Judith and Jim -
Outstanding authors and very interesting people Read some of what they have to say here and watch for more in the coming days!
1) I understand the two of you came to write this book - The Heart of Marketing - after traveling a very circuitous path. What happened? We are former psychotherapists who ventured into online marketing just four years ago. We had to overcome our technical deficiencies and learn to make friends with the computer. Even more so, we had to open our minds to an entirely new way of being in the world, a whole new and very different mindset-a marketing/business mindset.
But all along we labored under the feeling that something was wrong. Or to put it more accurately, something just wasn't right. But what?
The answer began to emerge at the various Internet marketing conferences we attended.
We always felt a sense of displacement, a feeling of not belonging, of somehow being outsiders. We hadn't had years of business experience, no formal business education, and no family business connections. So we accepted our discomfort as just part of the newness we'd jumped into.
But at those same conferences we began to hear others who had the same complaint. "I don't feel right, somehow." We heard their complaints often enough that a pattern became clear. All those who voiced this kind of discomfort were service providers, care-givers, change agents of some kind, men and women who had dedicated their lives to helping others-heart-to-heart.
It became clear that there was a segment of the Internet marketplace that was not being served. That segment is peopled by soft sell marketers-all of us who are care-givers and life-change artists as distinct from accumulation artists whose focus is money first and foremost.
And so, soft sell marketing was born.
2) So you found yourselves uniquely qualified to write this book - a book that advances the power and profit of heart-based, soft sell marketing - at a time when a lot of marketing is still pretty darn - in your face - hard sell. What's that been like? Actually quite surprising. Not just that we've attracted, many people who are looking for a different way to market and profit, but that we see that the hard sell community is taking notice.
3) Now, you say that soft sell marketers are primarily care givers and service providers - but aren't they the people we routinely deal with in our everyday lives? I mean aren't the hard sell folks pretty much in the real estate and stock and bond markets - that kind of thing? Most marketers both online and off-about 90%-are soft sell marketers. They've just never been identified that way before.
4) You know with Obama now our President, it would seem that your book is really speaking to the change needed at almost all levels of commerce. Am I right?
Yes. The traditional marketing mindset, which is very competitive, every man for himself was modeled after what people at the turn of the last century thought Darwin was all about-survival of the fittest. That's not exactly what Darwin believed.
5) So what's the most common criticism you receive for the stand you've taken? Because you're really calling us all to rethink what happens in the buying and selling relationships that go on in our lives every day.
People haven't liked our use of the term "soft sell." They hear the word "soft" as meaning weak. That terrifies those who live in the traditional mindset. But we don't mean weak at all. Quite the opposite. Soft sell is much stronger than hard sell for creating long term profits.
6) Do you ever have people who say- "You're making too big a deal out of this? It's just business you know"? Yes. And our response is that the phrase "it's just business," is the problem.
7) I was really impressed by the section you wrote about truly loving your customers. It's not the least bit sappy or off the charts. It really makes sense that customer relations should be treated with a great deal more care and value. So pin it down for our audience - what is it you are calling love when dealing with customers? We are all interconnected on this planet-in this universe, actually. We co-create our lives together. That means we need each other. When you're aware of that need then, if you're the seller, your buyer is your partner in every sale (and vice versa).
8) Besides your book - The Heart of Marketing, Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back - you also run the Soft Sell Marketers Association and produce the Bridging Heart and Marketing conferences. There are tons of professional associations and endless marketing conferences. What makes yours unique? Ours are based on the principle that Selling Is Spiritual Service and that a sale is a sacred event.
9) We've covered a lot of territory here. So before we run out of time, what do you want to say to all the buyers in our audience? And why should they read your book?
If you are a care-giver, a service provider, what we call a life transformation artist, our book is the only book written to identify, match, and support your marketing needs. As one of our endorsers wrote-"Read it and you will be impressed. Put it into action and you will be transformed."
10) And are there any kinds of business people who wouldn't be inspired or, at minimum, find profit from reading The Heart of Marketing?
Not really. When you apply the soft sell marketing approach you will create long-term relationships causing customers to trust you, buy from you again and again, and spread the word. As a business person, isn't that the point?
11) OK, finally, what would you say to President Obama if you could take your message into the White House? That the change he is after is not merely a change in policy or politics but it's a mindset shift. And we offer the strategy and steps to achieve that change.
12) You two are so passionate about this. It's been a pleasure. And whether you are in business or you support businesses with your buying power - read this book - The Heart of Marketing. The world will be a better place when we make this shift in our business dealings! Thank you Judith & Jim for your time with me and for all that you are doing to change the world to make it a better place! Watch for more information May 14, Thursday - Exciting opportunity for you to get free bonuses and more...But don't order your book yet - wait until Thursday
http://www.theheartofmarketing.com
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