ve written a lot about that lately.

But there’s something more that’s been becoming clear to me recently.

It’s not enough to be clear about WHAT the journey and the boat are or HOW you take them on the journey – they need to know WHY you’re so passionate about that journey and what the bigger picture is for you. They need to know what this is about beyond the money. Why does your work matter to you and to the world?

Your why is the bigger cause you stand for.

It’s the journey you see that the world or your community is on (e.g. Martin Luther King Jr.’s articulation of the journey from a deeply racist USA to ‘the beloved community’).

Simon Sinek talks about this in depth in his brilliant book, Start With Why:

“People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.

WHAT: Every single company and organization on the planet knows WHAT they do. This is true no matter how big or small, no matter what industry. Everyone is easily able to describe the producs or services a company sells or the job function they have within that system. WHATs are easy to identify.

HOW: Some companies and people know HOW they do WHAT they do. Whether you call them a “differentiating value proposition”, “proprietary process” or “unique selling proposition”, HOWs are often given to explain how something is different or better. Not as obvious as WHATs, many think these are the differentiating or motivating factors in a decision. It would be false to assume that’s all that is required.

There is one missing detail . . .

WHY: Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do what they do. When I say WHY, I don’t mean to make money – that is a result. By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?

When most organizations or people think, act or communicate they do so from the outside in, from WHAT to WHY. And for good reason – they go from clearest thing to fuzziest thing. We say WHAT we do, we sometimes say HOW we do it, but we rarely say WHY we do WHAT we do.

But not the inspired companies. Not the inspired leaders. Every single one of them, regardless of their size or their industry, thinks acts and communicates from the inside out.”

A strong ‘why’ or cause doesn’t marginalize anyone – it’s different that a position. Your point of view is a position. Your point of view says, ‘I’m for this and I’m against this.’ People will often disagree with your point of view. But a reason why you do something is less likely to get disagreement. Usually they’re the kinds of things that anyone can relate to and empathize with – even if they might choose a different approach. Your cause is a stand for something bigger and deeper. Your cause says, ‘as a world we need to get to island B’ your point of view says, ‘and here’s my belief about the best way to get there’.

Your why is what you want, not what you don’t want. It’s the core of what you’re for – not a list of things you’re fighting. It’s often inarguable. Once you land on it, it’s like, ‘who could be against this?’

You might picture the ‘why’ as the golden sun shining above the islands and the boat – holding them all. The umbrella of the sky.

What’s interesting about all of this is that when the journey, point of view and larger ‘why’ are clarified – the boat often changes.

You will, in the end, be known for your boat – but make sure that your boat is an expression of you not just a cookie cutter, copy cat boat. Make everything about your boat an expression of the cause. If your business is about fun and celebration then make it a fun boat with wonderful colours and amusements around every corner. If you’re in love with elegance and beauty – then make your boat the most elegant boat the world has ever seen with lanterns and candles and beautiful dinners. If you’re passionate about adventure – then let your boat be rough and the rooms people sleep in be spartan.

And, of course, the boat must be a boat that you want to be on. It must fit the kind of lifestyle you want to have. As you figure out your ideal lifestyle, that will do more to help you design your boat than just about anything I know. And, if you need help with that, there’s only one person I can commend speaking with on that.

Every plank of your boat should ‘fit’. It should make sense. It should all communicate a clear message. They should be able to look at the boat and quickly get a feel for it what kind of journey it can take them on, what your point of view is and what you’re about at the core. And then, when they get on the boat their initial impressions should be deepened and confirmed.

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| Categories: becoming a hub, Branding, marketing strategy, Niche Marketing, platform, Start with Why, word of mouth - Tags: becoming a hub, communicating value, irresistible offers, niche, trusted advisor

marketing lessons from a sex workshop

By: Tad | Published: July 18, 2011 · 1 Comment

Soooo . . . I went to a sex workshop recently.

My colleague Jessica O’Reilly (pictured here) was in town from Toronto (where I do a lot of work) leading a workshop. She’d come to my event when I was in Toronto and I’d never seen her work so she invited me on down.

The workshop was brilliant but it also lifted up a big time marketing lesson that I know a lot of people struggle with: do you sell them what they want or what you think they need?

You want to help people. People who are stuck. And you’ve probably got a really clear point of view about why they’re so stuck. So you want to get at the root of the problem. So you offer up a product or service that really strikes at the root.

And then no one buys it.

An interview with Jessica follows. We explore themes of the irresistible offer and an unexpected take on being generous in marketing.

what is a sexologist?

A sexologist studies the cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects of sexuality and many sexologists work in education, research and clinical practice.

when did you start running workshops?

I’ve been running sexological workshops for four years on a number of topics ranging from HIV/AIDS to sexual pleasure techniques.

when we spoke you mentioned that your workshops seemed to fill faster than other workshops on Tantra. they’re both about sex but yours seem to attract more attention. why is that?

That’s true.

I’ve coordinated technique-based workshops as well as Tantra workshops and the former are far more popular.

It seems that more people are interested in the immediate take-home approach with regard to improving their sex life as opposed to long-term or broader scope topics which require more work and follow-through.

That’s not to say that there isn’t interest in Tantra or longer-term learning, but in my experience, there are more people interested in “quick fix” approaches to improving their sex lives. And that’s okay, because sometimes just attending a short workshop can help people to broaden their horizons and generate a meaningful dialogue about sex, communication and intimacy.

what are the titles of your workshops, how did you come up with them and how important do you think titles are?

I have a huge list of workshops (http://www.jessicaoreilly.com/m3.php — fun ones are at the bottom of the page) and I came up with the titles on my own. Titles are extremely important and I think I could actually use some help to make them a bit catchier — but I definitely want to ensure that the title accurately reflects the content, so that people know what they’re signing up for.

you’ve got these workshops called “Blow His Mind” and “Blow Her Mind”. I love those as titles. They short. Snappy. Sassy. But they also speak to the result you’re offering. were those the first titles you came up with?

Yes. They’re the first titles I came up with — I think sometimes your first instinct is the one to go with.

and what’s your understanding of why people come to a sex workshop? what are they REALLY wanting from it? Obviously to become better and more skilled lovers – but why? what’s in it for them do you think? and is it different between men and women why they come?

Yes.

People come to my workshops because they want to be better in bed — for themselves and for their partners. They also want to boost their self-esteem. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I’ve learned a lot over the years and I remind clients that I can help them fill up their sexual tool box and then they can pick and choose according to their mood and their partners’ interests.

Both men and women want to learn specific techniques, but I do find there are more women interested in learning about their own bodies and their own sexual response. And overall, women seem to be more open to learning about sexual technique — at least in a group setting.

we spoke about how selling quick fix techniques vs. deeper solutions. what’s your take on this?

As a sexologist and as an entrepreneur, it’s my job to meet people where they are. What I believe as a professional is often less important than what a client believes — ultimately a client is the ultimate expert in his/herself.

So, even if I think that a workshop on communication skills would be of greatest benefit to a client’s sex life, if that person would rather learn some basic touching techniques, they’re likely going to benefit more from the latter since the buy-in is stronger. And when you give people what they want (as opposed to what you think will work), you’re building relationships and trust — in many cases, they’ll come back for more and be more receptive to your professional recommendations.

so you’re saying if you offer them what they WANT upfront (often based on the symptoms they’re experiencing and their sense of why they are experiencing them) then it’s easier to offer them what they need?

Tad here . . . Let me go smaller for a moment . . . this makes a lot of sense to me. if people think, ‘my sex life isn’t good because i’m lacking techniques’ – that’s a certain point of view. it’s their belief about why they’re struggling. and what i’m hearing here is that it’s better and easier (and maybe more loving) in the beginning to agree with this and give them that so you can build up the trust and credibility and even offer them a different world view that might be more accurate. but if you don’t get them in the door at all then there’s no chance to build trust at all. i wonder if too much marketing is trying to change people’s point of view (which is incredibly hard).

it has me think that a really important question in marketing is: ‘why do people you’re trying to reach THINK they have the problem they have?’ and then, ‘what’s an offering i could create that would align with that point of view?’.

it further strikes me that making an aligned offer isn’t the same as agreeing with them. it’s not saying, ‘your point of view is right’. it’s just saying, ‘okay. so you believe _______? wonderful. let’s start with that then.’

that feels really gracious but also way more effective. it’s speaking to where they’re at right now – but also what they BELIEVE about why they’re there.

any more thoughts on this Jessica?

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head.

You have to give people what they want first and address the issues/needs that they see as most pressing.

It’s not about what I think as an expert, but what they feel they need. I’m not in the business of changing people’s points of view. I do try to offer a broad perspective, so they can make empowered, informed decisions, but ultimately, if everyone shared the same point of view on sex, my job would quickly become obsolete. When I think about any of the creative services I offer, I begin by posing the questions my clients might have. I ask myself, what are the three big questions people want answered with regard to a topic and then I build from there.

For more info on Jessica and her work you can go to: http://jessicaoreilly.com/

| Categories: The Irresistible Offer - Tags: communicating value, generosity based business, irresistible offers, pink spoons, point of view, trusted advisor

the backstage pass: a simple idea to get people super interested in your workshops

By: Tad | Published: May 10, 2011 · Leave a Comment

This is the coolest idea for event promotion.

Let’s say you’ve got a multiday workshop, gathering or retreat that you do on an ongoing basis and you’re wanting to build interest in it.

Or maybe it’s an annual party your business hosts.

But you’re struggling. I mean, sure – you’ve got your sales letter up and you might even be doing some live intros – but you know there’s a magic that happens at it that is just plain hard to describe. People who go are transformed, empowered, networked and excited. They love it. They rave about it! You know that once people experience it they ‘get it’.

But . . . what else can you do to get them there?

My colleagues Jeffrey Van Dyk and Suzanne Falter Barns have a very cool idea: share video ‘highlights’ from it. They’ll be doing this for their Spiritual Marketing Quest next weekend in San Francisco (at which I’ll be hosting the Friday night social event).

Have someone film the event and then release some of the ‘best bits’ online during the course of the weekend itself so people can be getting a ‘taste’ of it in almost real time.

This could include footage of you . . .

presenting some of your very best content

getting prepped ‘backstage‘ and sharing what’s on your mind

debriefing what you learned at the end of the day

coaching someone on stage and helping them have a breakthrough

participants sharing a key lesson or idea that they got from your weekend that others might find valuable

If it were more of a party thing: it might just be some b-roll of the party and fun interviews with all of the wonderful people there.

You get the idea.

A few other ideas to make this work better:

it’s free – don’t charge money for these.

be generous. Don’t just give them a thirty second clip. Think 5 – 20 minutes long. Give them real value. Give them substance.

send them out in ‘real time’. Set it up so they can subscribe to get them and send out three or four over the course of the day so they can sort of ‘join you’ at the event. Make it a real, old fashioned ‘event’. It’s a happening!

make sure each video ends with a next step. Who knows, they might just love it! And if they do, they’ll want to know what’s available next. That might be a link to the sales letter for your next event. It might be a link to go to a place where they can buy the homestudy version. Or it might just tell them where to get more cool stuff.

film your event and offer a ‘home study’ version of it with video and workbooks. You can offer this to those who attended and those who signed up for your ‘backstage’ videos.

Some more reasons to check out their videos:

A few weeks ago, I shared a call they led about how your ‘deepest wound is your truest niche’. I met Jeffrey last year and was just blown away by his take on the whole question on niche and target marketing. It’s one of the most authentic and thoughtful approaches to the subject that I’ve ever heard. I’ll be sharing more about that down the road.

But, if you’re struggling with this whole question of ‘niche’ then I can’t recommend a better source of guidance for you. Really.

How to identify and build your business around an authentic niche is the whole focus of their three day Spiritual Marketing Quest (it’s like a three-day Indian wedding for the soul of your business – beautiful pageantry, ceremony, spiritual connection, and thoughtful processes that lead you back to yourself at the core of your being). Amazing.

There’s a lot of buzz in the marketplace about this weekend. More than 130 folks are attending as of this emailing.

CLICK HERE.

| Categories: event promotion, marketing tactics - Tags: becoming a hub, building trust, communicating value, generosity based business, pink spoons

hot copywriter vrinda normand schools us with seven copy writing case studies

By: Tad | Published: April 27, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Articulating what you do can be really hard.

My friend Vrinda Normand (pictured right) might just be able to help you.

(She’s just released a brilliant, free Special Report from Vrinda called: “You’re About to Discover the Essential Secrets for a 6-Figure Online Business That Makes Money While You Sleep…“. You can learn more about when you CLICK HERE.)

Here’s the challenge for most people . . .

Either what we do isn’t common enough for people to be familiar with it or it’s so common that everyone and their dog does it and we have a hard time articulating what it is about the WAY we do that makes us so unique.

To make matters worse – we’re often the worst people to try to find the words to describe what we do because we’re so close to it. Almost every entrepreneur I know struggles with this. Recently I went on a search to find examples of really great homepages. And I found almost none. So few.

Most people need some good old fashioned handholding from an outsider who knows how to use words. A good copywriter is worth their weight in gold.

I met Vrinda at a party in Santa Cruz, California a few years ago and liked her right away. We lost touch and the next thing I knew she was a copywriting genius taking the marketing world by storm.

Recently, I sat down with her over the phone for 30 minutes to get her take on my sales letter for my Marketing 101 for Holistic Practitioners weekend workshop.

Noteable quotes from her include, ” . . . are those links to other sites on your sales page? . . .“

She lovingly slapped me silly and easily made my sales letter four times better than it had been before by helping me remove the things that didn’t need to be there and rearticulate what was there in a more powerful and clear way. She also reminded me about the importance of offering people an irresistible free gift as a generous sample offering.

Quite simply, she’s brilliant.

But don’t take my word for it – I want you to check out the seven case studies below. In most of them, you’ll read a ‘before’ version of a mini ad and then her re-done ‘after’ version.

Example 1

Before:

This excerpt written by Anastasia Netri for her Entrepreneurial Goddess Telesummit.

On this Very Special Telesummit, you will learn from some of the World’s Top Business Women Leaders how they Grew a Successful Business, Helped Thousands of People, and Stayed Connected with Their Feminine Power

Strategies for Aligning Your Business Team

Embrace the Joy in Your Business

Uncover and Integrate Your Deepest Passions Into Your Life

How to Balance Between Your Masculine and Feminine Energy

After:

Attention Women Entrepreneurs:

“Finally…the Truth About What It Takes to Lead With Your Feminine Power, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive in Your Business…”

Hear real life stories about how strong women leaders faced burnout and overwhelm

Learn the common leadership mistakes others have made…and how you can avoid them

Discover what it means to lead like a woman and a feminine goddess

Learn how powerful women have struggled with fear and self-doubt

Example 2

This excerpt written by Keri Newell, Relationship Coach.

Are You Sick & Tired of Wasting Time With the Wrong Men?
Don’t Go On Another Date Until You Read This…

Example 3

This excerpt written by Rose Cole, Holistic Nutrition Coach.

“How I DOUBLED my energy – all naturally – and lost those last 20 pounds for good…“

Example 4

Before:

This excerpt written by Amy Miyamoto for her program, Social Media Made Simple.

The myths that discourage most people from believing they can succeed with social media—and the shift you must make to see results

How to avoid the most frequent mistakes being made in social media which can instantly sabotage your chances for success

Why your personal brand must be crystal clear before you dive in and the best methods for easily achieving that clarity

How to implement a few simple but efficient strategies you can use over and over to give you maximum visibility in minimum time

The best strategies to remove the time-sucks from your social media activities and allow you to focus on activities that make you money

After:

“Finally…The Step-by-Step Program to Quickly EXPLODE Your Business Online and Make 1,000’s of Lucrative Relationships…Even if You Don’t Have a Clue Where to Begin!”

Discover how social networking websites can open a floodgate of possibilities to attract new clients

Make personal connections with high-level business owners(people you never thought you’d get to meet)

Build a dynamic, influential network from the comfort of your home

Avoid costly mistakes that could ruin your professional image

Powerfully network on Facebook and Twitter in less than 15 minutes a day

Avoid common time-wasting traps

Example 5

This excerpt written by Dana Davis for her information product.

How to Eliminate Your Back Pain, Sit in Exquisite Comfort, and Transform Your Posture So You Can Stay Active at Any Age!

Example 6

Before:

This excerpt written by Shana James, relationship coach.

The Real Woman’s Guide to Real Love
5 Secrets to Inspire A Man to Give You the Deep Connection AND Passion You Long For

How To Bring All Of You…Your Anger, Sadness, Fear and Desires…Without Scaring A Man Away

The Keys To Creating Profound Connection With A Man, Even When You Feel Lonely or Unsatisfied

The Magic Steps to Discover Your Most Heart-felt Desires (even when you think you can’t have them)

The Secrets to Having More Guilt-Free Pleasure While Calling Out A Man’s Power and Confidence

How to Avoid the Key Mistakes A Woman Makes When Asking For What She Wants

After:

How to Attract An Extraordinary Man …Without Compromising Yourself

Feel more comfortable being who you are, even around the men you’re most attracted to

Learn the subtle art of drawing men to you and making them genuinely interested in ALL of YOU

Be able to ask for what you want from a man without seeming demanding or needy

Make yourself irresistible with less effort and a lot more fun

Discover the unconscious ways you’re not giving men a chance — and potentially missing out on a really great catch

Example 7

This excerpt written by Shana James, relationship coach.

“If You’re FED UP With Settling For Less, Doubting Yourself, or Feeling ALONE…

Then Keep Reading Because You Can Become the RADIANT, Confident Woman Men Find Irresistible and Won’t Want To Let Go Of…”

To get a really quite brilliant, free Special Report from Vrinda called:

“You’re About to Discover the Essential Secrets for a 6-Figure Online Business That Makes Money While You Sleep…”

CLICK HERE

| Categories: Great Ads to Learn From, Sales Letters - Tags: communicating value

tell them a story

By: Tad | Published: April 6, 2011 · 2 Comments

So, I’m about to hit the road on tour with my workshops. I might even be coming to your town.

And so I need to describe my workshops to people. You might be in the same boat – needing to describe something that’s . . . complicated. Maybe it’s a service, or maybe it’s a workshop. And one of the best ways to do this is to tell them a story. Help describe the experience in such rich and vivid detail that they really, really ‘get’ what it’s going to be like.

Last week, I wrote up something for my weekend Marketing 101 for Holistic Practitioners workshop and I shared it with one of my favourite marketing colleagues, Carrie Klassen of Pink Elephant Communications. She read it and said, “All day long, I am telling clients “tell me what to expect… tell me what it will look like and what it will feel like.. make me already there… be kind and set me at ease.” Tell me a story!“

It’s not about just listing features and benefits. It’s about putting them into the experience itself. It’s not about focusing on what you’re going to give them – but what they’re going to receive. Not focusing only on the content you’re giving them, but on the context they’ll be experiencing. It’s about immersing their imagination into it before they have to risk spending their time and money. It’s about humanizing it.

When you tell stories like this it warms your marketing right up. It’s like serving your marketing with a nice, wool sweater and cup of herbal tea.

So, I thought I’d share it with you to see what you think and welcome your ideas for improvement.

What do you think?

Here’s what Your Weekend Might Look Like:

Let me paint the scene . . .

tell them a story On Friday night you arrive from a busy day excited about the weekend. The workshop space is naturally lit, beautiful and casual (maybe a community hall or funky university classroom or a room at a local arts center – definitely not a Hotel Meeting Room). Slowly people start to arrive. And they’re all people like you. They’re quirky, fun, open-minded and excited to meet you. You grab a seat at a table where you’re joined by four others and you all start chatting right away. You like these people.

The facilitator (that’s me!) grabs a seat at the front of the room and warmly welcomes you to the weekend. ‘For this weekend,’ he says. ‘Your marketing is my problem.’ You immediately relax.

You then take about a minute each to introduce yourselves to the whole group – who you are and what you do. You’re happy it’s done in a casual and relaxed way instead of those forced and lame icebreakers some people make you do. And, not once are you asked to high five your neighbour. Thank. God.

tell them a story This is followed by ten minutes in small groups where you share where you’re struggling. You’re surprised to hear your story being repeated by everyone at the table. All of the problems you’re struggling with, they’re also struggling with. It feels so good not to feel alone or crazy. It seems everyone’s got the same issues.

Then the facilitator gets up and starts to go over The Journey (watch the nine minute video above to see it for yourself now). And things start clicking into place for you. Suddenly years of fuzziness around marketing start to come into focus.

With that framework in place, you’re invited to find a partner and ‘interview’ each other. It’s still early in the weekend – so you pick someone safe to work with. You find a quiet area of the room and begin the interview process. Over the next thirty minutes, your partner asks your four questions: where do you want to be with your marketing? Where are you now? What’s in the gap? What do you already know you need to do? They’re such simple questions but as you speak, you begin to realize, ‘No one’s ever really asked me these questions before! I’ve never really, really thought about all of this.’ You start to answer but the more you speak the deeper you go.

Thankfully your partner has been instructed that they’re not allowed to give you any advice. They’re just there to listen and ask questions that might help you get clearer about the nature of your own situation.

By the end of the thirty minutes – you’re not where you thought you’d be. The things you started with only half an hour ago were only the surface – and you’ve had the chance to go several levels deeper. You’ve actually never felt so clear.

Wow. It feels good to be listened to.

The evening wraps up some leisurely time to talk about the exercise and ask any questions that are on you mind. You go home – your mind feeling clearer but stimulated. You have a great sleep.

You show up at a very civilized 10am on Saturday morning (you’re so glad he doesn’t start his workshops at 8am) and the day starts with a casual conversation to see if there are any questions since the evening before. You’re really enjoying the casual but focused pacing of the weekend.

Over the day, you learn about the Top Ten Must Have Tools for any practitioner to grow their practice. You’re happy to discover that you already have some of them! And some you never even thought of. But it feels great to at least know what’s missing and where you can improve what you’ve got.

In the morning you talk about the first four tools: Specialization, Website, Photo and Bio. It all makes sense and you can begin to feel the gears turning. Already, you feel like you’ve learned more about marketing than you have since you started your career.

Lunch comes at 1pm and you’re delighted to find it’s an hour and half. You hate rushed meal times at lunches. You all trundle out to that local, organic cafe that you love. The one with the great soups. You enjoy a relaxed meal together – the conversation shifting easily from what you learned this morning to good old fashioned getting to know each other. And . . . these people are amazing. Even that person you were secretly annoyed by on Friday night – you’re warming to. What a story she has!

You enjoy a leisurely walk back to the workshop space and are invited to sit with some new people.

Saturday afternoon begins. And then for the next ninety minutes you delve deep into that thing that’s been frustrating you for years. How you articulate and describe what you do. You’ve pulled your hair out over this one for a long time and seen a lot of people go glassy eyed and say, ‘that’s interesting . . .’. They didn’t get it.

You learn the two main things that make people confused and then you’re given a simple, six step, fill in the blanks template to articulate what you do. And it makes sense! You really like it.

So, you go around your table with everyone doing their best to fill in the blanks for their business. And people start nodding. You find yourself looking at that new age practitioner across the table and thinking, ‘oh! NOW I get what you do.’ (of course – you never told her you didn’t understand her explanation on Friday night – no one ever does). When it comes to you, you do your best and you see a similar reaction. Oh my god! People are actually getting it!

To make it better, after each person goes – you’re invited to take a few minutes to share what you noticed worked and didn’t work. When it comes to you, your nervous. But to your delight much of the feedback is really positive, ‘I loved this part of your story!’ says one fellow. ‘I love how clear you were about the problem you solve,’ says a woman across from you. And then they also share where it didn’t work for them – and you have to agree. They give you some suggestions on how to improve it and you begin to feel excited to try this out on your friends.

You take a 15 minute break and when you come back, someone from the group has been invited to lead a 5 minute energizing stretch.

Over the rest of the day you cover the remaining five tools: your database, your hubs database (don’t worry you’ll learn all about what ‘hubs’ are a little further down in the letter), testimonials and case studies, email newsletters and sales funnels. It’s a lot to take in, but it all makes sense.

The day ends at 6:30pm and you trundle off to dinner with some of the new friends you’ve met. Your brain feels full – but in a good way.

tell them a story Then Saturday evening at 8pm, you grab a bottle of locally made, organic wine and make your way over to this cool, local community space for that evening’s Indigo Drinks. It’s a casually catered party for the participants of the weekend plus other local leaders in the holistic field. You’ve wanted to meet a bunch of these people for years now: there’s the woman who runs the local holistic magazine, the fellow who opened up that new center everyone’s talking about, the fellow who runs the local holistic association and even your favourite yoga teacher will be there! You wouldn’t miss it for the world.

The evening is filled with delightful people, sparkling conversation and new connections. You really enjoy the time to just hang out with your classmates without having to talk about marketing or business. At around 9pm, everyone gets into a cozy little circle and has thirty seconds to introduce themselves and what they’re up to. And that quiet lady who you hadn’t met yet ends up sharing a project that is exactly what you’d been thinking of yourself! As soon as the circle breaks, you make a bee line for her and discover you’re kindred spirits.

You stay up a little later than intended but eventually make it home and go to sleep excited for the last day of the workshop.

tell them a story On Sunday morning at 10am, you show up so excited to begin the day. Again, it starts with some open time for questions.

And then you dive into the part of the weekend you’ve been most excited about: The Top Ten Marketing Paths.

Tad explains that there are really only ten ways he knows of to get clients. And that they ALL work. They only question is: ‘which one is the best fit for you?’. This is a huge relief for you. You’ve been to other workshops and teleseminars where they spent hours telling you, ‘You have to use social media!’ or ‘You have to start doing workshops.’ And that had you feeling horrible. After all, you hate doing those things.

Over the day, you learn about the different paths available to you. You learn about: writing, presenting, networking, PR, social media, advertising, online presentations, client care, hosting and doing free sessions.

By Sunday afternoon three of those jump out at you as the most exciting. To your delight, you’re encouraged to mostly forget about the other ones and focus on those three. ‘I can do this!’ you think to yourself. And for the first time in years, marketing. feels. fun.

By the end of the day, your brain feels full. And thankfully, the day ends with you taking some time to review your notes and plan out your next steps. Immediately, you feel less overwhelmed and a clear sense of direction.

You’ve made such wonderful connections with people and you make arrangements to follow up with some of them to work on your marketing together.

You decided to attend on the pay what you can basis and you’re nervous that what you’re paying isn’t enough. You’d like to give more – but you’re reassured that whatever you pay is perfect. And you get that Tad really means it. You slip your payment in an envelope and put it in his bag at the front like he asked you to and, after a few hugs, make your way home.

What a great weekend.

| Categories: event promotion, Sales Letters - Tags: building trust, communicating value, safety, stories

analysis of a very fine ad

By: Tad | Published: February 1, 2011 · 4 Comments

So, a lot of people write ads that get them no response. Which is a drag.

Here’s one that I really like (and can promise it’s getting a good response). It’s for a workshop my colleague Callan Rush is running.

It was featured in the Body, Soul & Spirit magazine recently. It’s an holistic health magazine.

Here’s what works about it:

1) A solid and clear headline: “Fill Your Workshops . . . with EASE!” Just reading that headline, I know who it’s for, the problem it solves and the result it offers. In five words! Amazing.

2) The sub headline: “Avoid the 3 Massive Mistakes Workshop Leaders Make that Keep Their Event Rooms Empty!” Bam. This speaks to the very real experience many workshop leaders have and has me wondering, ‘what are these three mistakes?’

3) Benefits: She keeps it simple by articulating the most important things I’ll be getting form the workshop.

4) Clear times and dates (you’d be shocked how often this is NOT clear).

5) She tells me what to do. “Call Sue”. And she gives me a reason to call, “It’s free when you pre-register”. And I’d rather not pay $15 at the door.

6) This is most important: this ad is in a magazine read by many people who lead workshops! She’s put the ad in the right kind of place. This simple notion is so often overlooked.

| Categories: Great Ads to Learn From - Tags: communicating value, irresistible offers, relevance

telling your story

By: Tad | Published: January 26, 2011 · 2 Comments

My dear friend and mentor Caroline Casey shared once the idea that she wanted everything in her home to have a story, to know where it came from and how it was made.

There’s something about knowing the story of a thing that makes us appreciate it.

Let me suggest that depth matters in marketing – and is vitally needed in this world. That this world has given us a terribly untrue story about where things come from and so we have lost appreciation for what it takes to create things.

Meat comes from Safeway. Burgers from McDonalds. Coffee from Starbucks. Sweaters come from Walmart. And yet they came from factory farms, plantations and sweatshops.

Not that we would know.

And yet so many good, green, wonderful projects struggle. And I think it’s because, in part, that we haven’t been very good at telling our stories.

A piece of art is just a piece of art until we know the story of heartbreak behind its creation. A meal is just a meal until you hear the farmers tell you the stories of where it grew. A song is just a song – until you learn the story behind it.

Are you telling the story of how your beautiful offerings to the world came to be? Are you telling your clients about the hours, the heartache, the money spent, the sweat poured out to create what you are offering them now?

You can do this in your bio by writing a more in depth and human bio. To learn how CLICK HERE.

Here’s another beautiful and sweet example of this in action from my dear old friend Daniel Sperry.