For many of us the idea or marketing spirituality, let alone the teachings of Soul Transcendence, would seem like a daunting task. If the Traveler himself tells us repeatedly that he could never adequately talk to us about Soul Transcendence, that it cannot be taught but rather has to be caught, how could we hope to market such an elusive product? Well, call it romantic idealism, or perhaps California dreaming, but in the past year the MSIA presidency, with John-Roger and John Morton’s support, have launched a concerted effort to create and implement a marketing program; we call it the Expansion Program.
Since none of us presidency members were particularly versed into the marketing realm, we started out by seeking the expertise and assistance of professionals in the field, both inside and outside of MSIA. Though a number of people contributed their time and ideas, I especially want to acknowledge Valerie Bishop and Carolyn Freyer-Jones without whose support we couldn’t have accomplished what I am about to share with you.
One of the first things we realized as we embarked on this project was that before we launch any kind of marketing campaign to generate interest in what MSIA has to offer, we had better be prepared to respond to these inquiries in an effective, personable and professional manner. This was something we were not equipped to do. So this past year our efforts have been mostly focused on creating the infrastructure and marketing materials needed to provide the highest level of customer service possible for people who come knocking on our door. And of course this also includes being prepared to welcome and support them once they choose to undertake this unique journey of Soul Transcendence by subscribing to the Soul Awareness Discourses.
In June, at the Conference of Aligning and the MSIA Rep meeting, we unveiled the Expansion Program. The response to our new approach was overwhelmingly positive. Even though you may not hold an official position as a representative of MSIA or PTS, all of us, by virtue of studying Soul Transcendence, are ambassadors of the Traveler’s Teachings. As such, we believe that you will find value in learning about what we are doing, and you may even be inspired to participate more actively in making the Teachings available to those who are looking for them.
RESPONDING TO NEW INQUIRIES
The first part of the Expansion program focuses on responding to people who want to know more about MSIA. Regardless of how people find out about MSIA, reading a book, attending an event, talking to a friend, watching our cable show That Which Is, or finding the MSIA website, we are prepared to handle their inquiry. Once a person inquires about MSIA, they will receive a series of mailings over a period of several months, each giving them an opportunity to take their next step into greater exploration of the Teachings, or simply to choose out because they’ve realized that what we offered is not for them. During the course of this introductory period, besides friendly letters accompanied by the new MSIA and Discourse introductory brochures, they will have the opportunity to receive a free book and a free tape that will give them a direct experience of the Teachings and of the Traveler. They will also have the opportunity, if they choose, to connect with MSIA students like you by attending home seminars or introductory events. To handle the many aspects of this program we have created a new department in MSIA, the Service Department. This department will be staffed by individuals trained to provide the highest level of service and support to people who want to know more about MSIA. The Service Department staff will be responsible for handling all inquires whether they be by mail, phone, email or in person. A special toll-free number, 800-899-2665 and an email address, servicedesk@msia.org, have been set-up to support this program.
The underlying intent here is to make ourselves available and accessible, in the various ways that a person may best relate to, in order to facilitate people’s initial connection to the Teachings. At the same time, organizing this part of the program has been an opportunity to upgrade our level of customer service across the board. In the end, we want to know that we have done our best to present the Teachings and that, if a person doesn’t choose to study Soul Transcendence, it is not because of something we haven’t done, but simply because it is not their path at this time.
SUPPORTING NEW DISCOURSE SUBSCRIBERS
— First Year of Discourse now just $50
One of the choices a new inquiry will be given, of course, is to subscribe to the Soul Awareness Discourses. To make Discourses available to as many people as possible we have decided to lower the price of first year Discourses to $50.00, and to offer a money back guarantee in case they decide Discourses are not for them. Once a person decides to subscribe to the Discourses, they essentially become an MSIA student, but just because they receive the Discourses doesn’t mean that they instantly become wise to all the quirks and perks of participating in MSIA. As a matter of fact, as some of you may have experienced, these initial months can sometimes be rather overwhelming or disorienting. So we have designed a program to assist a person in familiarizing themselves with the many aspects of MSIA; we call this program the New Subscriber Support Program.
The approach we are taking is to offer new Discourse subscribers, over their first few months of involvement, a variety of choices from which they can select what they find relevant based on their personal situation and preferences. These choices would include invitations to MSIA tape seminars, PTS classes or local community events, personal contact with their local representative, and volunteering opportunities. They will also receive a special catalog of study material and free products, such as tapes and books. In addition, new subscribers will receive information about MSIA services, initiation, the ministry, and MSIA related organizations such as USM and IIWP. Everything in the New Subscriber Program is designed to gently support a student as they discover all that MSIA has to offer, giving them a chance find out what works for them without overwhelming them; as J-R puts it: “If it works use it. If it doesn’t work, let it go.”
The intent here is to help new people feel welcome into the family of MSIA students and to make it easy for them to find their way through the multitude of options MSIA offers, not to mention the related organizations. We want new subscribers to have ready access to the resources they may need and to receive clear and supportive responses when they seek information.
NEXT STEP: REACHING OUT TO A NEW AUDIENCE
Now that the infrastructure is in place to support new MSIA inquires and new students, we are focusing our efforts on generating more inquiries. We will do this in small, measured ways at first, through a combination of approaches including direct mail, targeted advertising and PR, as well as focusing a section of our publications towards the general public.
As part of this Expansion Program, we will continue to invite the participation of communities to support our efforts. This can take place in simple ways such as placing ads in your community papers, posting flyers in your local health food stores and libraries, organizing book presentations in your neighborhood bookstores, registering at your local speakers bureau, etc. To support you with the above, we will provide you with ad templates, generic flyers/posters you can customize with your local information, procedures and programs to set up book events, and as many resources as we can to facilitate your involvement. As minimal as the scale of your contribution may appear to you, the importance of this grass-root aspect of outreach can never be over-estimated.
IS THERE A ROLE FOR YOU IN ALL THIS?
Whether you know it or not, the answer is yes. How you choose to play your part, however, is entirely up to you. The primary way that new people come into MSIA is by word of mouth. Even when someone hears about MSIA through some other means, what typically causes them to take the step of signing up for the Soul Awareness Discourses is a personal contact with someone who is already studying the Discourses.
As J-R and John have shared at different times, the best way to share the teachings is to live them. This is where you come in, even if you don’t change anything you do. The difference now is that when someone wants to know how you are able to maintain a positive focus and attitude through life’s challenges, you can proudly and confidently refer them to the MSIA toll-free number, hand them a brochure, refer them to our website, or invite them to a seminar, knowing that we are prepared to respond and follow up with them in a personal and professional manner.
When you truly live the teachings there comes a time when you can’t help but share them, though you may not know how this will come about. It may be that one day you feel so full of the Spirit that you spontaneously turn to your friend or co-worker and say to them: “I’ve got to tell you about this thing I’ve been doing”; or it may be that someone asks you about the Hu necklace you are wearing, or about what you did over the weekend and it so happened that you attended a PTS workshop. Whatever the occasion may be, I invite you to be prepared so you can respond in a way that truly represents what the Teachings mean to you. Whether it is speaking to them from the heart about your experiences, giving them one of the MSIA brochures you carry with you, or the toll-free MSIA number (800-899-2665), which you have conveniently memorized, you can rest assured we are prepared to take care of them in a way that you would be proud of.
We hope the above information was of some assistance to you. If you have any questions, or find yourself inspired to participate more actively in sharing the Teachings, don’t hesitate to contact me by phone at 323/ 737-4055 x 151 or email me at vnd@msia.org.
