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September/October 2005 Featured Stories
Helping the Good Guys Succeed
The Science of Spiritual Marketing

Andrea Adler interviewed by Phil Jefferson

Andrea Adler

Andrea Adler is sometimes called the "high priestess" of spiritual marketing. Her mission is to help the therapeutic/holistic community, artists and conscious business owners succeed by integrating their spiritual vision with the practical principles of marketing. Here she speaks to Phil Jefferson of New Connexion.

PHIL: After working as a PR and marketing consultant for 25 years, what made you shift your focus to the holistic community?
ANDREA: I had always supported the holistic/therapeutic community, mainly because I had so often been healed by these practitioners. But the real shift took place on 9/12, the day after the 9/11 event. That day I witnessed something that transformed my life. I saw it as a microcosm for what was to manifest throughout the world. Just blocks away from the sea of chaos at ground zero, a local, holistic center brought in hundreds of therapists from around the East Coast. They set up shop at the South Sea Seaport and began to work around the clock offering acupuncture, reflexology, cranial sacral and massage to all the fireman, policemen, doctors and nurses that had been working 24/7 helping the injured.

Now under normal circumstances, you know these fireman, doctors and nurses would not have stepped foot into a holistic center. And yet here they were – happily and appreciatively – receiving just what they needed. I stood there watching this scene, knowing that a major shift was taking place.

I knew at that moment that the entire world was about to change, and that a new receptiveness to these kinder, alternative modalities was part of it. A little voice inside me said, "go back and write a book that will empower these practitioners to get out there and educate the masses." So, I went home that day and started writing the book, "Creating an Abundant Practice: A Spiritual and Practical Guide for Holistic Practitioners and Healing Centers." It is now in its second printing.

PHIL: What’s the book about?
ANDREA: This book is a step-by-step guide on how to generate publicity, create partnerships and cultivate media exposure; but at the same time, it shows you how to approach these things as a spiritual practice and as healing in themselves. The core is helping you pinpoint your own inner needs and desires and then translate them into career and lifestyle goals

PHIL: Why do you think so many people are apprehensive about creating a marketing plan?
ANDREA: Because what I have come to love and embrace as a mysterious and magical process has for most people become a recipe with no soul. We have been so inundated with blaring hype, propaganda, and spin that our senses have become saturated and the thought of using any of these venues to promote ourselves has become very unattractive.

I knew there had to be shift and a way to restore the wholesomeness and integrity of this profession. Because of my own pursuit of spiritual knowledge, this dilemma forced me to examine the difference between traditional marketing and spiritual /holistic marketing

PHIL: What did you discover?
ANDREA: Traditional marketing is for the most part toxic. It tends to create unconscious negative behaviors (subliminal as well as overt). It is based on attention getting propaganda that bombards people’s senses. Spiritual marketing is addressed with consciousness and integrity. It is nourishing and uplifting rather than depleting and degrading.

After 30 years of researching, and exploring marketing like a scientist, I have discovered what works and what doesn’t work – and it doesn’t matter if you are a CEO of a large Fortune 500 company, a small business owner or a holistic practitioner. The rules are the same. The only way a business can be sustainable and successful, is by integrating holistic/spiritual principles with practical principles into a nice, neat package.

PHIL: I think a lot of holistic practitioners haven’t any idea where to begin with that.
ANDREA: There is a sequence to these concepts. First, we understand the spiritual laws, and how to use them; then we incorporate the practical laws, and finally we integrate the two. We need to get in touch with our soul’s calling. When we connect with this deep longing we finally begin to magnetize those people, situations, and opportunities we want to bring into our lives. When we hold this vision of the future, we begin to walk into it effortlessly and gracefully.

PHIL: What other concepts do you introduce?
ANDREA: There is the concept of seeing ourselves as whole. Instead of thinking that we need to wear two or three hats when we promote or market ourselves we begin to understand that there’s only the need to wear one. When we understand that promoting and marketing is an art form and that it’s the same creative energy we use when we paint a mural or compose a song or create a new software program, we overcome the disconnect. When we understand how the spiritual and practical laws work, then all of our resistance dissolves and we begin to master the flow of our profession.

PHIL: Does everybody "get it"?
ANDREA: Well, I think that’s the difference between left-brain participants and right brain participants. I have found that very creative, entrepreneurial business people interested in learning PR and marketing really resonate with this work.

PHIL: How does someone integrate these concepts to become the "one" person they present to the world?
ANDREA: This visioning work is very powerful. We may intellectually understand where we want to be in five years; we may have a yearning to express ourselves in a certain way. However, when we get in touch with what our soul is calling for us to do, it overrides the other two, and connects us energetically with where we want to be, how we want to be and how we want to feel as we move out there and create our outreach. Many times, this is an extreme paradigm shift for people. The fact of the matter is, actors, sports professionals, and lawyers use this technique all the time. It focuses the mind and crystallizes our intention

PHIL: Once the workshop participants and your consulting clients understand the principals, what’s next?
ANDREA: Then we move into creating the strategy and the marketing materials that will draw our potential clients to us. There is a lot of focus on creating the "Sound Bite."

PHIL: The "Sound Bite"?
ANDREA: The sound bite is how we articulate who we are. More often than not, I cannot understand people when they introduce themselves to me. This holds as true for the CEO of a large company as the holistic practitioner trying to articulate what Reiki is.

The Sound Bite consists of two to four lines that describe in detail who you are and what your specific modality or business is about. It’s a teaser, used to whet people’s appetite – entice them with the right words and they’ll want to learn more. If used properly, the listener will be so intrigued by what you say, they will want to set up an appointment and try out this method you have spoken so interestingly about. And then we focus on developing a strong story.

PHIL: What are other techniques that are unique to this method?
ANDREA: How to create soulful branding, soulful marketing materials that resonate with who we are and who we want to attract, and integrating those spiritual laws of abundance into our materials.

PHIL: What are the spiritual laws of abundance?
ANDREA: How to move out of fear gracefully; the priceless offerings; the energy of money; the power of the word; the subtext of enthusiasm; competition – and the fact that there is none; your business is greater that what you believe it to be; selling as a divine practice; and the practice of meditation.

PHIL: Can you give us some quick tips on Advertising?
ANDREA: Sure.

• If your desire is to get the word out about your practice, and it is in your budget, advertise regularly. Why not let more people experience your gifts - your passion? People won't be able to experience what you have to offer if they don't know where you are or what you do.
• In addition to advertising your practice, advertise an event, such as an open house or introductory program. It's a good idea to make an offering to the community. Once your neighbors meet you and learn about your modality, trust will be established. After the event, place your ad on a rotating basis. You may even want to share an ad with other practitioners in your building or healing center. The consistency of your ad will remind people who you are and to spread the word about you. Don't crowd your ad with too much information. List who, what, when, where and why, and use an image or a photo a picture is worth a thousand words.
• Target your advertisement with precision. For example, there is no point in advertising the opening of your new practice to the editors of Car & Driver Magazine, unless, perhaps you have a story angle about stress-relieving exercises for drivers!
• Timing is essential. What good is working to put on a great event if you haven't given your audience enough time to schedule it on their calendars? Many presentations have gone sour because people haven't allowed enough time for their advertising to reach the public. Thousands of dollars are wasted every day because strategies are improperly planned. Find out how much time the media needs for your ad to be placed. Give yourself at least a month to send out invitations; notify the press; create your ad; distribute flyers; and make follow-up phone calls.

PHIL: I understand you’re taking time out from your busy consulting schedule around the US and Latin America to come to Portland in October. What workshops will you be offering?
ANDREA: I will actually be cramming three workshops into two days for the first time: The Science of Spiritual Marketing, Creating Soulful Marketing Materials and Creating a Strong Presentation. I normally take a day for each of them, and charge a lot more than the deal Miriam squeezed out of me for your readers! (Laughs)

PHIL: Well, it’s in a good cause. I know that we’re not taking any fee for sponsoring your visit because we feel the whole community will benefit, so thank you, Andrea.

Andrea will be speaking in Portland on October 13^th, 2005 at New Renaissance Bookshop, and will be presenting two workshops: The Science of Spiritual Marketing on the 15^th , and Creating Soulful Marketing Materials and Creating a Strong Presentation on the 16^th of October. Discounted workshop cost is $150 per day. Special Offer: both workshop days for $250 if booked & paid by September 21^st.

For details contact New Connexion at 503-892-3300, editor@newconnexion.net or register online at: www.newconnexion.net. Andrea Adler can be contacted at 505-983-7777 or through her website, www.HolisticPR.com