Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day 19 of the Virtual Blog Tour of author Lynn Serafinn whose book The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell launched on Amazon Tuesday December 13, 2011.

Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC  

Lynn Seraphinn

is a certified, award-winning coach and teacher, marketer, social media expert, radio host, speaker and bestselling author. Her eclectic approach to marketing incorporates her vast professional experience in the music industry and the educational sector along with more than two decades of study and practice of the spirituality of India. In her work as a promotional manager she has produced a long list of bestselling mind-body-spirit authors. Passionate about re-establishing our connection with the Earth, she supports the work of the Transition Town network in her hometown of Bedford, England.

Yesterday, Lynn visited Paula Tarrant at http://inspiredwomenwork.com/7-graces-marketing-changing-the-way-we-promote-and-sell/ , where she shared her recent interview with Lynn about some questions around do we have a “relationship” with marketing?

Today, I’d like to share with you a recent interview I had with Lynn when I got to ask her around the subject of Why do we need a new paradigm for marketing NOW?   I hope you enjoy it.

Gill Potter- What are the key influences that brought you to write your new book The 7 Graces of Marketing?

Lynn Serafinn: Originally, Gill, I had intended to write the book as a response to the fact that so many nice people I knew—mainly in creative and holistic professions—hated marketing. I wondered why this should be so, so I started observing the way people did marketing in my business networks. What I noticed at the time was that most people tended to use a lot of “fear” triggers, to motivate people into quite sales. As I knew how chronic fear and anxiety created many long-term negative effects on our health and wellbeing, it suddenly made sense to me why certain types of people—who were highly sensitive and altruistic—had an aversion to modern marketing. So, my original intention was to provide them with a handbook that showed them why they hated marketing, and how they could do it differently, in such a way that was congruent with their personality, values and outlook.

However, as I got deeper into the subject matter of the book, I realised the negative impact of marketing was much more serious and universal than I had ever suspected. I started seeing a much bigger picture of marketing, wherein it was negatively impacting our health, our economy and our natural environment on a massive scale. Then, I knew this book simply HAD to be written, as an eye-opener to consumers and business owners alike, so we can begin to start a dialogue about how we can begin to shift our approach to marketing so it serves humanity and the planet, rather than threatens it.

 Gill Potter: Why now? Why is this the most important time for this book? What do you hope to achieve from its publication? Who are you looking to influence most?

 Lynn Serafinn: Why now? Well, from a personal perspective, it’s because once I started researching the subject (it took me two years to research and write this book), the topic was SCREAMING at me so loudly, I simply had to publish it NOW. But from a societal perspective, I know now is absolutely THE time for this book to be released to the world. Our global economic “crises” (although I don’t view them to be crises, but rather part of our natural economic evolution), as evidenced by the current recession, corporate and bank failures, the “occupy” movement, etc., are all signals that we are being called to redesign our economy. I explain in the book that capitalism was a great idea when it started, but we have to remember that modern capitalism (and marketing) began at the dawn of mass production. Once you have an economy that can produce FAR more than we can economically or environmentally consume sustainably, you’ve got problems. In the book, I talk a lot about the environmental impact of our overconsumption, which is largely the result of marketing. If we wait any longer to begin to make some sort of changes, we are going to find ourselves in even a more difficult mess to clean up in the next generation. I’m a grandmother; I don’t want my grandson to inherit an Earth that is toxic, destitute and full of suffering. Our natural state is to have abundant, self-sustaining societies; I believe we can bring ourselves back to that state if we start to work together.

What I want to achieve from this book, is that business owners and consumers start an open dialogue for how we can begin to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell. I hope to influence both business owners (large and small) with this book, as well as consumers. Consumers do not realise how powerful they are, especially in this era of social media. Consumers can begin to change the world of marketing, but refusing to respond to negative marketing messages (the “Deadly Sins” of which I speak in the book). Ultimately, my wish is that every business in the world—especially the biggest multi-national corporations—will take on the “7 Graces” as their mission statement, and assume true social responsibility for humanity and the planet.

Gill Potter: How do you see Scarcity in marketing being removed when it is often one of the key deciders in making people buy? Marketers always tell us that what is in surplus is not so highly valued, so I am interested to know how this works in the new paradigm.

 Lynn Serafinn: What is important for people to realise, Gill, is that nearly all forms of marketing are based upon the manipulation of our biological response to Scarcity. I discuss this in great detail in the chapter on Scarcity in the book. We humans are actually “hard-wired” at a genetic level to respond to the idea of Scarcity. Now, what marketers do to manipulate that response is 1) create false needs and 2) create false shortages. Without first creating the need (or desire), the “false shortages” have no impact.

In the book, I illustrate how so many of our modern industries created “needs” simply through marketing. An example is the cigarette industry. Prior to mass production of cigarettes, and modern marketing campaigns that “told” people why they wanted cigarettes, there was no “need” in society for them. Hence, there was no such thing as tobacco addiction until the introduction of marketing.

Now, try to imagine how marketing creates desire and THEN tells us we cannot HAVE the thing we desire. This is done through many different means. One strategy is the “limited time offer/limited edition,” etc. But the biggest manipulation of Scarcity in marketing is through the idea of “obsolescence” (something I discuss in great detail in the book). Obsolescence is used to create systematic, predictable “dissatisfaction” in the public, so they will consume at a faster rate than they would normally do. Example are the technological industries—computers, mobile phones, software, video games, etc—which deliberately create feelings of dissatisfaction over “obsolete” versions of their products, so we will spend on new products.

All of these are examples of Scarcity. And, yes, Gill—Scarcity works in marketing. At least on the surface it does. When you examine it more deeply, at a holistic level, you will see that Scarcity in marketing actually creates economic imbalances in the form of widespread debt, as well as massive environmental imbalances, in the form of e-waste and many other hazards.

The bottom line is this: Scarcity always creates Scarcity. It might make the short-term sale, but in the long-term it is detrimental to our entire socio-ecosystem. That is why it’s one of the “7 Deadly Sins” in the book.

The only way to true, sustainable prosperity is through the “Grace” of Abundance. I hope your readers will check out my book to find out more about Abundance, and the other “7 Graces” of marketing.

Thanks for the interview, Gill. Some tough questions! I hope your readers found my answers interesting and helpful.

I hope you enjoyed this interview with Lynn Serafinn and that you’ll check out her book The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

Here’s why:The 7 Graces of Marketing Telesummit

A FREE 7-Part Online Happening!

December 6th-9th, 2011

Register at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/free-telesummit

 When you visit the page at the link above and request a “launch reminder”, you will automatically receive a FREE pass to Lynn’s 7-Part online happening “The 7 Graces of Marketing Telesummit” with an illustrious panel of 24 bestselling authors and world-renowned speakers and media experts on society, business and marketing coming together to discuss how we can bring ethics and values back our business and marketing practices, and restore balance to our health, our economy and our natural environment.

Here’s the spectacular list of guests speakers for the event:

1.      Joe Vitale – world-renowned media guest; appeared in the film The Secret; bestselling author of The Attractor Factor and dozens more

2.      Greg S. Reid – Film maker, speaker, bestselling author of Think and Grow Rich: Three Feet from Gold and many others

3.      Eric Pearl - World renowned energy healer, Founder of The Reconnection; author of The Reconnection: Heal Others, Heal Yourself

4.      Dan Hollings – mobile marketing expert; the brains behind the marketing campaign for the film The Secret

5.      Pamela Slim – Award-winning author of Escape From Cubicle Nation; speaker; media expert

6.      William Gladstone – Founder of Waterside Literary Agency; author of The Twelve; co-author of The Golden Motorcycle Gang

7.      Liz Goodgold – Branding expert, author of Red Fire Branding and DUH! Marketing

8.      Allison Maslan – Life and Business Mentor; founder of 9 successful businesses; bestselling author of Blast Off!

9.      Suzanne Falter-Barnes – Business and Marketing coach; Co-founder of The Spiritual Marketing Quest

10.  Tad Hargrave – Founder of Marketing for Hippies

11.  Richard S. Gallagher – Communications skills expert; bestselling author of What to Say to a Porcupine and How to Tell Anyone Anything

12.  Ward Vandorpe – International marketer; Founder of Expert Marketeer

13.  Misa Hopkins – Consultant, author of The Root of All Healing; Spiritual Director of the New Dream Foundation

14.  Barbara Altemus – Visionary, writer and producer of the film THE CALLING: Heal Ourselves, Heal Our Planet, and author of The Gift of Pain, Transforming Hurt Into Healing

15.  Andrea Conway – Attraction Marketing Coach, marketing executive

16.  Renee Baribeau - “The Practical Shaman;” Director of Desert Holistic Network

17.  Renee Duran – Graphic designer; web developer; former advertising art/creative director; designed the book cover of The 7 Graces of Marketing

18.  Jeffrey Van Dyk – Business and Marketing Coach; Co-founder of The Spiritual Marketing Quest

19.  Chris Arnold – Award-winning creative innovator; expert in ethical marketing; author of Ethical Marketing and the New Consumer

20.  Kate Osborne – PR at Solarus Foundation; resident author for More To Life Magazine; former editor of Kindred Spirit Magazine

21.  Tanya Paluso – Empowerment mentor; community leader; Leader of Tribal Truths

22.  Shelagh Jones – marketer and Founder of Spiritus Spiritual Marketing Directory

23.  Paula Tarrant – Transformation and Transition Coach; Founder of Inspired Women Work

24.  And, of course, Lynn Serafinn, author of The 7 Graces of Marketing

You can listen to the telesummit online in the comfort of your own home, and even ask questions during the broadcast.

If you are reading this after Dec 9th, 2011 you can still access the playback for a limited time when you register at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/free-telesummit

This telesummit is a completely free
“no purchase necessary” gift from Lynn

FREE GIFTS

When you buy Lynn’s book on Tuesday December 13, 2011, you can ALSO receive the MP3 download of all 10 hours of this historic telesummit, plus a complete library of beautiful personal development gifts from authors, speakers, coaches and other enlightened professionals from around the globe including one from me;

Tune into your Moon

To claim your FREE pass to the 7 Graces of Marketing Telesummit

and read about the free gifts, go to:

http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

Thanks for reading! As usual, please feel free to share your comments and thoughts below. I love reading your feedback.

AND… be sure to follow Lynn tomorrow when the next stop on the Virtual Blog Tour is Dr.Caron Goode, who will be sharing her recent interview with Lynn about How does Connection with our clients ensure results?  To visit that “stop” on the tour, go to http://academyforcoachingparents.com/blog/acpi/interview-with-lynn-serafinn/

Tags: 7 Graces, Abundance, life purpose, Lynn Seraphinn, Marketing, sacred contracts, Scarcity, Spirituality

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Posted in Spirituality by Gill 1 Comment