Marilyn Jenett
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Metaphysical Marketing Workshop
Giving
"Free" Services and Prosperity Consciousness
The subject of “free”
services has come up at various times on the forums,
and as a teacher of prosperity principles, I find it of particular
interest as it relates to our consciousness - our own as well as that
of the recipients involved.
Now I am not suggesting that my
views below will apply to everyone, but I do have some definite ideas
about this idea of "free services" that I hope will add some value.
Helping
people with products and services and receiving value for it is
paramount and I support ideas completely about an appropriate exchange
of value - personally and in my teachings. But I have also found in my
position and experience as a mentor that there are options that allow
you to "give" without "giving your value away" and still command
respect while nurturing new business and creating financial returns.
With
my own programs, I have several arrangements:
1.
First, there are those who easily pay full price up front for our
products or services - we might call them our "ideal
customers."
2. Second, there are free incentives and
bonuses that we offer for promotional purposes - this is a common
aspect of today's marketing climate. It may be a free report,
mini-course or eBook to encourage newsletter subscriptions,
perhaps a bonus gift with a purchase, or a free teleclass designed to
attract paying customers. I won't elaborate on this kind of promotional
marketing in this segment.
3. Next, there are barter situations
that work out beautifully. We can and should develop discernment about
with whom we barter, of course. One of my requirements for barter is
that the other person believes that they are receiving, and that they
do receive, MORE in value than they are providing me. But barter
is another topic entirely.
4. And finally - the aspect of
"free" that I would like to focus on here related to our theme
of
metaphysical marketing - there are some whom I believe are sincere and
will benefit from my program but don't have the ability to pay. Again,
we must use our intuition to recognize those situations that will be of
mutual benefit. In special situations like this, I allow the person to
make payments that are comfortable or
they must commit to pay as soon as they get results and
attract income.
Here's why...
It is important that they commit to pay. Their
commitment fulfills the Universal law of circulation, the law of
compensation, and the law of giving and receiving and helps us to
personally maintain a sense of worth and know our value. And there is
another important reason which I will explain fully below. But it also
allows us to help some who may not appear to be a "perfect customer" at
that time and who are not in a position to pay for our services at that
moment. It can open the door to many referrals. And of course there is
the gratification from helping someone out. But again, a commitment of
exchange in value is very important.
Early in my experience as
a mentor who charges for programs and services, I found that people who
received my mentoring at no charge did not get the results or succeed
like the ones who paid. This seemed to be consistent. At first thought,
it appears that there is a certain commitment level required on the
part of the receiver as well as a level of respect, either for the
mentor's time or for the program and information itself. It is
unfortunate that people just do not hold the same respect for help that
is free, as there is no investment on their part and thus less
motivation to apply the advice or teachings (although this may be on a
subliminal level).
Then I realized something. As a teacher of
prosperity principles, the purpose of my mentoring is to take my
students from a lack consciousness to a prosperity consciousness that
allows them to naturally receive money and success. So I made a
decision and it has worked beautifully. If someone comes to me and
sincerely wants my help but does not have the money to pay, I say to
them: "If I give you my program or services for free, then I am
nurturing your poverty consciousness, telling your subconscious that
you don't have money. So I will not give you my help for free. What I
will do is allow you to participate in my program at no initial (up
front) charge, but when you get your results, you will pay me."
What
I have just done is tell that person's subconscious mind that this
program will work and that they will have the money to pay. I have just
helped them take that first step on their path to a prosperity
consciousness - faith and expectation. In essence, we are both
"stepping out in faith." They feel that if I am willing to trust them
for payment, then the program must really work. But they are also
making a commitment and that is important. They are investing in
themselves. These students always pay when they get results and some
have even offered monetary gifts beyond that. Some of them have become
great manifesters.
Now I want to qualify this and say that I
will offer this option with teleclass and audio programs only, where my
personal time is not involved. I would not do this for private
mentoring.
I'd
like to share a couple of examples with regard to the above:
One
woman contacted me on Ryze who was in a dire situation and asked if she
could make payments for my audio program (the only audio program I
offered at that time was $250). She has four children, was in an
abusive marriage for 12 years, and desperately wanted to find her way
out and to prosper. I agreed that she could pay as she could. I "felt"
her sincerity and need.
I say "was in an abusive relationship"
because shortly after beginning my program, she sent me many messages
asking me to post her results anonymously on my network,
because
she felt that her results could help others. She was freed and
her
prosperity opened up for her. The husband was gone via court order; she
received a gift of an older model luxury car with very low mileage –
someone who died in her city had requested the car be given to a family
in need; her own coaching practice began to thrive. She made payments
to me as she went along and honored her commitment until paid in full.
This
woman's situation added great meaning to my work and I am so glad that
I have adopted this policy for certain situations. About six months
later, she herself posted on the network that someone she had only met
once and who never met her children, left in their will, $200,000 for
the children’s education - $50,000 each. And at her one-year
"anniversary" since starting my program, this woman again posted on the
network and sent me a beautiful private letter. She had a new home and
she and her children were fulfilled in every possible way. Her business
had taken off and she was about to make a cross country trip for
business. She recapped the year and mentioned how she had reached out
to me with $5 in her PayPal account one year before. Had I turned this
woman away because she couldn't pay, I would have missed one of the
most gratifying situations of my life.
This
was another interesting situation:
A
few years ago, I allowed a man to attend my group teleclass program who
was having a difficult time financially. He had committed to pay, but a
real estate deal he had been working on for almost three months fell
through. When the group decided to continue for the second month, he
still couldn't pay for either month, but my intuition told me to keep
him in the group. I have learned to listen to those promptings and not
rationalize them.
Then he asked if I would consider spending
time helping him personally.. Again, he could not pay but he
offered a “tithing" relationship, in which I would personally
mentor him and he would compensate me with 10% of his income. I won't
discuss tithing in detail here but for the moment, just think of it as
a consultation fee based upon results. I knew he was sincere. As it
turned out, I only spent a few hours mentoring him on the telephone and
he was still in our group teleclass program, but in less than two
weeks, the real estate deal came alive again (with the same parties!)
and he received many thousands of dollars, for which my 10% portion was
much greater than the $500 I would have received if he had paid me for
the two group programs.
I had followed my gut feeling and helped
him at a crucial time. He continued to send tithes at various intervals
and has been a devoted supporter of Feel Free to Prosper. I have
received many referrals to my network and program because of him and
have profited financially from them - all because I was initially
willing to let him "run a tab" for two months.
In summary, I
believe we can develop our intuition and foresight to recognize those
situations where we might give without receiving upfront payment. This
is not what I consider “free." We can call it “deferred” payment if you
like.
As stated, there is a Law of Compensation in the Universe,
the Law of Giving and Receiving. A balance is necessary for an orderly
universe. It is all part of the whole.
I am not suggesting that
anyone else adopt this policy. That is your own personal decision. I
just wanted to give you some food for thought relating to this idea of
“free” and offer a possible compromise that could result in win-win.
Perhaps it will help you re-consider and sort out the people who are
worth a helping hand. It can be very gratifying.
This doesn’t mean that there are not times when we can or should give
to our fellow humans without
compensation.
There are, but that is another issue - a philanthropic one - which is
not related to this topic, which is the operation and marketing of our
business.
Now it just so "happens" that as I write this
segment relating to "free" services, there is a wonderful promotion
going on at Feel Free to Prosper. I am offering my
new eBook, An Introduction to Universal Laws
and Prosperity Principles, free to new
newsletter subscribers. Click here for details: http://www.feelfreetoprosper.com/universal-laws-ebook.html
~
Marilyn
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