What is the “Heart” in Heart-Based Marketing?

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Register now for Bridging Heart and Marketing —
the first-ever soft sell Internet marketing conference.
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First, let’s focus on the word “marketing.”

Marketing is a results-oriented enterprise. No results, you’re out of business.

But results don’t have to be achieved at the expense of your own integrity and the integrity of your customers.

Heart begins with your perception of your prospect or client. Not in the sense of determining your target market. But in the awareness that those in your market are not targets. They are people.

By using the word “target,” which everybody does including us – or at least we used to – what images come to mind for you?

We’re willing to bet your initial images do not have to do with emotionally connecting with your customers, but with a kind of dehumanized objectification, maybe force, even violence.

And it’s true that, as a marketer, when you put the words “target” and “market” together your images no doubt shift to something more abstract and less invasive.

But still, does the phrase “target market” elicit images of conscious beings who may be tender, certainly in some kind of need, perhaps vulnerable?

Or do you picture your prospects as an abstract group? A market.

Can you see their faces? Can you hear their voices? Can you feel their blood pulsing?

How often do you picture your “target market” as flesh and bone people? Do you see them? Really see them?

Or do they all disappear into a thing called a “market,” which is certainly all about utility and implementation, hard costs and gross profits – ledger sheet stuff?

Where are the people – not the group – the individuals?

The heart in heart-based marketing begins with real, human connection. Your feeling of being one of them – not separate from them, selling to them – but among them, helping because you can.

Not giving away what you offer, but bringing your products and services to those who are looking for you and, in return, receiving a fee commensurate to your very real value. Anything less would not be heart but sentimentality, which doesn’t do anyone any good at all.

So who do you see your customer as? And consider this, how do want to be perceived by those who offer their products and services to you?

The more human, the more heart-based. The more abstract, the more mechanical. The more they (and you) are a target, well . . . we’ll leave you to sit with your images and thoughts.

But before you do — if you’re a soft sell marketer who prefers a more inclusive, emotionally connected business relationship with your prospects and customers — you’re invited to register for a free series of 10 tele-calls previewing our “Bridging Heart and Marketing” Internet conference that takes place February 22, 23, 24 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport. We’ll be sharing the soft sell wisdom of world-class Internet marketers. Just click on:
http://www.bridgingheartandmarketing.com — and join us.