|
Training for Book Authors
|
|
|
Other Resources for Book Authors & Publishers
|
|
|
Please Support Our Advertisers
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spirituality in Your Business Without Scaring Clients
Copyright (c) 2009-2023 Mark Silver
(See This Article in its Original Format.)
You've been deepening your spirituality, and it has seeped into everything you do, or is starting to. The thing is, will it freak your clients out if you go all woo-woo and bizarre on them?
Even if you're already using spirituality strongly in your business, I'm guessing there are places you just don't want to go, things that are too blatant or strong. You don't want to evangelize, you're not looking to convert anyone. But something's missing.
At a workshop, I once met a well-known marketing guru who had a cadre of teachers, books, and a well-oiled system of effective marketing that he sold to thousands of clients. We were talking because, as he confessed to me, "I don't include the spiritual work I do myself in what I teach, because I'm afraid my clients can't handle it."
He's leaving out what he himself calls the most important ingredient, withholding it from his clients. Quite a quandary, eh? Do you withhold, and hope your clients somehow magically "get it"? Or do you go full-on punk rock gypsy priestess, as one of our clients calls herself, giving 'em all four chords of your music, letting the cards fall where they may?
The Role of Spirituality in Your Business
You know that saying, "the customer is always right"? Well, it ain't 'zackly true. When we're talking about spirituality, customers actually often have no idea what they really need, but they think they do.
Let me tell you a story. Some years ago, when I was starting out, I was working with dozens of clients who came wanting to work on their business, getting their marketing in place, making it work. So, we went to work.
And nothing got done. Arrgh!
As I learned more about spiritual healing and came to rest more deeply in my heart, I realized that while they were asking for business help, the real issue needing to be addressed was depletion. They were depleted emotionally and spiritually, and until that was remedied, fuhgeddabout the business.
Don't get me wrong. Each and every one of them still needed the business stuff. But they couldn't get there until the heart got what it needed.
For your clients, they need what you're offering. But are you withholding the very thing that will keep them from really getting your best stuff?
It was scary for me to start using weird Sufi prayers and other energetic healing stuff with clients, but I did. And like a charm it worked.
People Forget Oneness All Too Easily
Spirituality is ultimately about remembering that Love, God, Oneness, the Divine is also there, wherever that point of struggle is. However you do it, whatever your method, tradition, lineage, or modality, it's a path to return to Oneness, where everything is possible.
With this truth, you can add in all the practical stuff you do--the marketing, the accounting, the real estate, the textiles, the food in your restaurant, everything. But first, bring the love.
Of course, it's a narrow ledge to skitter out on. If you're too strong and too direct will you offend people? Will they get pissed off and run away? Will your business dry up as a result?
I've learned some lessons from this journey, so let me share them.
Keys to Amping Up Spirit in Your Business
All Streams Lead to the Ocean
A friend of mine who had done a lot of interfaith work once told me: "Interfaith works best when each person participating has a strong, deep conviction in their own path. Then they don't have to convince anyone else to prove their own faith."
There is a balance held between deeply trusting your own journey with Spirit and knowing that others may have a different journey ahead of them. Whatever language your path, lineage, journey, religion, or faith uses to express what you're doing, it's describing a universal truth that others have different language for, but not any real disagreement with.
Trusting this universality and standing strongly with your own faith means that you can speak strongly from your platform, and still allow others to find their way.
At the yoga studio I go to, YogaShala in Portland, they are really grounded in the traditions of Hinduism. They read from the sacred texts one day a week, they talk about yoga using traditional terms and descriptions for truth. The metaphors and stories they use are totally unfamiliar to me, and yet I can feel the truth of what they are saying.
Because they stand so strongly in their tradition, I get so much help and depth out of the yoga. I'm not changing my path from Sufism to Hinduism, but it still helps me tremendously.
Keep It In Context
When you are a student on a spiritual path, it's easy (at least for me it is) to just love the path so much you unload an entire dump truck of teachings and practices, or whatever, onto your customers.
Before you share something spiritual ask this question: What's the minimum they need in order to make progress toward the practical goal they are wanting to reach?
For instance, there are some very profound, and to me interesting, teachings about subsistence and poverty, entire books in fact. Yet I share just a snippet of those teachings with our clients. Maybe a single quote, or a single process or prayer, because I know that just a little taste will help them take the next step.
If someone really wants more of what you're offering, they'll ask.
State Your Platform
I never talk about my path in language that could be construed to mean, this is the only way. I never want to tell someone: This is the truth about how it works. If you do that, then the client is confronted with needing to step onto your path in order to accept the wisdom your giving.
By simply stating your platform, "The Sufis talk about subsistence in this way..." alludes to the universality of the truth being discussed, while at the same time acknowledging that there are other ways to talk about it.
Many people in this world are thirsting for a deeper connection to wholeness. If you're using your connection with Spirit to make whatever you do in your life and your business work, then don't withhold it from your clients.
If you keep it in context and state your platform, people won't run screaming from you. Instead, you might be surprised to see how many more people come close to drink from your fountain.
The best to you and your business,
Mark Silver
|
Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your Heart, Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line. He has helped hundreds of small business owners around the globe succeed in business without losing their hearts. Get three free chapters of the book online: http://www.heartofbusiness.com
|
VOTE ON THIS ARTICLE
Needs Work >>
0 -
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5
<< Excellent Article
Tell our authors what you think about their article.
|
Top-Level Category: Business Online Articles
10 Most Recent Articles Written by Mark Silver
Hey! Why the Long Sales Pages?
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2009-04-01 |
Word Count: 868 |
Page Views: 3394
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 1.71
So, you get one of those emails from someone whose business you
kinda like. And it's got some enticing little message in it - so
you click to take a look at the offer. And suddenly you find
yourself in highlighter land. Broad streaks of yellow, lots of
exclamation points, and pages and pages of words making all kinds
of claims and promises. And when you scroll allllllll the way
down to the bottom, there isn't even a price. You need to click
on an 'order now' button before they even tell you the price.
How To Write A 300 Page Book In Four Months
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2009-02-26 |
Word Count: 821 |
Page Views: 4983
| Votes: 12 |
Rating: 1.42
There's a lot of hoopla about becoming an author of your very
own business book. The promise of fame and fortune is very
alluring. Yet your book remains perpetually 'about to be'
written. Or, you've sequestered yourself for weeks or months to
write your book, only to come out with something you feel
luke-warm about.
How To Get Feedback From Colleagues That Makes Sense
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2009-01-27 |
Word Count: 841 |
Page Views: 8283
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 1.82
Okay, you've just written a new website, or a new sales page. Or
maybe you've just created a new product or offer. Or even just
tried on a new suit. And you turn to your friend and ask: "Can I
get some feedback from you? What do you think?"
The Role of Hunger in Your Business
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2009-01-21 |
Word Count: 1016 |
Page Views: 3498
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 2.86
Hunger and fear are good for your business. Not abject hunger and
despairing panic, mind you. That's too much. But a little touch
of hunger and fear is very useful. I know there are many people
out there who would prefer that not to be the case. And I'm one
of them. I wish inspiration and love were big enough motivators
for action. But for us humans who aren't yet enlightened, they
don't seem to work so well.
How a Personal Secretary is Critical to Your Response Rate
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2008-12-23 |
Word Count: 1037 |
Page Views: 3286
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 1.80
In a past Moneyflow class, one of the participants was promoting
a seminar. 'People aren't responding to my emails. What do I
do?' 'Well, tell me what you've done,' I said. 'Today the
second email went out. I've only had 5 people respond so far on
my list of 100. And I've been networking, and making phone
calls, and sending out flyers.' What wasn't working?
Avoiding Financial Trauma Stress Disorder
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2008-12-01 |
Word Count: 1002 |
Page Views: 3796
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 0.43
Day after day we're being treated to news of the global
financial markets being flushed further and further down the
toilet. If you run a small business, it can be hard to hold onto
hope and inspiration, because maybe this time things really are
doomed. Makes you wonder and doubt--did someone not buy simply
because they didn't buy, or is this the beginning of the end of
your business?
Marketing Without Spending Your Life Trolling the Internet
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2008-11-17 |
Word Count: 1160 |
Page Views: 3325
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 1.38
"I'd rather be rock climbing, hiking, spending time outside
than in front of a computer. And, it all feels so useless, like
nothing works anyhow. I'm spending my life energy in front of
the computer, I feel like , and it's not moving my business
forward!" That's what a client of ours was telling us. And how
about you? You're staring at a screen right now, reading this.
How many hours do you have to spend in front of a computer to
make your business work, anyway?
Why Clients Don't Buy-- and 8232;The Hierarchy of Choice
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2008-11-14 |
Word Count: 1352 |
Page Views: 3237
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 2.13
So you struggle over getting all the details just right, like
pricing and timing, and all the other features included in your
offers so your best clients will buy from you. So why aren't
they buying? It's because all of those details are actually the
least important part of a purchasing choice. One common
misconception says that human beings make choices based on
what's best for them, but that falls apart really quickly in the
aftermath of several empty tubs of ice cream, as you hold your
stomach and groan, "Why did I do that again?!?"
Can Branding Ever Be Heart Centered?
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2008-10-27 |
Word Count: 807 |
Page Views: 3351
| Votes: 6 |
Rating: 2.33
Sometimes the world delivers up vocabulary words that are just
plain wrong. Painfully wrong. Words like "branding," which the
world of marketing seems to love, but regular folks and cows just
seem to hate. And it's because of how branding has often been
used. Companies have done psychological studies on how to craft
an environment that gets you to react in the way they want you
to. It's like herding cattle into the searing-hot iron--ouch. Of
course you don't want to use branding. Why would you ever want
to do THAT?
How Do You Be Unique When and 8232; What You Do Isn't Yours?
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2008-10-23 |
Word Count: 822 |
Page Views: 3237
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 2.38
You come off the freeway exit ramp, and bam, you're stuck behind
a long line of cars at the stop sign, all wanting to turn left,
the same way you want to go. Slowly, one by one, they go through
the stop sign. You inch imperceptibly forward. Suddenly one of
the cars peals off and goes right, instead of left. You're bored
by this time, so you figure, what the heck--let's try it out.
All of Author's Articles on this site: Mark Silver Articles
Most Recent "Business Online" Articles
Four Tips For Creating An Effective Authors' Resource Box
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-27 |
Word Count: 1669 |
Page Views: 8138
| Votes: 18 |
Rating: 2.50
In article marketing, there are many factors that will
affect your articles' ability to promote your website in
the most effective manner. In this article, we will briefly
discuss a couple those factors, before we dive into how to
create an effective Authors' Resource Box, also known as
the About The Author Information.
Website Traffic Generation: Winning the Love of the Traffic Fairy
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-24 |
Word Count: 1149 |
Page Views: 9020
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 1.86
Some people still believe that all they have to do is build
a website and customers will magically appear on their
site... Once they have built their websites, they wait
anxiously for the "Traffic Fairy" to come and sprinkle its
magic dust on their website too, so that they can make lots
of money like other success website owners.
What Kind Of Backlinks Are Best At Helping Your Website In Google?
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-21 |
Word Count: 439 |
Page Views: 10078
| Votes: 23 |
Rating: 2.74
I was in the Warrior Forum, and someone asked what kinds of
Backlinks are worth pursuing. This is my answer to that
query.
Understanding the Mechanics of Effective Article Marketing and Article Syndication
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-01 |
Word Count: 1399 |
Page Views: 6659
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 1.80
Visit several marketing blogs or marketing forums, and you
will find dozens of people proclaiming the death of article
marketing as an effective marketing tool. Before we start
agreeing with them, consider this...
Top 10 Reasons Why Online Marketers Fail With Article Marketing
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-31 |
Word Count: 1025 |
Page Views: 7925
| Votes: 13 |
Rating: 2.08
If you've been marketing products online for any length of
time, you've likely heard people talk about the power and
promise of article marketing for the promotion of your
online business. Unfortunately, many online marketers have
tried to utilize article marketing to benefit their online
business and failed. In this article, I document the top ten
reasons why people fail to find success with article
marketing... And how to fix your article marketing
campaigns...
Article Marketing Tip: Stop Trying To Sell From Within Your Articles
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-30 |
Word Count: 1229 |
Page Views: 6106
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 1.40
The basic premise of article marketing is to present people
information that will be important to them, then at the end
of the article, present information "about the author" and
offer to the reader a means to see how the author can help
the reader further. When done well, article marketing
continues to be one of the most effective methods of
promotion that one could employ online.
The Six Degrees of Internet Marketing
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-30 |
Word Count: 991 |
Page Views: 8529
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 2.43
The theory behind the Six Degrees of Separation is that all
people on earth can be connected together in as little as
six steps. Now, I know what you might be thinking at this
juncture... That sounds fun and interesting, but what does
that have to do with Internet Marketing? That is a great
question that I am going to answer for you in this
article...
How To Win More Eyeballs for Your Offers and Websites
Written by: Bruce Lansing |
Distributed: 2013-07-29 |
Word Count: 1373 |
Page Views: 6018
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 1.45
Most people using search engines on the Internet are looking
for answers to questions and solutions to problems. If you
can give people what the answers they want, you will be able
to position your business as one worth hiring today or
tomorrow.
How To Increase Your Rates and Earnings As a Freelance Writer
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-29 |
Word Count: 1191 |
Page Views: 6039
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 1.55
Freelance writers fill a very important role in today's
business marketplace. They create the on-demand, customized
content that business owners everywhere need to push their
businesses forward. In this article, the author explains
what freelance writers should do to ensure that employers
will pay them well for their services.
Promoting Your Business With Content:: Defining Your Writing Strategy
Written by: Bruce Lansing |
Distributed: 2013-07-25 |
Word Count: 677 |
Page Views: 5744
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.00
Many people suggest that you should write articles on the
basis of the benefits that people will get from reading your
articles. I'd like to suggest that there is a better
reason, and that is to write your articles on the basis of
what problem people will be able to solve, as a result of
reading your articles.
Most Viewed "Business Online" Articles
Attracting Readers to your Book
Written by: Alastair Hall |
Distributed: 2006-05-18 |
Word Count: 708 |
Page Views: 46609
| Votes: 17 |
Rating: 2.06
One of the common and obvious ways to market a self-published
book is having your own website. The harder part is how to
attract your target audience and then convert the sale.
How To Make Visitors Bookmark Your Site
Written by: Cheryl Miller |
Distributed: 2006-10-10 |
Word Count: 536 |
Page Views: 38906
| Votes: 21 |
Rating: 2.19
When visitors bookmark your site it is a sign that you have built
a great website and are pleasing them. Visitors think highly
enough of your site to want to return and possibly tell others
about it. You are not only increasing traffic from your existing
clientele you are encouraging new traffic by means of viral
marketing.
Treat Online 'Guests' With Respect
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-07-27 |
Word Count: 472 |
Page Views: 30403
| Votes: 33 |
Rating: 3.33
Does your website show your customers lack of respect? Review the
following checklist to find out.
How I Got 70,000 Useless Visitors To My Site In One Day! (One Internet Marketer's Analysis of Social Bookmark Traffic)
Written by: Titus Hoskins |
Distributed: 2007-11-06 |
Word Count: 1545 |
Page Views: 28414
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 1.70
Is social bookmark traffic useless? Is it even worth cultivating
for your site? Can it be used from an online marketing
perspective? Read to discover one Internet Marketer's analysis
of social bookmark/media traffic...
Successful Article Marketers Help Readers Solve Problems
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-24 |
Word Count: 816 |
Page Views: 26141
| Votes: 34 |
Rating: 2.79
Every week, I have the opportunity to speak with people about the
benefits and challenges of using article marketing to promote an
online business. Article marketing is about getting your sales
message in front of potential customers and to get links to your
website. Many interpret this to mean that an article should
directly promote a website within the article, but that approach
is wrong and will reduce one's success using this methodology.
Tips For Building Your First Website
Written by: Benny Tsabba |
Distributed: 2007-05-30 |
Word Count: 1511 |
Page Views: 19469
| Votes: 18 |
Rating: 2.11
New people are coming online everyday. And many of those people
desire to turn their spare time into spare cash. So begins their
journey.
The Importance Of Effective Follow-up
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2007-01-15 |
Word Count: 493 |
Page Views: 14414
| Votes: 22 |
Rating: 2.55
Marketing experts say that following up with clients is crucial
to successful selling because most prospects do not buy the first
time, according to Aweber, a leading autoresponder company.
People must encounter a marketing message multiple times before
making a purchasing decision.
Today's Google Bots and What They Do
Written by: Kim Roach |
Distributed: 2006-08-02 |
Word Count: 1061 |
Page Views: 14107
| Votes: 16 |
Rating: 2.63
Google currently indexes over 8 billion web pages. However,
before these pages were placed in the index, they were each
crawled by a special spider known as the GoogleBot. Unfortunately, many web masters do not know about the internal workings of this virtual robot. This article will attempt to
reveal some of the most important Google spiders, their function,
and how they affect you as a web master. We'll start with the
well-known GoogleBot.
Ten Tips For User Friendly Online Registration Forms
Written by: Jim Romanik |
Distributed: 2009-02-24 |
Word Count: 775 |
Page Views: 12736
| Votes: 15 |
Rating: 0.93
Have you ever registered or attempted to register for an event
and spent half an hour trying to figure out what you needed to
do? Or have you used an online registration form that lost your
data or was so complicated that it seemed like more work than
faxing the form?
Successful Forum JVs and How To Get Them
Written by: Diana Barnum |
Distributed: 2006-06-15 |
Word Count: 648 |
Page Views: 12479
| Votes: 19 |
Rating: 2.11
The forming of common alliances, also referred to as a joint
venture (JV), happens nearly every day in the business world.
One of the most popular means of linking people up online of so
that they can work together on their projects is via forums,
where people of all levels of business and expertise post in
common threads.
Highest Ranked "Business Online" Articles
Is Your Business 'Out Of Site'? Employ The Ultimate Marketing Tool
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-01-09 |
Word Count: 445 |
Page Views: 5514
| Votes: 21 |
Rating: 3.76
With the rapid expansion of the digital economy, the web site is
conceivably the most powerful marketing and sales tool you can employ.
Find out what a web site can do for you.
How To Use Your Race To Get Rich
Written by: Herbert Harris |
Distributed: 2009-07-07 |
Word Count: 1407 |
Page Views: 5914
| Votes: 48 |
Rating: 3.71
Amid recent news reports that there continues to be an ongoing
and substantial gap between the net worth of Whites and other
racial groups, it is easy to be distracted and overwhelmed by the
raw data. However, I am immediately reminded of a quote offered
by an economic expert from the past... "There are lies, damned
lies, and statistics!"
Why I'm A 'B-Level Marketer!'
Written by: Willie Crawford |
Distributed: 2007-07-16 |
Word Count: 917 |
Page Views: 6771
| Votes: 26 |
Rating: 3.58
At a recent Internet marketing seminar, I was sitting around the
hotel lobby with approximately 20 other seminar attendees and
speakers. The seminar's host was in attendance, and the
conversation covered a range of internet marketing topics with
extreme frankness. Our proximity to the hotel bar certainly
contributed to our 'conviviality.'
15 fixes for a failing website
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-02-07 |
Word Count: 593 |
Page Views: 3486
| Votes: 25 |
Rating: 3.48
Employ these 15 tactics to improve your search engine rankings,
engage visitors and convert more sales.
The Most Important Ingredient for Info Product Success (is You)
Written by: Judy Murdoch |
Distributed: 2008-04-15 |
Word Count: 981 |
Page Views: 5962
| Votes: 15 |
Rating: 3.47
Last week I was attending a conference and mentioned to someone I
help small business owners create information products. The other
person was very friendly until I said "information products."
Then the temperature in the room dropped about 10-degrees
How to Keep Your Article Content Fresh and Interesting
Written by: Craig Ritsema |
Distributed: 2006-08-29 |
Word Count: 699 |
Page Views: 5501
| Votes: 25 |
Rating: 3.44
Webmasters everywhere are constantly on the lookout for fresh and
interesting content for their website. Along with these content
qualities is the requirement that it be unique. Everyone wants
their website to stand out above the others in the search engine
results. So what is the trick for you to keep a steady supply of
this quality content coming your way?
How To Build A Profitable Twitter Profile
Written by: Harold Hemmings |
Distributed: 2009-08-06 |
Word Count: 1357 |
Page Views: 2658
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 3.38
Online marketers everywhere are finally starting to tap into
the Twitter Marketplace. Marketers are getting involved in
Twitter at awesome rates, but all seem to have one
unanswered question: How do we actually monetize this
marketplace? It is my goal that by the time you have read
this article, you will have a clear idea of exactly how to
monetize your activities in Twitter.
Increasing Productivity In Your Online Business
Written by: Willie Crawford |
Distributed: 2006-06-14 |
Word Count: 1407 |
Page Views: 7362
| Votes: 40 |
Rating: 3.35
Running an online "empire" of approximately 1600 websites and
blogs, selling a variety of products, services and ideas, I
have to be much more productive than the average person in a
"regular job."
Turn A One-Night-Stand With Google Into A Long-Term Relationship
Written by: Diane Metz |
Distributed: 2007-07-10 |
Word Count: 882 |
Page Views: 2646
| Votes: 6 |
Rating: 3.33
Want to win the favor of Google? Then you've got to build a
long-term relationship with her. Many new SEO strategies are
simply recycled old-tricks. And Google is a smart gal who can see
right through them. Position your website for the future by
understanding what Google really likes â€" and what she
really loathes.
Treat Online 'Guests' With Respect
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-07-27 |
Word Count: 472 |
Page Views: 30403
| Votes: 33 |
Rating: 3.33
Does your website show your customers lack of respect? Review the
following checklist to find out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Article Reprint Rights
|
This work is
licensed under a
Creative Commons
License
You are not required to show the creative commons license notice when you reprint this work.
|
|
Article Statistics
|
Word Count: 1101
Total Views: 3323
Article Rating: 2.50 of 5
Votes Cast: 8
More Articles By Author:
Articles On This Website
Last Distribution Date:
2009-01-05 11:24:00
Internal ID: #6479
|
|
|
Home