Generosity marketing: The best model to boost any business

Talking live on Ticker TV's Jumpstart breakfast show, The Coaching Institute's Sharon Pearson had fun with a serious generosity marketing model.

On paper, my June 15 live appearance on Ticker TV's Jumpstart breakfast show looked like it would be straightforward: talk generosity marketing and why it's a great strategy for any business.

But things started on an unexpected note when the autocue prompter used by hosts Benjamin Norris and Alana McLean in the Melbourne studio broke.

Ben pretty much threw the script out the window: "What did you get up to on the weekend? Did you get a bit wild?"

Well, there was that bit where I spoke at The Coaching Institute's Disruptive Leadership telecast on Saturday. That was wild (or at least the response to our program was—thanks everyone who joined online.) Then there was the roast vegetable dinner my husband cooked on Sunday night, not to mention our weekly financial planning session.

Alana steered the ship back to something I love about how TCI works and what it offers: generosity marketing.

When I started TCI in 2004, I knew I didn't just want to be the person trying to sell something. I wanted people to come to us because we're creating a movement.

I'm a little bit of a freak. Always left of centre or right of centre. And I thought, 'I can't be the only person who's not regular and establishment' so I built a place for people to come who feel the same way.

So here's the generosity marketing model that in the last 15 years has seen TCI do $150 million in business.

It really works. It's fantastic.

The thing to know is it's not about the transaction, it's about helping the person transform. It's not about the dollars. Whatever you think you're holding onto that is so precious to you, your best stuff, that's what you're going to give away.

On that note, presenting my CARE model:

C: When you make contact, make it matter. When we first meet, make sure you get to know me enough to know you want to hang around.

A: Is for arrival, that feeling of 'I've arrived in my posse, I don't need to be somewhere else. There's something going on here that relates to me, and they get me.'

R: Is for relationships, or belonging. A key need for everybody is they've got to belong. We don't want to be alone or isolated. These are not good times for being alone, so you've got to build that relationship where they feel they belong and are safe with you.

The thing is that people don't join for the content. There's YouTube and everything is available online. People join because they want to have relationships.

E: Is for experiences based on emotion and not just transaction. People aren't going to come just because there's dollars to be exchanged for something. They stay because there's something going on that elevates them.

S: And the S is make them feel special. Give them gifts to elevate their lives or so they have a brag story to tell at night over dinner. Then they're going to stay and play.

A common mistake people make is thinking business is about money, and they put that first instead of the client or person. Generosity marketing attracts more interest and goodwill, and—ultimately—profits.

Name any business, and there will be a way for it to reach its tribe. The people you should do business with should be a values match.

And the idea of a match set off the hosts again: "It's like Tinder."

The funny and encouraging part was none of us could work out if you swipe left or right for a match. After being married 27 years, I'm out of that conversation.

Ben wasn't giving up on getting some private details out of me though: "Back to this wild weekend you had."

And, cut!

REMI PEARSON

She is the Founder of The Coaching Institute and through our world-class coaching training programs, best-selling books, the #Perspectives podcast, and the Ultimate You Quest movement, she helps people like you live your dream, become your most authentic self, and make a difference through meaningful action.

Remi Pearson
REMI PEARSONThe Coaching Institute