We are devoted to promoting the truth and wisdom of Soft Sell Marketing, not just because you - as a service provider - need a marketing voice that matches your integrity, but because the world needs what you do.

Your work is a kind of prayer, a kind of sacred gift to the inner wisdom that each of us carries – but that much of the time lies dormant.

This applies whether you’re involved in physical healing, relationship development, respectful and inspirational parenting, greater availability to success and achievement– you name it – the human mind/body/spirit is still largely untapped as to its true potential.

And you are one of the “tappers” – someone who is committed - through your specific work – to awakening that greater spiritual energy center that each individual knows is deep within – but has rarely had access to.

Now – How did you feel reading this?

Because if you’ve taken it in – really taken it in - then your natural marketing impulse won’t be far behind. You’ll know that your work extends the prayer for all life on this planet. And you will feel compelled to expand your soul-based work to touch as many lives as you can.

Are you ready?

If so, then developing your natural marketing skills will become – well, natural. You’ll join us in wanting the best marketing platform to get the word out about your area of expertise. You’ll take on the commitment to letting people know how they can deeply benefit from what you provide.

And you’ll see that it’s important that you build your business as you grow your Self! And there’s no better way to do that than by becoming a spiritual student of Soft Sell, Heart-based marketing.

To help you do that, we encourage you to experience the
“Bridging Heart and Marketing III Soft Sell Training Collection”
http://www.bridgingheartandmarketing3.com/invitation

It’s such a joy to continually hear back from readers of our new #1 best seller The Heart of Marketing - Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back http://TheHeartOfMarketing.com that they are being inspired to create a closer emotional relationship with their list members - with their customers - improving their online money making!

After all, commerce is one of the most basic languages we all share and as we change commerce to be more conscious, more caring and more responsible to the fabric of this life we are living together - then we change the world for the better.

That’s why we invite you to join us for our No-Cost Soft Sell Marketing Get the Answers Tele-Trainings - Wed Sept 2 and Thurs the 3rd - just by signing up at http://bridgingheartandmarketing.com/ask

And please tell your friends to get in on these amazing evolutionary trainings in soft sell marketing. Later these calls will become a product and we will then sell them. But right now - No Charge!

BTW, we are also looking forward to many upcoming radio interviews and Host David Trudrung just emailed saying “Looking forward to your interview very much!” - We’ll be on with David Sept 15th at 2 pm — so join us for a lively conversaion!
David Trudrung
EnergyTalkRadio.com
Fun & Inspirational Talk Radio…Making a Difference!
http://www.energytalkradio.com/

Why We Do What We Do . . .

Chances are good that you are a lot like us -

*** Not schooled in business or economics or marketing

*** Not comfortable with hard sell, bottom line business tactics

*** Not interested in selling your soul to the Devil’s Playhouse of Hype and Super Hype

AND you want, more than anything, to help people make their lives better – often in ways that you had to discover on your own – when there was no one available to help you.

Well, that’s how it is for us. When we came into Internet marketing 4 ½ years ago we were totally ignorant about marketing, selling, and had never used our computer for anything but word processing and email.

Duh……

And Super Duh…..

It’s been an upside down, sideways somersault of a learning curve that has often made one or both of us feel wildly crazy AND we will never
forget what that’s been like - AND we do not want that for you - EVER!

So that’s why we do what we do - working to make it all clearer and easier for you – here in our newsletter, in our Soft Sell Marketers Association, at our “Bridging Heart and Marketing” conferences,
and in all of our products and programs.

While our dedication to paving the way for you may sound a bit sappy - it’s not. It’s what makes our day when we hear back from you that you’ve been inspired by our book The Heart of Marketing - Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back, by something you learned in our Soft Sell Marketers Association, and/or from one or another of our programs or “Bridging Heart and Marketing conference! That’s what we care about - helping make it easier and clearer for you to grow your soul-based business - and of course make a good living ourselves.

And with that we wish you a wonderfully productive, profitable and spiritually rewarding day!! And if you haven’t yet read our book, The Heart of Marketing - be sure you do. It changes people’s lives.

http://TheHeartOfMarketing.com

The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur is at it again - this time with over 150 tips for working from home - with less distractions -

We enjoyed offering our Walkie Talkie suggestion that has helped us tremendously for the past 4 years - and you’ll love many of the other Terrific Tips!

http://budurl.com/nodistractions

When you ask Source or The Universe or God for help - you have to be open for the answers to come in ways you could never imagine.

We’ve been quite astounded at the unusual blessings that have been gracing our lives - that have come in several unique ways.

They are answers to our appeal to not have to work as hard as we’ve doing for the past several years. They aren’t, however, some young techie person who can take over web patrol. Nor are they a sudden infusion of wealth. Not a personal assistant to handle all the details.

They ARE new people with huge hearts who see our vision, and want to support what we are doing - not by taking over the work we do - but by providing new insight, new energy, new support!

So ask your Higher Power - ask, ask, ask!
Then stay open for the miracles!

Because It’s All in the Connection,
Judith & Jim

PS - Having trouble staying open? We understand - that’s why we created our 12-CD program “Overcoming the Fear of Being Fabulous.”

http://overcomingthefearofbeingfabulous.com

From Roy Normington at 800CEOREAD…

I just finished reading the book The Heart of Marketing: Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back by Judith Sherven, PhD & Jim Sniechowski, PhD. and I just thought it was what marketing books have needed for a long time…. a breath of fresh air.

Many companies in today’s business world have lost sight of what is most important to their customers and for their company internally and that is feeling the pulse of a heart beat. Actually caring about people, yes, people and not ideas, not money, not computers, etc.

People.

It’s a simple task but one that has been eroding from today’s speedy, cold world. The authors remind the reader that behind the web site there is a company that cares and that company needs to let people know that they do. Judith and Jim target what they term soft sell marketing as their audience. These are companies in the service industry that typically view service before making money (therapists, counselors, etc.). They explain their need to address these companies is that most business people dealing in sales know of one way: the hard way.

The hard sell is business to business, an impersonal machine set up to make money regardless of product, service or feeling. It’s what everyone knows and what everyone feels they need to do to make the sale.

It’s not. In fact it’s far from it. Judith and Jim answer 45 great questions asked in a recent survey about putting the heart back in sales. And here’s a little secret: it’s really not just about soft sell marketers being able to do this. There’s cross over. I realized that even our company uses (and can use more of) their techniques to put soul into a company.

While crossing the boundaries and connecting feelings to work is just part of the book, it’s also presented in an informal way. Almost like you’re listening in on a conversation between friends. They talk about their life, their passions, their work, and even down to why they picked Morgan James as their publisher. They also have free offers and web sites in the book for more information to refer to in order to further explain their processes.

The Heart of Marketing is not an unattainable feature in sales, it’s actually a must for most businesses.

(P.S. – My favorite part of the book is what they say about ego in business – check it out!)

For your copy go to http://TheHeartOfMarketing.com

For quantities 25 and over for your staff or friends, contact Judith@judithandjim.com

By Laurie Morin from her blog “From Rags to Riches Roadmap”

Soft Sell Marketing

Do you ever have a squeamish feeling when you read marketing materials that seem to be screaming at you to “BUY NOW“…”LIMITED QUANTITIES“…”KILLER LEADS“…messages designed to compel you to act quickly or be left behind.

Do you ever feel guilty when you try to promote your product or service…even if you know it would be good for the person you are talking to?

Do you think that “selling” is a dirty word, synonymous with sleazy used car salesmen or door-to-door magazine peddlers?

If so, soft sell marketing is for you. Created by a husband and wife therapist team, Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski, soft sell marketing is aimed at service businesses and professionals who are more focused on serving people than on making money.

In their book, The Heart of Marketing: Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back, Judith and Jim emphasize the value of service, heart-to-heart connections and the spiritual nature of serving others. At the same time, they support the idea that you are in business to be commercially successful. In their words:

We present the principle that Selling is Spiritual Service with the intent to heal the split that soft sell marketers feel between their desire to be of service and their need to be paid, and paid well for what they do. Care-givers, whose lives are grounded in heart-to-heart connection, have historically been viewed as those who should work without ambition for money, because it was thought that money would corrupt the value of tending to those in need.

We repudiate that notion and point to the validity and social value inherent in soft sell marketers’ ambitions to generate money as it ranks second but equal to their concern for the well-being of their customers and clients.

So what is the difference between soft-sell and hard-sell marketing? One way to think of it is the difference between an invitation and a command.

Both kinds of marketing are trying to lead the potential customer to buy. After all, that is the purpose of marketing.

But in soft-sell marketing, you are making a genuine connection with the reader. As you establish a relationship, you guide the reader through the benefits you have to offer. Then you trust them to decide for themselves whether or not your product is the answer they have been looking for.

Another variation of soft-sell marketing is conscious marketing. This is selling done with the conscious intention of providing authentic service or products, only to people who will really benefit from them, and only when the time is right for them.

If this approach resonates with you, I highly recommend that you read The Heart of Marketing to give you some concrete suggestions about how to write “soft-sell” copy.

>>> To get your copy go to http://TheHeartOfMarketing.com

Reprinted From Bonnie Thompson’s Blog . . .

Update on my own progress with First Step Internet Marketing

Are you new to internet marketing? I was just getting started learning about internet marketing in September 2008. So, in some ways, I still feel rather “new” at this.

Like many of the people I have met online in various marketing courses, I spent a lot of time (and money) chasing after every little tidbit on internet marketing that I could find.

I found that most of the courses I took went right over my head. I ended up getting confused and suffering from severe information overload. In fact, I still feel somewhat overwhelmed.

I decided that I needed to go back to the basics and make sure I had a good solid foundation.

I’m just finishing up the First Step Internet Marketing course created by Judith & Jim and Tom Justin. I have followed their suggestions and done the assignments. I feel like I’ve got a much better grip on how the whole internet marketing business works. It’s an excellent course and I feel so much more grounded and directed in my IM work.

After learning from many other internet teachers for over 9 months, I feel that I am in a position to recognize excellent information. I have been so impressed with the course that I have signed up to be an affiliate.

The First Step Internet Marketing course is something that I feel very comfortable recommending to anyone who is just getting started on the internet. Judith, Jim, and Tom are totally committed to supporting heart-centered (soft-sell) marketers. They respond very quickly to questions (are they always at their computers??) and are extremely helpful.

If you are interested in learning more about the First Step Internet Marketing course, go to

–> http://budurl.com/fsimcourse.

Yes, this is my affiliate link. If you’d rather not support my interest in this, that’s fine. You can go to http://www.firststepinternetmarketing.com/main.php. The price you pay will be the same, either way.

Wishing you to very best in your own heart-centered marketing success!

When wrestling with your desire for greater success, the best and most spiritual choice you can make is to take action. Regardless of the outcome at first, action stirs, shakes up, and disturbs your status quo.

Begin your action as an explorer. Let discovery be your guide. Imagine that you are exploring the deep jungle of your Soul. To help you decide what you most need to do, you’ll not likely find it without beginning to move into it. So take the first steps whatever you are called to do, and then look for and see what calls to you.

Always keep a good record of your discoveries so you can build a picture of your internal terrain. Moments are important, but unless you see a larger picture you can become lost among the moments.

Finally, be compassionate with yourself. You’ve done what you’ve done in your life for very good reasons. They just don’t apply anymore. Unraveling them will open the way to create new beliefs, new attitudes and the feelings that correspond to them.

For deep and lasting help, our program “Breaking Through Resistance” is one of the best.

http://judithandjim.com/resistance

Excerpted from an email we received from Betty Smith, soon to be 77-year old beginning Internet marketer and member of our Soft Sell Marketers Association. As you’ll see Betty was a whiz at selling earlier in her life . . .

* * * * * *

What you are now calling persuasion - in traditional marketing in the 80’s it was called closing the sale.

I remember my thought before meeting a person and doing a presentation. If the data processing service I was selling would benefit the potential buyer I would present it to them in such a manner they would purchase.

I learned later that so much of how I presented, I was doing with body language and tone and speed of my voice. With my body language I would mirror theirs (non noticeably) and if they spoke slowly or fast I spoke slowly or fast. Basically I was saying I am people just like you are people.

I was a master of the silent close. I would present my presentation then become silent. I felt this was giving them space to think about what I had presented and how it would meet their needs and I didn’t say anymore until they did.

I was the top salesperson, so what I was doing worked. I was selling 3 to 4 out of 5 presentations and I would walk out the door with a list of names to call with their permission to use their name as recommending the product.

Most every day I called people to set up new appointments. I was always acknowledging and feeling good with my self with each of my activities. That I feel is a major key in doing sales well.

However, now with the Internet, marketing in writing is a whole new process. So it takes practice, practice and doing doing doing.

Thank you for the SSMA lessons for the encouragement to just keep in there doing.

I am on lesson six of creating my first tele-seminar, it is coming along!

Love and Light

Betty Smith

To join Betty in Soft Sell Marketers Association just go to:

http://softsellmarketersassociation.org