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I see too many entrepreneurs getting lost because they don't have a complete map to guide them to freedom and fulfillment. They have maybe a quarter of the map, which they clutch onto with dear life thinking it's the whole map that will lead them to the lost treasure. If you're building your market strategy on a partial and fractured map you're doomed to struggle. There's a better way...use a map called Integral Marketing.
In the past few decades there's been, for the first time in history, a focused effort to take all human knowledge - all the known maps of human potential - and combine them into a more comprehensive and accurate map of reality. The American philosopher, Ken Wilber, was the first to unlock the code around 1997 and created a "Big Map of Everything" - also called the Integral Map.
The Integral Map is now being used to radically improve results in medicine, politics, art, psychology, economics, spirituality, business...you name it....and in our case - Integral Marketing.
~~ It's All About Perspectives ~~ I want you to play a game here with me so I can show you something very cool...
Take a second and look up. Notice the objects you see around you.
Good. Now imagine standing ten feet away from where you are and look around. It's a different perspective, right? You'd still see the same objects in the room...just from a different angle...so you can relate and communicate about these objects easily because you've seen them from different perspectives.
Stick with me here because I'm going to take you on a weird perspective trip...
Imagine someone you know and like comes in the place where you're reading this now. You know this person so you say, "Hi." They say, "Hi" back.
Now imagine taking the perspective of that friend of yours. Imagine seeing the world from THEIR eyes. What do they see? Yes - they see the same objects you see...but from a different perspective. They might see the same objects as you - but for them it triggers different emotions - maybe a different memory. You know your friend well so what do you think they would FEEL about the objects around you?
And as you look through their eyes you also see YOU sitting there reading this now. (Now things are getting interesting!)
...what do they think and feel about YOU?
(Sounds funny - I know...but stick with me here because in a minute I'll show you how it affects your bank account.)
You just experienced what it's like to see things from different perspectives - even different interpretations. This is the Golden Key to unlock great marketing from within you.
Let's say you have a great idea. From YOUR perspective you think it's awesome. It'll *make-you-rich* - you're sure. But here's the thing...what does your idea look like from the perspective of your target market? Before you jump to saying, "They'll LOVE it!" I want you to really take the view of the other (i.e. get out of your emotional attachment to your idea.) Is your idea what THEY really WANT or is it what YOU think they NEED...
...Because there's usually a Grand Canyon difference between what you think people need and what they'll actually pull out their wallet for.
Integral Marketing allows you to take into consideration different perspectives to ensure your success so you don't have to waste time on money-sucking, bad ideas.
~~ The Integral Marketing Framework ~~ There are four main perspectives to take in integral marketing that will give you freedom and fulfillment in your business.
To create this basic "map", imagine (or draw out) a line going vertically down the center of a blank page and a line going horizontally across the middle. (It should look like the classic "x" and "y" graph from math class.)
The left half represents the Interior (what you think and feel inside.) The right half represents the External (the objects you see outside of you.) The upper half represents the Individual (things that are singular like a single chair or single thought.) The lower half represents the Collective (things that are more than one - like a collection of chairs or a thought that a group of people agree on.)
You now have four quadrants for your integral marketing map...each quadrant is a place to stand and look at your business.
Let's go through these four quadrants with a business idea you have. Think of some product or service idea you have right now (choose anything - remember, this is a game we're playing here.) Or choose a product or service that you are actually offering the public right now.
Step1: Upper Left Quadrant of The Integral Marketing Map From this perspective (interior and individual) you can see your individual thoughts and feelings. How do you feel about your product or service? Does it align with who you are and what's important to you?
If you're doing something only for the money and you have no passion for the topic...you'll suffer. It'll feel like you're out of alignment - like random notes hitting a piano. There will be a disharmonic feeling inside of you if you choose to do something that's dead to you. Draw on your courage from within and make the shift to follow your bliss.
Step 2: Lower Left Quadrant of The Integral Marketing Map From this perspective (interior and collective) you can read what your target market really wants. What is their worldview? What do they believe is true? Don't bother wasting your time trying to change people's worldviews - it's not your battle to fight.
So while I just said "Follow your bliss", from this perspective, think about that advice carefully. It's too easy to get swept away with a product or service you want to impose on people because you think they need it. Don't. This perspective teaches us that we have to listen to what our target market is asking for.
Step 3: Lower Right Quadrant of The Integral Marketing Map From this perspective (exterior and collective) you can see if your product is right for where the economy and technology is. What is the economic standing of your target market? Will they pay more than you think for your product or service? Are you leveraging the full power of technology in your business or are you still doing things the old industrial hard way? (i.e. trying to do everything yourself.)
You can build a team around you consisting of virtual assistants all over the world. Let them do the technical stuff like websites so you can free your time to build more products and services.
Step 4: Upper Right Quadrant of The Integral Marketing Map From this perspective (exterior and individual) you can understand what marketing tools to use and when. Ezines, Google AdWords, direct mail, info products, articles, etc. are all great money-making tools...when used in context with the rest of the quadrants...
This is one of the big traps I see entrepreneurs fall head first into. They think these marketing tools by themselves will be the magic bullet that will make them rich. "All I need is a blog...THEN the money will rush in." Sorry - no. If you have a rotten offer that has no clear benefit to the target market, you can spend thousands of dollars on your branding...but you'll still get little or no return for your investment.
~~ Your Integral Marketing Plan ~~ Your bank account is directly affected by how well you can take in these four perspectives. If you limit your business decisions to just one quadrant only you're going to suffer...sadly, this is how most people operate.
With every business decision and every new idea you have I invite you to run it through these four perspectives. This will free you from making unnecessary errors and lost opportunities.
It's the difference between seeing the world from monochromatic glasses or glasses that see in the whole spectrum of color.
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