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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

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.

If you’d like get cool posts like this in your inbox every few days CLICK HERE to subscribe to my blog and you’ll also get a free copy of my fancy new ebook “Marketing for Hippies” when it’s done.

| 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

case study: panty by post

By: Tad | Published: September 8, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Natalie Grunberg (pictured below) had an idea for a business.

Mail women pretty panties. Once a month.

This business is a brilliant example of some many things: niche marketing (panties are for women), having a point of view (it’s about confidence), having a simple, well crafted offer (a pretty panty. mailed monthly), doing something provocative that gets people talking (panties!).

What is the name of your project?

PantyByPost.com!

What’s the story of how this came about? What was the need you saw in the community that it emerged from?

PantyByPost.com is an online business that sends a pretty panty every month in the mail to your loved one, or maybe to you (you deserve it)!

I thought of the idea on a trip to Paris some years ago and the plan was to spread the confidence of those enchanting and stylish French women. That’s exactly what we’ve done, one panty at a time (wink).

I saw a need, to spread French style all over the world. Even if your daily uniform is a Lululemon pant, you can wear a panty by post panty and feel better. Self confidence may just start with the panty you choose to wear. My company helps to make women’s panty drawers sexier, more colourful and playful.

Can you share a few examples of how your project works?

We always support local charities and we are collecting panties right now to donate to the Vancouver Downtown Eastside Women’s Center. Some of our customers have even donated a month of their subscription to the Center, which is very cool. We are currently supporting a local theater group in Victoria BC by outfitting their set with panties (it’s called NANA’S NAUGHTY KNICKERS).

To order a subscription you click on the shop button and select the line, Signature or Bridal and then proceed through to check out. It’s very easy! We ship worldwide now, so there…your whole Christmas list is done!

Who do you find it’s working best for?

Women made up our biggest supporters when we launched. Now the men are starting to hear the good news! Men like to gossip too, so our customers are a pretty even split of men and women.

What are the top three most effective ways you’ve found to market this?

Online marketing for an online business is the best approach. Magazine and newspaper advertising doesn’t work. PR is the most important fuel for customer acquisition but after you have enough customers and you prove you have an incredible service and product, they will talk. My customer to customer referrals and referral perks (one free panty for every customer you refer) are how I gain more traction.

What are the three biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?

Don’t risk more then you have.
Trust your gut, listen to others and then make the choice that is right for you. Always do the honest and right thing. Never let money ruin relationships.
Nurture relationships authentically. Be real.

What does that mean for you? “Nurture relationships authentically”

Many business people share that relationships are what matter. I added the nurture and the authentically component mostly as a response to some of my early experiences. Be real and be yourself. I really don’t like it when people are just trying to get something from me. I’m not a big fan of business mixers or networking. I find it to be a huge effort, it’s unnatural to be so self serving.

It’s icky.

By all means, get out there and make connections but for me I like to keep it small and keep it humble.

What’s been most effective for you in the online marketing arena?

CPC, cost per click advertising has been effective. We use Adroll to help remind customers who have visited our site, which is a good marketing tool. Bloggers from all over the world help spread the word about PBP and they do it very authentically because they get a panty by post to try.

What’s the next level for your project? What are you most excited about that’s coming up?

We are going international BIG TIME! We have our first international office in Moscow and our next operation opens in Paris this November. How exciting! We will continue to create relationships in other languages and in other countries. This is the jet setting (and carbon offsetting) that I dream of doing!

At its heart – what is this project really about for you?

At the heart of PBP there are two old fashioned ideas: customer service is key and self confidence comes from within.

We have been told we go above and beyond the call of duty for customers, but we don’t see it that way. Doing a job well and promptly makes us feel good. As the owner of the company, I set the tone. I’m an absolute perfectionist because having a top notch consumer experience is rare these days. When PBP staff delivers incredible service, every day, we make customers happy and they return.

This seems so basic but I can’t tell you the last time I had a quality “old fashioned” consumer experience. It’s our edge in a competitive online shopping environment.

The other pillar of the company is about confidence. I was inspired by the women in France and they continue to remind me (lucky me I go to France each summer) that looking beautiful is about self respect. French women put effort into their appearance and so do the men for that matter.

It’s a different ethic and for me, I think it represents their commitment to finding beauty and style everywhere, spreading that style and also enjoying the pleasures of life. Everywhere you look in France people have put effort into beautifying their environment. The least I can do is run a company that makes getting a French style panty easier.

Now those of us non-Frenchies have no excuse.

What has the response been this this project?

Each year PBP builds and grows. I put very little money into advertising because our product and excellent service does the work of spreading the word of PBP. Men especially seem to appreciate the gift giving service. We basically are the answer to all their gift giving issues.

Why do you think your customers love you so much?

Our customers love us because of our high quality of service but really our product is very unique and totally fabulous The panties are very special, colourful and sexy. Once you start wearing our panties, it’s shocking that you once settled for plain Jockeys or Victoria Secret. Our panties are accessibly priced (about $16 per panty), durable but mostly they are adorable

You’ve got such a unique idea that I imagine a lot of PR came from that – but what are the three biggest tips you could give people to be ready for it, get it and take advantage of it?

Get a communication coach. We had Maria LeRose coach us at the very beginning and throughout our launch. Having a profession coach like Maria will help you get clear on your company goals and will make your media interviews really stand out. She videotaped us and we reviewed the way we looked and the way we delivered our story. This kind of practice is key.
Hire a professional PR person to work with you on your media pitches. We had a coach for 3 months to support us to improve our media writing and understand what the media is looking for.
Start local and aim national. There is no such thing as a small enough media outlet.

If people want to find out more about your project, support it or get involved – what should they do?

Email us,

Anything else you’d like to add?

If you think panties don’t matter, try a panty by post and I beg to differ. We have something special here! Oh yah, right now I’m wearing a Raven Beauty hipster in noir. It has buttons all down the derriere and when I wear them I feel like a Paris runway model (note: I’m 5’2″, so clearly the panties give me super powers).

| Categories: Case Studies of Inspiring Business, Niche Marketing, The Irresistible Offer, word of mouth - Tags: irresistible offers, real

the four stages all clients must go through

By: Tad | Published: September 7, 2011 · Leave a Comment

My colleague Vrinda Normand (pictured here) just wrote a brilliant little piece in her latest newsletter about the four stages clients must, invariably go through before they choose to do business with you. This is a useful shorthand to explore – where are things stuck.

1.    Your potential clients become painfully aware of the problems they’re struggling with. People need to be more conscious of the pain in order to change — because change is uncomfortable. They will be much more hungry for your solution and ready to invest when they are present to the consequences of staying where they are.

2.    They become hopeful about what their life can be like instead. What’s their dream? What results do they want to enjoy? This is where you awaken their desire and give them hope that a new reality IS possible.

3.    They gain TRUST in you and your solution – and they clearly see you’re the best person to help them make this transformation. Your potential clients feel connected to you, like they can really relate to you as a person. They feel like you “get” them, you understand what they need, and you deliver quality and results.

4.    Your potential clients are excited and ready to take the next step with you. They’re hungry for your solution, and they want it now! They’re eager to be free of their problems and create inspiring results with your help. At this point you’ve just helped them say YES to themselves and to getting the support they need to make that change.

In some situations, your clients walk in with the first level handled. They know there’s a problem and they know it must change. Sometimes they’re at level two. They know it must change – and they know that change is possible. Where you start in your marketing will depend on where they’re at. Take a good look and ask yourself where your clients are and where your marketing is.

And often it can take a bit of time to go through these. The one that can take the most time is level three – trust. Building trust is the foundation of any business. This can be done in so many ways: in person through conversation, sharing case studies and stories, doing talks, through having a relevant and uplifting social media presence, through word of mouth and referrals, through a kick ass blog, by becoming an author, getting endorsed by the right person, by taking a stand for something bigger than your business. So many ways. But it must be built. There is no excitement without trust.

Most businesses are stuck at level one. They aren’t speaking to the real life situation that their ideal clients are dealing with – instead their websites and brochures start with “Our company is . . .” and it’s all about them.

The art of writing those first few lines of a website or sales letter is just that . . . an art. But if you can’t establish that first level – that there’s a problem – nothing else will move. Nothing else will happen. Vrinda has written a course about how to write irresistible headlines. You can check it out here.

| Categories: marketing strategy - Tags: building trust, irresistible offers, relevance, safety

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

three marketing lessons from a three day juice fast

By: Tad | Published: June 13, 2011 · 1 Comment

I just successfully completed a three day juice fast and it reminded me about a really important marketing thing.

The fast came about out of the blue. I hadn’t been planning on doing one at all but . . . a few days ago, I got an email from a colleague in Calgary.

She wanted to know if I wanted to do a new, three day juice fast she was involved in.

I’d been thinking about doing a cleanse anyway – so I said sure! Why not.

It turns out she’d helped found a company called Bava Juice that’s all about helping people do juice cleanses.

Here’s what I think they’re doing right – and what you can learn from it.

Bottom line: They made my success so easy.

LESSON #1 – Make it Easy: They sent me a box of 12 bottles of freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juice. One for the morning, one for the afternoon and one for the evening (with a couple of delicious extras for other things).

It felt like I was getting a big Christmas present.

I promptly put all the bottles in my fridge and began the juice fast. I can’t even begin to tell you how much easier it was for me to just pull out a bottle and drink than to go to the grocery store, get my juice supplies, juice a litre of them and then clean the juicer. So easy to avoid doing.

They made it HARD to avoid doing the thing I wanted to do.

Can you do that in your business? How can you set up your offer so that, by engaging with you, it’s really hard to avoid succeeding?

I was tempted to quit so many times. To cheat. But having those bottles there made it not only easy but . . . I would have felt super lame to bail on it so early. Having the bottles felt like a physical sign of my commitment – but also a fun way to keep score and actually see the progress of the empty and cleaned bottles sitting on my counter.

Can you help your clients measure and keep score of their progress in fun ways?

LESSON #2 – Make it an Event: So many programs and offers fall down because they ask way too much of people. They ask people to totally change their lifestyle. Is that what people need? Sure. But if you want the credibility to help them take those steps – you’ve got to win their trust early with immediate results. Give them a win. Help them feel successful and build up their confidence. When you look at the ultimate place you want to take people – what’s a smaller version of that you could offer people.

Examples of this are the 30 Day Yoga Challenge that so many studios run. They’re brilliant. Because a lot of people think, ‘okay. i can do thirty days.’ or a four day meditation retreat. Pick a length of time, or number of sessions that feels like a challenge but also doable.

Make the thing an ‘event’. Make it a ‘happening’. If they’d just shipped me a bunch of bottles to drink it wouldn’t have been as exciting as knowing that they were hosting a ‘cleanse’ on certain dates and did I want to get in on that particular cleanse? And then having my pal Jackie message me on facebook saying, ‘i hear you’re a part of this cleanse? want to be my accountability buddy?’. The fact that we all shared a start and stop date felt exciting.

It also encourages word of mouth – there’s a natural urgency to it. ‘Do you want to do this juice fast with me??’ says the spontaneous text to a friend.

LESSON #3 – Encourage Them on the Way: Every day there was an email from them laying out what that particular day of the fast was about and encouraging people. What can you do to build in systems that help people stay motivated and on track? Could you have emails like this? Send personalized texts? Group calls? In person classes? Create a buddy system? Get creative. People are so much more likely to ‘stick to it’ if they’re not doing it alone.

So many companies focus on GIVING value.

Don’t do that. Focus on how to help your client GET value. How can you set things up in your offer so that their success is actually inevitable if they do their part (and make their part simple).

Make it easy for them to get a small win and they’ll thank you. And send you their friends.

For more info on them: check out their site – www.bavajuice.com

| Categories: Case Studies of Inspiring Business, The Irresistible Offer - Tags: irresistible offers

oakland’s pay what you want holistic clinic

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

Imagine a holistic health clinic where you didn’t have to pay.

Last August, I was emailed a link to a video about just such a clinic in Oakland, California. Since people know I do most of my workshops on a Pay What You Can basis – they tend to send me lots of stories and examples. I watched the video and was so moved and posted it onto my blog.

And then, just a month ago I was in Oakland leading a marketing workshop with my pal Alex Baisley called, ‘Marketing for Hippies and Gyspies’ (myself being the hippie and alex being the gyspie). As we did the introduction circle at the start of the day – a woman, Aumatma Binal Shah (pictured right), introduced herself and the amazing, gift economy holistic health clinic she ran.

Levers and gears clicked in my head. I burst out in the biggest smile and blurted out, ‘You’re on my blog!!!’. I was so excited. I think you will be too when you read about it and watch the video below.

Aumatma’s project – The Karma Clinic – is special, brave and generous. I want to see it get every scrap of support it can. Spread the word.

Below is my interview with her.

What is the name of your project?

Karma Clinic

What’s the story of how this came about? What was the need you saw in the community that it emerged from?

I had a vision when I was 18 that I would be doctor running a ‘free’ clinic.

At the time, I wanted nothing to do with either- medicine or free! Fast forward 4 years of pre-med undergrad and at the end not having a clue what to do with my life since I really did not want to go to medical school, I was discouraged and confused.

At that time, I got a piece of “junk mail” at my parents’ home from a Naturopathic College. I took one look at the curriculum and knew that I was meant to become a Naturopathic Doctor and that I was being called to be of service. Through school, I volunteered at numerous free clinics and noticed that something was missing- people mostly took us for granted, and did not follow the suggestions/ recommendations given to them.

After graduation from Naturopathic school with a Doctorate in Naturopathy and Master’s in Nutrition, I felt the need for an inward journey for discovery and deepening of understanding the world from a wholistic perspective.

That desire led me to a monastery where I spent a year, living mostly in silence, without any contact with money, and lots of time to connect with myself and nature while living harmoniously & sustainably with community and the earth. After a year, I felt called to re-start my service to the world on a broader scale so I left the monastery to join a naturopathic office, with my mentor.

Within a few months, I started to notice a repeated uneasiness in the pit of my stomach after each session, upon walking out of the office and telling the client they now owed us a large sum of money (usually between $300-500). I did not like the equation of this connection and relationship with another person with cash or transaction.

In complete synchro-destiny, I received an email from a dear friend who runs an organization/ hub for gift-economy projects, saying that there was some talk of a ‘karma hospital’- similar to Karma Kitchen, but instead of serving food, the intention was to serve health. Very excited by the possibility, I moved across the country 3 months later, to converse and create with others that were inspired by the same vision.

This closed a loop for me of the vision I had in meditation 10 years prior, and I knew that I was following my path, my truth.

Can you share a few examples of how your project works?

The way it works is: a client contacts me (or some other practitioner within the network) for an appointment. They get sent an extensive questionnaire which they fill out and send back. Then, they make an appointment to come into the office. We have our first session, generally about 2 hours.

At the end of our time together, I say something like (it changes to what’s most authentic in the moment): “Thank you for this opportunity to be of service, and a small conduit for your healing process. I offer this to you as a gift, because there’s no price tag that is enough- and any price is too much! Your session was made possible by someone that came before you and if you wish to pay it forward, so that someone else may have this experience, you can do so- now or at any point in the future.” At that point, the client may have questions, or an offering, or a ‘thank you’ and a hug! All are received with trust and generous heart.

Who do you find it’s working best for?

In terms of the gift-economy component, it works best for those that are wishing to grow in their generosity, don’t have access to medical care and are in need of it, and are willing to make a shift in their life for the better.

In terms of my own specialties, I work with a variety of issues but focus on: anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and stress-induced chronic illness. The reason that I focus on these is that they often get ignored and eventually result in greater imbalances and diseases in the body. So, its the way I feel I can be of the most service to those that need it the most!

how do you deal with the ‘guilt’ that can come up when people are afraid they won’t pay enough – i get this all the time.

The ‘guilt’ is a feeling that’s an internal measure that can actually be used as an indicator light for internal truth, rather than intellectualized truth. However, that feeling of guilt is internal- understanding that it is not coming from the gift-economy practitioner because there’s no pressure to give back in the gift-economy. The “right” amount should feel light and joyous. So, when giving a gift, one should give the amount that feels good- its a different place for everyone, but each individual has that place that feels “light and right” to them! It’s not too much, not too little.

What are the top three most effective ways you’ve found to market this?

I haven’t marketed at all! My clients spread the word all on their own. So, the best thing I have found to do is to be present with the person immediately in front of me.

do you have any fancy marketing and promotion ideas coming up?

No. Just moving with the flow of what the universe brings in.

what advice would you give to someone wanting to try a gift economy approach?

Put on your gear (of compassion and trust) and dive in! It does help to have a mentor though- because inevitably, things arise which need to be talked through. In the beginning, it’s also helpful to have some period of time that your basic needs are met to start out (I say 6 months is a good period of time), to allow yourself to really dive into the gift-economy, without expecting anything in return. Last but not least, connect with community that inspires you and connect with your own gratitude regularly.

What are the three biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?

TRUST. TRUST. TRUST. I have deepened (and continue to deepen) my trust in the universe- that all my needs will be met if I just allow my gifts to flow through me.

What’s the next level for your project? What are you most excited about that’s coming up?

Excited about the growing network of gift-based healers across the country! I am going to be on tour June 5th-July 15th, doing funshops on “Money & Media for healers”. These workshops are also offered on a gift basis and am looking forward to having conversations with other healers around money, sharing gift-economy model for healthcare with them, and inspiring them to try new ways of practicing their art/ service/ gift.

Go watch this little video about the Karma Clinic:

If people want to find out more about your project, support it or get involved – what should they do?

Come visit our site at:

http://www.karmaclinic.org

| Categories: Case Studies of Inspiring Business, holistic practitioners, Political Context for Marketing, PWYC - Tags: authenticity, building trust, generosity based business, holistic practitioners, irresistible offers, safety

Are you Marketing in a Box?

By: Tad | Published: May 16, 2011 · Leave a Comment

In my email recently, I got a newsletter from Maggie Ostara who’s work I’ve just started following. And I think she really nails this whole conversation about niche and the ways that entrepreneurs seem to just fall into ‘the way it’s always been done’. Below is her article . . .

I have a new client who calls himself a personal trainer.

Now the thing is, what this guy does is SOOO much more and so much more cool and important than whatever I think of when I hear the words “personal trainer.”

Okay, yeah, so that’s what he was officially trained in–that’s the box he was given by the people who certified him. But get this–he does not like the gym! In fact, he is against people going to the gym. He thinks people hurt themselves at the gym.

But when people call him, because he’s a personal trainer, they ask him where his gym is.

Get the contradiction?

Do you see how that label, that box, does not suit him, and in fact is probably hurting his sales and marketing?

Not only this, but if he markets to people who are looking for fitness, he’s got an upstream flow to battle.

What I mean by that is that people who are looking for fitness are expecting certain things. They expect a gym. They expect to work out, to lose weight, to get stronger. There’s nothing wrong with all that. Except that the main stream ways of doing those things actually hurt your body a lot.

So my client actually helps people relate to their bodies, and learn to move, in entirely new ways that build flexibility, mobility, inner strength and stability. And as a consequence, they gain confidence, they look better, they have more vitality, stamina, a broad perspective, more drive.

Can you see how what he’s offering, positioned differently, outside the box, could make his business entirely different?

See, I know all of you out there spend too much time at your computers and on the phone, sitting. Sitting, sitting, sitting. You and everyone else these days. And as busy entrepreneurs, could you use a simple practice that would help you look better, feel more vitality, give you more confidence, ease your body aches and bring you more stamina? Well hell yeah, as my coach would say.

What if my client were to get more in touch with what you are really looking for–you want to look good when you’re on stage or for your photos and network meetings (or those snapshots that keep showing up on Facebook), right?

You want to feel good without having to go to the gym. I know I do–I hate the gym. I would never go look for a personal trainer–yuck. But what this guy does, so man, yes I want that.

But in his box, if he weren’t my client, I would never find him, and he wouldn’t find me because he’s not marketing to me. He’s in the box he was certified into.

Can you see that?

As soon as he steps outside that box, and starts really looking at all of the people who need what he offers, and gets in touch with what they want, wow a whole new world opens up.

Where are you in a box in your marketing? Are you just thinking of people to market to who are like you? I see healers only market to each other–it’s crazy! Do you know how many people out there need the services of healers, coaches, and yes, leading edge personal trainers? Millions and I am not kidding.

But if all you ever do is to talk to other healers, coaches and personal trainers you are living inside a box.

This is a comfort zone issue, isn’t it? Because you know people who are in the box with you. You speak the same language. You have agreements about what is important. But let me ask you, how big a contribution are you really making if you are just talking with people like yourself, if you just use your specialized language. Do you want your village to be monolingual or multi-lingual? I may only know English, baby, but I am multi-lingual English! And it’s more fun that way. Reach out, find out what people outside your box want and need? Listen. Communicate.

And you know what, when you do that, you can make WAY more money, too.

Way more.

Because you create specialized solutions for people in a different industry where they need and want what you’ve got but they don’t entirely know it yet–and you can show them how you are the solution to the problem that is making them miserable, or stressed, or sick, or broke–you have got an out-of-the-box breakthrough happening. And that means more money for you. Give it a try–and make sure you hit reply and tell me how it goes!

Maggie Ostara, PhD is a Soul Healer and Strategic Marketing Expert. She draws on her many years as a successful business owner to support healers, teachers, and coaches to get their work out to the world, and make their contribution to the New World Age now emerging.

She combines a strong intellectual background with intuition and body wisdom for a grounded, powerful, expansive, nurturing and insightful way of facilitating your business and spiritual growth. Her credentials include being a multiple-published author,Certified Clarity Breathwork trainer and practitioner, a qualified Awakening Your Light Body teacher, former Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Columbia University in New York.

Do you love what you do, but hates marketing and sales? Learn an entirely new way of marketing called “Creating Money by Creating Community” with Maggie’s free teleseminar available at www.soulsignaturemarketing.com

If you’d like get cool posts like this in your inbox every few days CLICK HERE to subscribe to my blog and you’ll also get a free copy of my fancy new ebook “Marketing for Hippies” when it’s done.

| Categories: holistic practitioners, Niche Marketing, quality of life, word of mouth - Tags: authenticity, irresistible offers

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

Selling Preventative Maintenance? Good Luck

By: Tad | Published: November 3, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Another no holds barred article from Richard Harshaw of MYM Marketing.

If you have lofty dreams of helping people to handle their problems before they become big – you might want to read this. If you’re an holistic practitioner wanting to get people to come in to improve their already great health . . . you might want to read this first.

Last summer on our annual “pack six kids into the van and test our sanity as we drive 3,500 miles” trip, we decided to ditch the interstate and take some scenic back roads through Colorado. We had a pleasant drive through the mountains along some rivers and other nature-looking stuff, then headed west on Highway 82 up toward Independence pass on our way to Aspen. We were surprised to see deep snow on the ground at the pass—my native Texan kids rarely see any snow at any time back home—let alone in July. So we stopped for a quick snowball fight.

Funny thing about living in flat-as-a-pancake Texas, you never really have to drive in the mountains much. So as we descended from the pass toward Aspen, I had no idea I was making a serious driving error—I was using my brakes to slow down our 29,000 pound 15-passenger monstrosity of a van instead of downshifting. Who knew?

About 20 minutes into the descent, the van started to shimmy every time I applied the brakes. Being a clueless nut, I figured it must have been a flat tire. I pulled over, hopped out, and circled the van to inspect each Goodyear individually. About halfway around, I noticed a bad smell coming from the van—sort of a burning, overheating, smoldering smell. It finally dawned on me that my tires were fine but my brakes were three seconds short of bursting into flames.

I got back in the car and explained to my wife what the situation was. Naturally, she was alarmed, and in addition to downshifting to slow the vehicle from that point forward, we agreed that we’d stop in Aspen and have a mechanic inspect the brakes and tell us how bad the brake damage was. I put $5 on the mechanic not being able to suppress his laughter as I explained how being an idiot redneck from Texas caused all of this.

20 minutes later we finally reached the valley and the quaint little village of Aspen. The city planners must be trying to avoid conducting any kind of commerce in the city—at least that’s what I deduced after the main road shot straight through town without passing so much as a Dairy Queen. Apparently they thought it would make their quaint town quainter if a highway wasn’t busting through the shopping district. Long story short—Aspen came and went without any sign of any place to get the bad brakes checked out.

But you know what? Turns out, it didn’t matter. Because by the time we arrived in Aspen, the cool mountain air had evidently cooled off my brakes. The bad smell was gone, the shimmy was gone, and the brakes seemed to be working fine again.

Good enough for me.

Did I stop in the next available town to find a mechanic? Of course not! I made a decision to use the “cross my fingers and assume that since nothing seems to be a major problem right now that there probably isn’t a major problem at all” method. This worked for another two or three thousand miles until we finished the trip.

Trust me, there is a marketing point to be made here—and it has to do with peoples’ unwillingness to spend money, time, or brain power to fix things that don’t seem to be broken. All of you out there trying to sell preventative maintenance for air conditioning units or automobiles or roofs should receive a gold medal if you succeed. I’m not saying you CAN’T succeed; I’m just saying it’s hard to convince people to fix stuff that’s not broken yet.

It’s practically anti-human behavior.

Here’s what early advertising pioneer Claude Hopkins had to say about this subject when faced with the onerous task of marketing toothpaste:

The natural idea in respect to a tooth paste is to make it a preventive. But my long experience had taught me that preventive measures were not popular. People will do anything to cure a trouble, but little to prevent it. Countless advertising ideas have been wrecked by not understanding that phase of human nature. Prevention offers slight appeal to humanity in general.

Then I was urged to present the results of neglect, the negative side of the subject. But I had learned that repulsive ideas seldom won readers or converts. People do not want to read of the penalties. They want to be told of rewards. “Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.” People want to be told the ways to happiness and cheer.

This point is important. Every advertising campaign depends on its psychology. Success or failure is determined by the right or wrong appeal. Scores have tried to scare people into using a certain tooth paste. Not one has succeeded, so far as I know, save where they appealed to troubles already created. Folks give little thought to warding off disasters. Their main ambition is to attain more success, more happiness, more beauty, more cheer.

I recognized that fundamental. I never referred to disasters. I never pictured the afflicted. Every illustration I ever used showed attractive people and beautiful teeth.

See, I told you it’s anti-human behavior. If a guy won’t even stop for 15 minutes to get his brakes checked even when they have clearly had a problem—a very recent problem—what makes you think somebody’s going to pay $99 to have you come check out their air conditioning unit? Or replace their belts and hoses? Or anything else?

Now you’ve been warned. Look out for a 15-passenger van coming your way careening out of control!