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Pat Honiotes – How do we know we are in Integrity in our Marketing?

Note from Shelagh: Having had Pat as my personal coach for several years now, I see her  integrity shining  through her own communications and wanted to have her share this with you all here.

To some, Spiritual Marketing means you are automatically in integrity in your business and in your marketing. Is it automatic that integrity is part of Spiritual Marketing?  One would think that would be true but then again how can we be sure?

Steve Slimm defines Spiritual Marketing as “commercial exchange that acknowledges and involves the inner life.”  This definition of Spiritual Marketing embodies the essence of what we’re going to be talking about when we refer to integrity in Spiritual Marketing….discovering, acknowledging and embracing our inner core values and then proclaiming them in our marketing.

One dictionary defines integrity as “possession of firm principles; the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high principles or professional standards.”  High principles and professional standards according to who? And are everyone’s high principals and professional standards the same?.

Another dictionary defines integrity as “moral soundness; honesty; freedom from corrupting influence or motive.”  This definition might be a little closer to addressing the issue of integrity in Spiritual Marketing, especially the part about “freedom from corrupting influence or motive.” Are we assuming the corrupting influence is external? All of this begins to beg the question of how do we know for sure we are in integrity in our marketing and our business.

So, how do you know when you are in integrity in your marketing and your business?   Here are some steps to take to begin to discover what your core values really are and are you in integrity with them in your marketing and business.

1. First of all, when you “think” you have identified a core issue, check it out!  A question to ask yourself is “Is this really a core value for me or is it that I just want it to be?”  Do you possess a particular value because it is really important to you and you resonate with it or is a “really good” one to have or?  Answering these questions honestly really depends on how well you know yourself and how much are you willing to admit about and to yourself.

2. Another great question to ask yourself is “Is this really a core value for me or is it what I think it should be in order to gain or retain a client/customer?”  Check and see if you ever tell a client/customer what they want to hear rather than what they may need to hear so they won’t leave your business. Are you ever vague about your product or service?  Again, this is really about seeing yourself accurately, getting brutally honest with yourself and owning what is true.

3. The next step is to accept and embrace your cores values, whatever they really are. Claim them, embrace them, then proclaim them.  While this is really easy to say…it really takes dropping all judgments, opinions, beliefs, expectations and rules you may have about your and your values. If having money (maybe even LOTS of money), is something you value, accept, embrace, claim and proclaim that value with peace, calm and contentment.   Can you accept, embrace, claim and proclaim the value of wanting to help people and still have the value of wanting to make money at it?  These two values, contrary to what some believe, are not mutually exclusive. By the way, know that proclaiming your core values may automatically eliminate some people from your potential client pool.

4. Okay, you’ve discovered and claimed your core values and now you’re ready to post them. Before you do that, try them on for size.  Say your value out loud.  How does that make you feel?  Any “niggles” or disconnect?  If there is, you may want to re-evaluate that value and see if it really is a core value for you.  Or you may just want to stay aware and know that it’s a value you are working towards. On the other hand, if when you try your value on for size and you have a sense of calm, peace and contentment about it, you are probably on the right track.  Do double check.  Sometimes we can fool ourselves when we want something badly enough.

5. After you’ve tried your values on for size, take them for a test drive.  Think of as many circumstances as you can that may come up in your marketing or your  business that may challenge your commitment to that value.  What do you “think” you would do in each situation? Of course, you can’t know for sure until you are in the situation but try to imagine.  Are there any situations in which you find yourself making an exception?  How many?  If the exception becomes the rule you may need to change the value (or more accurately re-evaluate the value) in order to stay in integrity.

Specifically check the places where being in integrity with your core value isn’t necessarily easy or where you may lose a client or money in order to honor your values.

Most important for you to remember is that it is perfectly okay to change or amend a core value based on what you experience in implementing your values.

It is perfectly okay to change or amend one of your values because you’ve grown and therefore, your values may need to grow with you.

You may discover a particular value just doesn’t work in the real world.  You may discover that your core values are not exactly what you thought they were once you try to use them in the real world.  Please give yourself permission to change your mind.

Regularly check in with yourself.  Gently and lovingly take yourself to your core and then patiently be with yourself.

Spend enough time at that level to really connect and discover, maybe even rediscover, not only who you are but how to bring that into your marketing.

October 2011 – Pat asks how we know if we are really aware of our core values

Pat Honiotes Pat Honiotes, M.S. is an internationally renowned personal empowerment coach, former therapist, educator, and healer. A former special education teacher with a Masters Degrees in Counseling Psychology, Pat is also a Board Certified Medical Hypnoanalyst, and a Reiki Master Teacher and Healer. In her private practice, which she began in 1982, Pat combines humor and heart, intuition and intellect, education and experience, into a nourishing, yet challenging, environment that encourages awareness and growth for her clients. “I have the privilege of getting to work with people who want to take full, complete ownership of their lives,” Pat says. “I coach them in discovering themself, and then guide and support them in reclaiming their lives.” Using down-to-earth language, honesty, an unwavering devotion to privacy, her natural intuitive gifts, and a sparkling sense of humor, Pat helps her clients learn to find ways to release and move beyond any obstacles that may be inhibiting their awareness and development. She says, “I meet people where they are, and try to help then realize that they are enough, just as they are, all along the way. I simply remind them of who they are. Seeing them become more and more the people they were meant to be is fun and exciting.” Through individual consultations, weekend seminars and workshops, and even teleconference classes and study groups, Pat helps clients learn to “show up for themselves” and to live in integrity with who they really are. People who have worked with Pat have found themselves moving from states of depression, disease, and apathetic detachment to places of peace, self-worth, and vitality. For Pat, providing her clients a safe, non-judgmental place to explore and grow, and the daily tools for that growth to take place, is what it’s really all about. “It really is not about the destination; instead, it’s all about the journey and capturing every moment. I am excited about life…..the complete full expression of life in each instant. I have discovered the joy, the fun, the sorrow, the excitement, the fear, the satisfaction, the fullness, the experience of really LIVING every single moment. Every instant of every day is an opportunity to be aware and alive.” Website Healing Energies Facebook Twitter

This post is about.: Integrity, Pat Honiotes, Reclaim your Life, Spiritual Marketing, Spiritual Marketing Awareness Month, Spiritus

Posted by spiritus on October 14th, 2010 filed in Spiritual Marketing Awareness Month