Posted on by Carrie Triffet

THE SELLING OF SPIRITUALITY, INC.

In ‘real life’ (i.e. my paying job) I sometimes help my clients with marketing and branding of their products. That means I find ways to promise customers deep emotional satisfaction as a result of buying my client’s products. It’s a powerful sales strategy.
I would never lie to promote a product. But let’s just say I know how to position the truth in the best possible light.
I like what I do for a living, by the way. And I have no problem with implying that a certain brand of dogfood will bring you closer to nature as you form ever deeper bonds of love with your pet.
Who knows. It might.
It’s very good dogfood, actually.
But I find I really don’t want to apply these sales skills to my own spiritual “products.” I’m completely turned off when I see others do it. I understand why they do it. These techniques work. And no judgment on those guys for promoting their books and workshops as best they can.
But it leaves me in a sort of quandary. Especially with workshops. To sponsor a workshop is a leap of faith for an event organizer. There are upfront costs involved. They put money on the line to bring a workshop presenter to town. And they could lose their shirts if not enough people sign up.
As a workshop presenter, I feel a sense of obligation – I want them to make their money back. And that means I need to do my part in helping persuade folks to plunk down hard-earned cash to come spend a day with me. What better way than by promising a deep emotional payoff when they buy my quality product?
In this workshop, you’ll…
• GET – permanent inner peace
• LEARN – the secrets of the universe
• BECOME – lighter than air
• BLAH – blah blah blah blah



The truth is this:
I – or any workshop presenter – can lay out all the TOOLS for attaining peace of mind or a happy relationship or a closer connection with God. Or whatever the goal happens to be. The tools themselves are magnificent. But we can’t actually make anybody pick up the screwdriver and USE it, you know what I’m saying?
What a person gets out of a book or workshop is something I have no control over. It depends entirely on who they are and where they’re at, at the time.
So it feels inauthentic to me to make promises I know I can’t keep. And yet if I don’t “sell” my workshops by assuring the buyer of the miraculous emotional benefits they’ll get…will they still want to come?
My first workshop in Louisiana is coming up in May. I wrote a kind of weird, not-very-compelling flyer for them to use to advertise it. And now I’ve just agreed to co-present a 5-day retreat workshop in Hawaii with Gary Renard in June.
Eek.
Other than gorgeous scenery and a tan, I wonder what I can comfortably “sell” about that one?
I guess the only answer is to hand it all over to Spirit and trust that a new paradigm is being born: One in which honesty trumps emotional manipulation, and the “customer” is trusted to make decisions for themselves.
Much love to you, as we inch our way into honest interaction together.
xoxo
Carrie

11 Replies to “THE SELLING OF SPIRITUALITY, INC.”

  1. Holy guacamole… do you know how funny you are? I still laugh spontaneously over your About Me description. And I laugh to tears over something you wrote under a picture of yourself saying this is what you look like when you are not sipping hot beverages. Oh boy, gets me every time.
    I would sell my kidneys to attend your talk. I really enjoy your style and humour and I loved your first book. I live in Australia, so while you’re in Hawaii, why don’t you and Mr Gary R. pass by on your way home. We’d love to have you.
    Good luck and thanks for all the fun.
    v xo

    1. hang onto those kidneys!! you might need em someday…
      thanx for the adorable feedback. 🙂
      xo
      Carrie

  2. Dear Carrie, oh yes, and if you are on your way around the globe, would you mind stopping in Europe, too??? 🙂 If I had to advertise you I would say through sharing your conversation with Spirit you help people hear him, too. At least I think that is what is happening for me! When I read your book the first time I was pretty devastated thinking “Oh, Carrie has this great connection to Spirit – and I don’t”, and then, after spending many hours with it lately 😉 it came to me in the bathroom one day that this no longer is true. I do get messages – sometimes at least ;-). And your book has helped me become (more) aware of it. So, anyone whose got the chance to go to Hawaii – go, go, go :-))))) Love, Kendra

    1. LOL! Kendra, I love that you realized all this in the bathroom…I get some of my greatest “revelations” there! 🙂
      Yes, so often we tend to have an idealized concept of how great somebody else’s connection to Spirit is…and we completely miss the fact that we have a connection of our own. I’m so glad to hear you’re more aware of your own connection now! that’s wonderful! (and I do hope to get to Europe sometime soon too!) xoxo Carrie

  3. Dear Carrie,
    I am feeling this silly school girl giddy to be able to send you a reply! I mean you may read it and comment back! So, to say it straight – I am so happy to have found your book. I am currently half way through it and love it. It is inspiring, funny, and when I get to the end, I am sure I will be loaning it out to other metaphysical friends and family.
    With sincere admiration and gratitude,
    Love and Light, Joy Towse!

  4. Carrie,
    I’m pretty new to the awareness of spiritual seeking. Spirit has been trying to get my attention for a long time – I just chose to ignore it for the most part. Three years ago a friend turned me on to A Course in Miracles. I was elated and really relieved that God didn’t want to smite me – then I was having trouble living that awareness. Two days ago I started reading your book. It is awakening old memories and parts of my conciousness that I have forgotten or don’t want to remember or maybe I’m just more in tune. I don’t really know where this is taking me, but I am very curious – and driven to find out. Thanks for reawakening the passion for the truth.
    Ray

  6. I read your book about 8 months ago and recently picked it up to read again. I realized the reason I did was to really get how spirit talks to me and listen to it. Love your writing and your stories can’t wait to read more books of yours and what about a workshop in CT?

    1. Thanks Terry!
      Right now workshops are mostly all in one place (New Mexico) and we put those on ourselves; there are no plans at the moment to do that in other places — too logistically complicated for us. except for a couple of doggedly determined folks in Germany & Ireland who want us to come there so they organize the whole thing, attract the attendees etc, and then we just show up and teach.
      If that changes and we do decide to take it on the road, I’ll definitely make that possibility known. 🙂

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