The 7 Graces of Marketing by Lynn Serafinn

Let’s Heal Humanity and the Planet Together

Lynn Serafinn — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:05:18 +0000

Dear friends,
Lately there’s been a lot of talk within the holistic community about the need for “reconnection”:

reconnection to our intuition and inner awareness
reconnection to our bodies and hearts
reconnection to our values
reconnection to each other
reconnection to our beautiful Planet

But if our need for connection is so powerful, what caused our feelings of disconnection in the first place?

I believe our ever-increasing absorption in consumer culture is heavily responsible for this widespread sense of disconnection. But I also believe we can create positive change by opening up a global dialogue to talk about practical solutions to this problem.

That is why I hope every one of you will join us at The 7 Graces Global Conference, a 3-day conference taking place in London AND online via Interactive Worldwide Live Stream on Friday June 22nd through Sunday 24th, 2012.

An expansion upon ideas from my book, The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell, The 7 Graces Global Conference (7GGC) is neither a trade show nor a training event. It is an emerging worldwide community of business owners, marketers, media professionals, journalists, eco-citizens and conscious consumers who will together create a paradigm shift away from big (and bigger) business, and towards a more holistic and sustainable model for commerce that is kinder to our health, our communities, our economy and our planet.

This is not a one-off conference, but a long-term vision. The ultimate goal of 7GGC is to provide education and support that can help rebuild local economies in vulnerable societies around the world who suffer as a result of modern consumer culture.

The conference will feature 9 dynamic guest speakers from the UK and North America including keynote speaker RACHEL ELNAUGH, star of BBC TV’s hit show Dragons’ Den. AND, if you attend the live stream, you’ll be equally engaged in the dialogue, via chat and Virtual Breakout Sessions with other delegates and the panel of guest speakers.

I hope you share my vision for a worldwide dialogue that can help us find our way back to connection within ourselves, between each other and with Planet Earth.

AND… I hope you’ll join us at 7GGC either in London or via Live Stream on June 22nd-24th.

To register, please use this special 10% discount coupon just for readers of my blog:

7ggc-lynns-blog

And you will receive a 10% discount

Let the dialogue begin!

Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC is a certified, award-winning coach, teacher, marketer, social media expert, radio host, speaker and author of the number one bestseller ‘The 7 Graces of Marketing — How to Heal Humanity and the Planet by Changing the Way We Sell’. 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.

Lynn is also the Founder of the 7 Graces Global Conference, or 7GGC, a meeting of minds taking place in various cities around the world and via worldwide live stream. The aim of 7GGC is to bring together business owners, marketers, media professionals, journalists, conscious consumers and eco-focused community groups, who will create a Tipping Point for change towards greater awareness of and responsibility for the impact our work has upon our health, happiness, economy and natural environment.

Find out more about 7GGC and book your place for either the live conference OR live stream at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC

VoiceAmerica Show Commitment to Business Ethics as Sponsor of 7 Graces Global Conference

Lynn Serafinn — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:56:38 +0000

The VoiceAmerica Network took a stance for ethics in business and marketing as a key sponsor for the 7 Graces Global Conference, June 22nd through 24th, 2012 in London, England and via interactive worldwide Live Stream. Keynote speaker for the event is Rachel Elnaugh, star of BBC TV’s hit show “Dragons’ Den”. VoiceAmerica Senior Executive Producer, Randall Libero, will also be amongst the nine featured presenters.

I am delighted to announce that the VoiceAmerica Network have expressed their commitment to business ethics, corporate responsibility and sustainability by becoming a top-level sponsor for our upcoming 7 Graces Global Conference (7GGC).

VoiceAmerica Senior Executive Producer, RANDALL LIBERO, will also be amongst the nine featured presenters at the conference, speaking on the topic of ‘Transparency’ in business and marketing.

Randall feels there is a natural kinship between his network and the premise of 7GGC. He says, “In this new climate, the old, top-down broadcast and marketing model that sold people ideas, products, and candidates by inundating them with a take-it-or-leave-it message is outdated. The new model is a two-way dynamic, a relationship, a conversation that people can easily access and share through the digital landscape…Like the idea of embracing a new paradigm about our businesses in The 7 Graces of Marketing, our talk radio programs are a daily dialog about innovative ways to improve and grow that are sustainable and really make a difference…That’s why World Talk Radio/VoiceAmerica™ Network feels a connection and a kinship with the “7 Graces” philosophy.”

The 7 Graces Global Conference is neither trade show nor training event, but a meeting of minds where business owners, marketers, media professionals, journalists, conscious consumers and eco-focused community groups, who will create a Tipping Point for positive change, where ethics, values, society and the environment become integral and equal parts of the equation in our ‘bottom line’.

We hope this conference will open a dialogue about how business owners and marketers can take greater responsibility for the impact we have upon our natural environment, as well as the health, happiness and economy of our global society. The primary question delegates will be addressing throughout the three days will be ‘How can we heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell?’

The 3-day live conference will take place on Friday June 22nd through Sunday 24th, 2012, at The Window, 13 Windsor Street, London, N1 8QG, United Kingdom.

AND to encourage as many people for around the world to attend without increasing their carbon footprint, the conference will also be offered via interactive Live Stream, accessible from anywhere in the world with Internet access. Live Stream participants will be encouraged to share their opinions, questions and innovations via ‘virtual breakout sessions’, which will also be shared with delegates attending the live conference.

To read more and to book your place for either London OR the live stream,
go to: http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC

Keynote speaker for the event is RACHEL ELNAUGH, former star of BBC TV’s hit show ‘DRAGONS’ DEN’.

Also on the speaking roster are:

Lynn Serafinn, 7GGC Founder and author of The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell
Chris Arnold, author of Ethical Marketing and the New Consumer
Randall Libero, Senior Executive Producer of VoiceAmerica Network
Christine Miller, CEO/Founder Editor of Your Ultimate ReSource Magazine
Nick Osborne, from the Transition Town Network and REconomy Project
Leon Stuparich, independent film editor for BBC, Channel 4, et. al.
Lissa Boles, Canadian entrepreneur and branding consultant
Shelagh Jones, UK marketer and founder of Spiritus Marketing Directory

But the real focus of the conference is YOU—

….you business owners, marketers, media professionals, journalists, conscious consumers and eco-focused community groups to create a Tipping Point for change towards greater awareness of and responsibility for the impact our work has upon our health, happiness, economy and natural environment.

I do hope you’ll join us for the 7 Graces Global Conference either in person in London on via worldwide INTERACTIVE Live Stream (great for your carbon footprint, if you happen to live on the other side of the planet. There’s an early bird price on now for London attendees, and if you’re interested in the Live Stream, you can register for the whole event, or pick just the ones you want to attend.

AND… both London delegates and live stream attendees will have access to the live stream videos for 3 months after the event is over. Very nice.

To book your place now, go to: http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC

Find out more about 7GGC and book your place for either the live conference OR live stream at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC

Former BBC Dragons’ Den Star to Keynote at 7 Graces Global Conference

Lynn Serafinn — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:01:55 +0000

DRUMROLL PLEASE: I am delighted to announce that we have confirmed a FANTASTIC Keynote Speaker for the 7 Graces Global Conference on June 22nd-24th, 2012:

Former ‘Dragon’ from
BBC’s hit business show Dragons’ Den
Rachel Elnaugh

Rachel Elnaugh is the award-winning entrepreneur who created the experiences brand Red Letter Days and went on to find fame as a ‘Dragon’ in the first two series of BBC TV’s cult business show Dragons’ Den. The high profile meltdown of her business in 2005 inspired her book Business Nightmares which lead her on a metaphysical journey of personal development and discovery. Rachel is now working on creating the world’s biggest mass sound healing event — The Big Om — at Wembley on 12.12.12 with metaphysical teacher and author Barefoot Doctor.

Her talk at the conference is called ‘A Dragon’s Tale – a new view of the business world’. In that session, Rachel will be sharing her dramatic story of how burnout opened the door to happiness for this once fire-breathing business Dragon. Hear about her entrepreneurial rollercoaster and the synchronicities that ultimately led to her work in the world of metaphysics. And finally, find out Rachel’s take on how the world of modern business is burning out too—and shifting towards a new paradigm where money is not the only measurement of success, and business aim to give true value to the world.

To read more about the 7 Graces Global Conference and book your place, CLICK HERE.

Perhaps some of you in North America might not know Rachel, but over here in the UK, she is very well known, especially to entrepreneurs! And her story is a powerful one, that is indicative of the changing face of business and marketing.

Also on the speaking roster are:

Lynn Serafinn, 7GGC Founder and author of The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell
Chris Arnold, author of Ethical Marketing and the New Consumer
Randall Libero, Senior Executive Producer of VoiceAmerica Network
Christine Miller, CEO/Founder Editor of Your Ultimate ReSource Magazine
Nick Osborne, from the Transition Town Network and REconomy Project
Leon Stuparich, independent film editor for BBC, Channel 4, et. al.
Lissa Boles, Canadian entrepreneur and branding consultant
Shelagh Jones, UK marketer and founder of Spiritus Marketing Directory

But the real focus of the conference is YOU—

— you business owners, marketers, media professionals, journalists, conscious consumers and eco-focused community groups to create a Tipping Point for change towards greater awareness of and responsibility for the impact our work has upon our health, happiness, economy and natural environment.

AND… both London delegates and live stream attendees will have access to the live stream videos for 3 months after the event is over. Very nice.

To book your place now, go to: http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC

Find out more about 7GGC and book your place for either the live conference OR live stream at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC

Starts April 30th – 7 Graces of Marketing Radio Show on Voice America Business Channel

Lynn Serafinn — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:41:02 +0000

I am so pleased to announce that The 7 Graces of Marketing Radio Show is starting April 30th, 2012. The show will air live every Monday at 6 AM Pacific Time (9 AM Eastern, 2 PM UK) on VoiceAmerica Business Channel. Tune into the show AND bookmark the show page at http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2088/the-7-graces-of-marketing

If you miss the live broadcast, it will be re-aired at 6 PM Pacific on Mondays, and the replay will also be accessible in the show archives.

Inspired by the paradigms presented in international #1 bestseller of the same name, ‘The 7 Graces of Marketing’ presents a fascinating, bold and holistic examination not merely of the world of advertising, but also of our entire world view. Tune in every week to discover the deeper impact consumer culture has upon our health, our economy and the delicate ecological balance of our natural world, and how our relationships with our businesses, our economy and the Earth influence every aspect of our lives. As much for the conscious consumer as the experienced business owner, this show aims to inspire and empower you to become a tipping point for positive, global change.

Our guests will look at a range of ethical issues in marketing, media, journalism and business in general from many different angles. Here are just a few of the guests lined up for the first quarter:

Chris Arnold – author of Ethical Marketing and the New Consumer
Rich Gallagher – business communications consultant and author of What to Say to a Porcupine and many others
Rachel Elnaugh – Entrepreneur and former ‘Dragon’ from BBC hit business show ‘Dragons’ Den’
David Thorp – Director of Research and Professional Development at the Chartered Institute of Marketers, UK
Shelagh Jones – Founder of Spiritus Spiritual Marketing Directory
Christine Miller – Founder and Senior Editor of Your Ultimate ReSource Magazine
Leon Stuparich – Freelance film producer and editor for BBC, Channel 4, etc
Randall Libero – Senior Executive Producer for VoiceAmerica
Tad Hargrave – Marketing for Hippies
Lissa Boles – Consumer marketing specialist

‘So let the dialogue begin. . .’

Find out more about 7GGC and book your place for either the live conference OR live stream at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC

Invasion of the Blog Snatchers – Why Spam is Not Marketing

Lynn Serafinn — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 01:57:00 +0000

How can we move from a culture of ‘Invasion’ to one of ‘Invitation’ in business? Be part of the tipping point for change at the 7 Graces Global Conference June 2012.

Last night, a friend of mine called me on the phone saying she had received a very odd email from me.

The email was an article written in Polish (we think) that seemed to have come from one of my old email accounts. When she forwarded the article to me, I was baffled. At first I thought some spammers had somehow got hold of my email address, so I went into my hosting account and disabled all email for that domain, as it was an old website and I didn’t use the email there anymore. I hoped that might stop the problem.

But the next day, another friend forwarded me yet another strange article that I had supposedly sent her. This time I could see it was being distributed to my mailing list via the RSS feed of one of my rarely used websites. Clearly, someone had hacked into my site.

I logged onto my dashboard and immediately disabled the feature that allowed other people to register, and I changed my user password. When I did this, I found over 400 unknown ‘users’ registered to my website as ‘contributors’, meaning they could write and publish blog posts. Yikes!

My first instinct was to try to delete all these users, but then something even more disturbing caught my eye—I discovered (hold onto your hats) there were 65,587 blog posts sitting in the ‘pending review’ section of the site! You read that right…over sixty-five thousand blog posts by bogus authors had invaded my site.

The topics of these posts were bizarre: from golf tips to weight loss, to booking a holiday to cleaning pet stains. There was no rhyme or reason or common ground amongst them.

I quickly realised if I didn’t find a way to delete all 65,000+ of these posts, they would surely invade my readers (what was left of them…many unsubscribed) over the coming weeks. At first, I started deleting them via my WordPress dashboard, but my server would time out whenever I tried to delete more than one at a time. Then, I tried deleting them one at a time, only to see the posts shift to the ‘trash’, requiring me to delete them yet again to wipe them out of my database.

If I kept this up, I would have to do 130,000+ manual deletions…

Click, click, click…did I have any plans for this weekend?

There had to be a better way to do this.

I called my hosting provider and battled with them for at least 45 minutes just to get them to help me get into the database to try to bulk delete these posts. At first, they said it wasn’t possible, and tried to sell me some security software instead. Of course, this really annoyed me. I thought it was outrageous that their servers could be so easily compromised (this was the second time one of my sites with them had been hacked) and that instead of helping me fix this mess, they were trying to sell me something. I also told them I certainly didn’t feel like wasting the next four days of my life clicking away, surely to get RSI in my wrist from deleting over a hundred and thirty thousand files.

After much insistence and climbing up the ‘food chain’ of technical support, I got a senior technician who (reluctantly) showed me how to edit the database manually. He said I could delete a whopping 30 files at a time, but after I got off the phone with him, I fiddled around and found out a way to delete the posts 500 at a time without my whole PC crashing.

Finally, four hours later I had managed to delete all 65,000 posts and all the bogus users. I also changed my FTP and database passwords, and hoped for the best.

The thing that gets me about all this is the sheer madness of the idea of spam. Those posts were obviously done by a single person using some sort of bulk uploader. Someone (maybe many ‘someones’) had paid this person to do this.

But why? What’s the point? What in the world can spam possibly achieve? Even if I hadn’t stopped this invasion, surely all my subscribers would have unsubscribed without reading these articles. And who would read them online when they are appearing on a website so irrelevant to the subjects of the articles?

The other so-called reasoning behind such spam is that it provides ‘back-links’, but to what end? Do back-links really help? Would you buy from such a company?

Is ‘spam’ a form of marketing?

Nope.

In The 7 Graces of Marketing, I define marketing as ‘the act of communicating we have something of value to share’. Perhaps a spammer might argue that he/she is sharing lots of things of value (i.e., golf tips, weight loss tips, etc.), but spam does not fit this definition of marketing for several reasons:

It’s not communicating. The prefix ‘com’ means ‘with’. Spammers are not speaking with us, but firing bullets at us.
It’s not sharing. There is no interchange of any positive energy.
It’s not bringing value. It cannot because it is not founded upon values.

And, ironically, even at a practical level, spam cannot be considered marketing. Not is the return on investment likely to be low at best, but it also cannot help but rule out any possibility of establishing a long-term relationship between a business and its customers.

For all these reasons, spamming is the very antithesis of marketing.

But while spam might be the most extreme example of the culture of Invasion we have come to accept as ‘normal’ in advertising today, it’s really just the tip of the iceberg. We have only to open our eyes to see the ‘Deadly Sin of Invasion’ is everywhere, from TV and radio adverts, to billboards, to magazine adverts, to Google Ads.

In the 7 Graces paradigm, the antidote of ‘Invasion’ is ‘Invitation’ wherein we engage in a positive, respectful and value-driven dialogue with our customers, and our return on investment is measured by the quality of our relationships, rather than the number of clicks-throughs or impulse sales.

To shift globally from the ‘Invasion’ model to the ‘Invitation’ model will take the imagination and innovation of many brilliant minds and committed souls over the coming decades.

That is what we aim to kick-start this June at the 7 Graces Global Conference (7GGC) in London on June 22^nd, 23^rd and 24^th. ‘Invitation versus Invasion’ is just one of the many rich topics we’ll be exploring over these world-shifting three days.

This event can also be attended via interactive worldwide live stream, making this a truly ‘global’ conference.

7GGC is not a workshop or a course, but a meeting of minds would will come together to create a tipping point for positive societal, economic and environmental change.

I do hope you’ll join us either in London, or via the live stream. I ‘invite’ you to check out the event page at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC and to become a part of this tipping point, and help heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we buy and sell.

Let the dialogue begin!

(Please do share your thoughts, comments, ideas or experiences below.)

Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC 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. She is also the creator of Spirit Authors, which offers training, coaching, business-building and inspiration for mind-body-spirit authors, whether established or aspiring. Passionate about re-establishing our connection with the Earth, she supports the work of the Transition Town network in her hometown of Bedford, England.

The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell

International #1 bestseller in business ethics, marketing and communication.

Purchase the paperback OR Kindle version and receive 10 hours of audio from the 7 Graces Telesummit as Lynn’s gift:
http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/book-launch/pages/launch.php

Creating a Tipping Point for Change – London and Worldwide

Lynn Serafinn — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:29:46 +0000

Can we heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell?

When we hear the words “London 2012″, most of us think of the upcoming summer Olympics, which will be kicking off this July. But the Olympics are not the only major event happening in London this summer. This June, London will also be the meeting point for a new community of business owners, marketers, journalists and consumers coming together with a common mission: to challenge and change “business as usual” for the sake of our society, our economy and our planet.

Where are they meeting? At a 3-day event called The 7 Graces Global Conference (7GGC) on 22nd, 23rd and 24th June 2012.

But it wouldn’t be very “global” if it were only in London. That’s why we, in collaboration with iMediaLibrary, will be opening up this important dialogue to the entire world via interactive live stream. That means you can truly become a part of this emerging global community no matter where you live (and it’s also a very “green” way to attend if you happen to live on the other side of the planet).

The 7 Graces Global Conference is neither a ‘trade show’ nor a training event. It is a meeting of minds where business owners, large and small, along with journalists, conscious consumers and members of volunteer groups will gather together to create a vision for the future of business, marketing and commerce.

The journey will be guided by a line up of 8 dynamic guest speakers from both the UK and North America, exploring the 7 Graces business paradigm along with an out-of-the-box look at creating sustainable local economies. This will be a highly interactive event, and there will be lots of breakout sessions, masterminding and networking. And because I wanted to give those attending via live stream as close to the experience of the live event as possible, my guest speakers and I will also be hosting “Virtual Breakout Sessions” with their online audience throughout the 3-day live stream.

To read about the guest speakers and the topics they’ll be covering, visit the 7GGC event page at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC.

The inspiration for 7GGC came when I wrote my book The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell, which reached the #1 spot of books on business ethics and marketing when it came out last December. The book takes a bold and challenging look at our entire worldview, showing not only how marketing has influenced our spending habits and social behavior, but also how it has directly impacted our health and the delicate balance of our natural environment. The things I discovered when researching the book felt so powerful, I knew this had to become a movement for change, and not merely words on the printed page.

Positive change can only come about via three elements, the foundation of which we aim to create through the 7 Graces Global Conference:

Awareness raising/education
Community and mutual support
A ‘tipping point’ of key influencers who embraces this awareness and put it into practice in their own work and daily lives.

I would like to invite you to become a part of this “Tipping Point”

Here’s who should attend the 7 Grace Global Conference…

Business owners from corporate executives to sole proprietors, who know that our current models of marketing and business are not serving society or our environment. Perhaps you have great ideas of your own to share, or perhaps you are looking for ideas. Or perhaps you are seeking collaborative opportunities with other ethical business owners.
Aspiring business owners, who might feel overwhelmed when faced with the coldness and disconnection of modern marketing and business networking.
Marketing professionals, who feel alienated and upset by the use of persuasion, invasion, deception and scarcity in so much of marketing today, but often feel like a lone voice against it within the industry.
Journalists, media professionals and creative artists, who are tired of having their artistic and professional integrity dictated or compromised by advertizers.
Members of non-profit and volunteer groups, whose focus is upon awareness raising around environmentalism, ecology, alternative energy, alternative economies, social responsibility, human rights, etc.
Conscious consumers, who want to help create a better world for their children, but feel alone against the rest of the status quo.

I hope you’ll join me and the evolving community of value-driven people who are committed to creating a better world for our children’s children through our connection and collaboration. To register for the London event or the worldwide live stream, go to The 7 Graces Global Conference website at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC.

Let the dialogue begin!

7 Graces Global Conference – London and Worldwide Live Stream

Lynn Serafinn — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:17:22 +0000

Let the diaologue begin!

The 7 Graces Global Conference is coming to London and via worldwide live stream on 22nd, 23rd and 24th June 2012. To read the complete agenda for this 3-day event, and register for either the London conference or live stream/virtual breakout sessions, CLICK HERE.

The 7 Graces Global Conference (7GGC) is neither a ‘trade show’ nor a training event. It is a meeting of minds where business owners, large and small, along with a conscious consumers and members of volunteer groups will gather together to create a vision for the future of business, marketing and commerce. Positive change can only come about via three elements, the foundation of which we aim to create through this event:

Awareness raising/education
Community and mutual support
Creating a ‘tipping point’ of key influencers who embraces this awareness and put it into practice in their own work and daily lives.

We invite you to become a part of this “Tipping Point”

Who should attend…

Business owners from corporate executives to sole proprietors, who know that our current models of marketing and business are not serving society or our environment. Perhaps you have great ideas of your own to share, or perhaps you are looking for ideas. Or perhaps you are seeking collaborative opportunities with other ethical business owners.
Aspiring business owners, who might feel overwhelmed when faced with the coldness and disconnection of modern marketing and business networking.
Marketing professionals, who feel alienated and upset by the use of persuasion, invasion, deception and scarcity in so much of marketing today, but often feel like a lone voice against it within the industry.
Journalists, media professionals and creative artists, who are tired of having their artistic and professional integrity dictated or compromised by advertisers.
Members of non-profit and volunteer groups, whose focus is upon awareness raising around environmentalism, ecology, alternative energy, alternative economies, social responsibility, human rights, etc.
Conscious consumers, who want to help create a better world for their children, but feel alone against the rest of the status quo.

Find out how you can attend from anyplace in the world by visiting the 7 Graces Global Conference (7GGC) website at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC.

We are also seeking sponsors and affiliates to help support this event. To find out more, visit the 7GGC website.

The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell

International #1 bestseller in business ethics, marketing and communication

Purchase the paperback OR Kindle version and receive 10 hours of audio from the 7 Graces Telesummit as my gift:

http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/book-launch/pages/launch.php

Making the 7 Graces of Marketing the 7 Graces of LIFE

Lynn Serafinn — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:27:12 +0000

Some thoughts at the dawn of what some say is a new era

Last month I launched my new book The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell. The book did extremely well, becoming an international #1 bestseller in categories like business ethics, marketing and communication. That’s all great, but my greater purpose for this book is so much greater than a new way to look at marketing, but rather a new way of living, thinking, being and doing. I could just have easily written a book called The 7 Graces of Everyday Life (who knows? maybe in 2013?) or the 7 Graces of just about anything else you can think of.

The point is, the “7 Graces” are fundamental values that underpin the fibre of our very existence. Without them we are lost, lonely and out of touch with the essence of what it means to be human.

With that in mind, I thought it might be nice to start off this New Year with some thoughts about the 7 Graces, and how we can take them well beyond business and marketing, and into our daily lives. So here’s my best shot. If, after reading this, you have inspired thoughts of how to expand upon my ideas, please DO leave your comments at the end of this article. The “7 Graces” movement is not about “me”, but us…

Grace #1: Connection
May this be the year that all mankind realises we are one with each other and with the Earth. May we come to understand that when we live in a disconnected fashion, it becomes impossible for life to flourish either within or outside ourselves. We are a permaculture, an eco-system, a vibrant sea of life sharing this journey together. There is no such thing as “out there”. We are a part of everything. All the suffering we feel is due to our delusion we are disconnected—from each other, from Source, from ourselves. And all the suffering we might inflict is equally due to this delusion. The Grace of Connection is the Great Healer, the restorer, the balancer. It is the thread upon which all the pearls of existence are strung. Connection simply “is”. We are always connected. We only need to remember our Connection. And when we finally do remember, after so many years of having forgotten, we should not be surprised if we find ourselves weeping with awe and relief.

Grace #2: Inspiration
May this be the year that all mankind sees just how powerful we are, and understands the great responsibility that comes with that power. We have the power to “inspire”—to breathe life into our world. We also have the power to suck the life from others. When we know we are connected, the choice becomes simple: we know if we drain others of life, we are only killing ourselves. If we wish to feel joy, happiness and fulfilment, we must breathe those very same things into others. May all mankind be committed to breathing life into all around us—into humanity, into our world, into Source. May our Inspiration make the world ever more vibrant. May we all feel fully alive through giving and receiving the Grace of Inspiration.

Grace #3: Invitation
May this be the year that all mankind relearns the fine art of Invitation. May we become masters of graciousness; may we become masterful at both being a host and a guest to others. May we display courtesy, affection, respect, thoughtfulness, good humour, genuine interest and engagement with others. May we never exploit the good nature of others, and may we always be grateful for what others extend to us. May our graciousness inspire others to become gracious, thus creating a more gracious world. May the Grace of Invitation allow all of us to know we are always welcome and appreciated.

Grace #4: Directness
May this be the year that all mankind ceases to feel the need to hide, pretend, exaggerate or avoid in order to be liked and accepted. May we master our fears and learn how to speak plainly and openly with each other. May we neither judge nor worry about being judged. May we learn to “say it like it is” for the purpose of building simplicity, trust and clarity in our relationships. May we realise we do not need frills or distractions to make our words, thoughts and acts beautiful. May we accept our ourselves. May we accept others. May the Grace of Directness allow us to see into each others’ eyes.

Grace #5: Transparency
May this be the year that all mankind ceases to feel the need to deceive in order to survive. May we cease to hide behind the veil of lies we may have created due to fear and feelings of desperation. May we allow the light of who we really are to shine and be visible to others. May we no longer fear being “found out”, but rather allow ourselves to be found. May we make it easy for others to know us. May we shine. May we see the shining essence of others. May the Grace of Transparency spread our true luminosity in every aspect of our lives, so we may be a force for illumination throughout the world.

Grace #6: Abundance
May this be the year that all mankind comes to believe and trust that there is indeed enough for all of us in this world, when we live in harmony and rhythm with our planet. May we finally see that it is only when we get out of step and out of touch with our Oneness that lack, famine, poverty and environmental devastation exist. May we all feel wealthy—inside and out—and therefore feel the desire to share what we have, making true Abundance a reality. May we learn to look up into the trees and see how much wealth we have been given, without even trying. May we see that true Abundance comes effortlessly and that for which we strive and toil is not Abundance. May we learn how to give. May we learn how to receive. May the Grace of Abundance bring ever-increasing Abundance to all humanity.

Grace #7: Collaboration
May this be the year that all mankind comes to see that what we do by dint of our combined action is always more than the sum of its parts. May all mankind come to see that “survival of the fittest” is a myth, and that anything that conquers or destroys another, equally conquers and destroys a part of ourselves. May all mankind come to realise that all creation is built upon Collaboration—all of nature is interwoven, and it is our nature as human beings to thrive through Collaboration. We breathe in the air the trees have breathed out. We breathe out the air the trees breathe in. Where is there any evidence of Competition? Competition is a fabrication of our own fears. When we raise our children to compete, we are passing our fears on to them. May we all be fearless. May we raise a new generation of fearless children and grandchildren. May all the world be filled with the trust and support that comes from the Grace of Collaboration. May Collaboration become the catalyst for more Connection, which will then become the catalyst for all the other 7 Graces in our lives…

I wish you all a connected, inspiring, inviting, direct, transparent, abundant and collaboratively brilliant 2012.

Got Ping?

With gratitude and appreciation,
Lynn Serafinn
Author, coach, author promotions
http://spiritauthors.com
http://spiritauthorscoach.com
http://the7gracesofmarketing.com

Lynn’s bestselling books:

The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell
International #1 bestseller in business ethics, marketing and communication (Dec 2011)
Purchase the paperback OR Kindle version and receive 10 hours of audio from the 7 Graces Telesummit as my gift:
http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/book-launch/pages/launch.php

Social Media on Autopilot: Nice, Necessary or Nightmare?
International Kindle Bestseller in Web Marketing & eCommerce (Jan 2012)

Kindle US/Canada: http://amzn.to/wIAfpY
Kindle UK, Europe: http://amzn.to/x9fT3q

The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self
Spirituality Bestseller (March 2009)

To contact Lynn for coaching, campaign management or media appearances, please fill in the form at http://spiritauthors.com/contact.

The 7 Graces of Marketing – now an international number 1 seller

Lynn Serafinn — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:45:53 +0000

Tuesday December 13th, 2011 was the big Amazon launch for my new book The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell. I am happy to announce that, on that day, the book quickly became an international #1 bestseller in business ethics, marketing and business communications.

To celebrate this, when you buy the book before January 6th, 2012, you can receive the complete set of 7 MP3s (over 10 hours of audio) from last week’s 7 Graces of Marketing Telesummit, with 24 internationally renowned speakers, such as Joe Vitale, Eric Pearl and 22 others, speaking about the ’7 Deadly Sins’ of marketing and the ’7 Graces’ of marketing. You’ll also receive dozens of other gifts offered by my friends and colleagues, to express our appreciation for your support.

To buy the book, and claim your MP3s from the 7 Graces Telesummit, and receive a fabulous selection of gifts from my friends and colleauges, here’s all you need to do:

Sometime before January 6th, 2012, go to http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/book-launch/pages/launch.html. This is the “launch” page.
On that page, you will see links to buy the book on Amazon US, Canada or UK (yes, you may purchase the book from another Amazon site; we just didn’t have room for all the links)
Click a link to buy the book on the Amazon of your choice. You may buy the book in either paperback or Kindle version
After you have purchased the book, Amazon will give you a purchase code. The purchase code is a 17-digit number, and it looks like this: 123-1234567-1234567. Copy this number to your computer clipboard.
Return to the “launch page” and enter your name, email AND your Amazon purchase code in the form.
When you hit the button that says “Yes, Please!” you will be taken immediately to the “bonus” page. This page has all the links to take you to the bonus gifts.
Just click the links of the gifts you would like to download.

That’s all there is to it!

The 7 Graces of Marketing is a bold, holistic and often spiritual examination not merely of the world of advertising, but also of our entire world view. It reveals how our relationships with Self, others, our businesses, our economy and the Earth impact our health, our economy and the delicate ecological balance of our natural world. As much for the conscious consumer as the business owner, this book shows why traditional ways of selling are ultimately doomed to fail, and how both business owners and consumers can begin to heal the world by embracing a new paradigm I call ‘The 7 Graces of Marketing.’

I am extremely passionate about this subject (as you will have heard if you listened to last week’s telesummit), and I am dedicated to getting the dialogue started in the business sector so we can change the way we do marketing, and make a brighter, healthier, happier world for our children and children’s children. I do hope you’ll check out The 7 Graces of Marketing.

Click HERE to get the book, the MP3s and free gifts now

Please PAY NO ATTENTION if Amazon says, “Only 3 left in stock” or “Ships in 1-4 weeks”. We have test ordered the book, and it takes about a 7-10 days to ship, and it is IMPOSSIBLE to “be out of stock” because this is a “print on demand” book, which means the book will be printed and shipped to you whenever you place an order.

If you have any questions or experience any problems, please do not hesitate to contact me via the contact from on this site.

AND, I’d love to hear what you have to say about the book after you have read it, so be sure to subscribe to this blog so you can find your way back here. I’m also starting a 7 Graces of Marketing Community for everyone who has bought the book, and who would like to meet others of like mind who want to bring ethics and values back into our business and marketing. So please do stay in touch.

Got Ping?

With gratitude and appreciation,

Lynn Serafinn
Author, coach, author promotions
http://spiritauthors.com
http://spiritauthorscoach.com
http://the7gracesofmarketing.com

What are the 7 Graces of Marketing and Life?

Lynn Serafinn — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:30:30 +0000

My new book The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell is coming out on Dec 13th. Today, I thought I’d share a short overview of “The 7 Graces”, and how they pertain not only to business and marketing, but also to life in general. This will be a whirlwind tour of these ideas (after all, the book is over 400 pages long), but I think you will get a taste for what they’re about, and hopefully think of ways to apply them in your own business and life.

Grace #1: Connection
This is the “antidote” to the “Deadly Sin of Disconnection”. Connection is at the foundation of everything in life—Connection to Self, Source, others, our businesses, and our audience—determine how effectively and authentically we communicate and conduct our lives. When business owners are disconnected from Self, their businesses cannot be genuine representations of who they are. And the problem is, as businesses get bigger and bigger, that Connection becomes increasingly difficult to maintain. When business owners are not connected to Source and others, it opens to door to exploitation of both natural resources and people. Connection is the first of the 7 Graces, because without it the other Graces cannot manifest.

Grace #2: Inspiration
This is the “antidote” to the “Deadly Sin of Persuasion”. The literal meaning of the word “Inspiration” is “to breathe life into”. As business owners, we have a choice to be “life giving” to our audience or “life robbing”. Persuasion, wherein we will do anything and everything to make a sale/profit, is life robbing. As business owners, it is our responsibility to “feed” society, and thus ensure not only that our products and services are life-giving, but also that our communications (marketing) is life-giving. For marketing to be filled with the “Grace of Inspiration”, it should never incite fear, anxiety or feelings of inadequacy.

Grace #3: Invitation
This is the “antidote” to the “Deadly Sin of Invasion”. Nearly every form of marketing we see today is invasive. Our attention span is continually interrupted, whether it is through television/radio adverts, pop up messages, uninvited email adverts, cold-calling or billboards. As business owners and marketers, we need to bring back the “Grace of Invitation” into our communications. This means that when visitors come into our “space” (our website, our office/shop), we treat them like respected guests, offering them hospitality and generosity. Conversely, when we come into our customers’ space (as when we send out emails), we must do so with courtesy and care, ensuring we never become the dreaded “houseguest from hell”.

Grace #4: Directness
This is the “antidote” to the “Deadly Sin of Distraction”. So much modern advertising depends upon Distraction to seize and maintain our attention. Nearly every advert you see will utilise random brand identity triggers and humour to get us to pay attention. What is wrong with this is that people end up buying products simply because they remember the advert, and not necessarily because they have been given direct, clear information about the product or service. Directness is simple: we marketers need to get back to “telling it like it is” instead of hyping up our businesses. The public need to be informed and empowered. The Grace of Directness allows that to happen.

Grace #5: Transparency
This is the “antidote” to the “Deadly Sin of Deception”. Deception in marketing is rife, but is sometimes extremely subtle. In the book, I give many examples of how language and imagery are often used in a deceptive way in marketing, where technically (and legally) the message is “true”, but the unconscious message we perceive is untrue. Transparency literally means “to shine light through”. When we are Transparent in marketing and in life, we are not merely being honest, but we are also allowing the true intention behind our thoughts, words and deeds to be seen and heard clearly. When we walk in Transparency, both in business and in life, we are walking in the Essence of who we really are.

Grace #6: Abundance
This is the “antidote” to the “Deadly Sin of Scarcity”. The chapter on Scarcity in the book is one of the biggest, because it’s simply such a massive topic. Scarcity marketing is all around us, and it appears in so many forms, from limited-time offers to the various kinds of “obsolescence” used to incite us to buy beyond our needs or means. Abundance, on the other hand, is the fundamental belief that there is enough for all—when we are living in rhythm with the planet. It is our natural state of being. If we operate our business from the fundamental belief in lack or Scarcity, we will always bring Scarcity strategies into our marketing. The irony is that Scarcity begets Scarcity. In other words, if we operate from a Scarcity mentality, we are likely to create the very Scarcity we most fear because the end result will be overconsumption. Overconsumption is destroying both our economy and the ecological balance of our natural world. But if we operate from a fundamental belief in Abundance, we will not bring such fear and anxiety into our marketing, and overconsumption will be a thing of the past.

Grace #7: Collaboration
This is the “antidote” to the “Deadly Sin of Competition”. Many people have the false notion that competition is necessary to create healthy economies and stronger societies. But this is largely a myth and has no foundation in Nature whatsoever. While I believe in “free enterprise”, this is not the same thing as Competition. In the book, I cite many studies that have proved how Competition diminishes creativity and innovation. When we conduct our businesses or our lives with a competitive mindset, we not only reduce our own performance, but we also reduce the support we receive from others. On the other hand, Collaboration always results in something greater than the sum of its parts. Every single marketing campaign I have produced is based upon Collaboration. The permaculture of the world is actually one giant, interdependent Collaboration. We’ve been brought up in a competitive world, but the more connected we become via technologies like social media, the more we see that Collaboration is the way we perform best.

I hope you enjoyed this overview of The 7 Graces of Marketing. THIS WEEK, I’ll be diving into these topics with 24 spectacular guests on the (fr*ee to attend) “7 Graces of Marketing Telesummit” December 6th-9th.

At last count, over 1200 people have already signed up for this event. If you’d like to join us (it’s fr*ee, of course), just go to http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/free-telesummit

And then… PLEASE do check out the book The 7 Graces of Marketing on December 13th. When you do, there are dozens of wonderful gifts for you, including the audio download of all 7 sessions from the telesummit, and many other goodies. Check out the gifts, and request a launch reminder so you don’t forget to pick up your copy (in paperback or Kindle) at: http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

I welcome your comments below about my overview of the 7 Graces, as well as any questions you might have.