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Mark from Los Angeles

Mark said May 1, 2008, 12:22 AM:

Hello all…

What to write? I've owned the Awakening Prologue Cd for around 6 months, and I'm about to start again with just the dive right after this post. I have fears around losing my creativity and becoming a drone.

My initial experience was with using the 7 minutes of chat free dive on the Demonstration CD, multiple times during a session for about a 2 week run. That same CD also permanently soured me on Centerpointe and Bill Harris. As a post modern American, I'm perfectly capable of weeding out marketing messages, I just don't enjoy it. A metaphor: I take out my trash, I don't complain about it, but I don't go to the dump and practice dealing with more trash than I have to. Unfortunate, really, I'm sure Bill Harris is a good man.

Overall, while surfing this pod I've found the posts heartening and frankly, I find myself having warm and fuzzy reactions for all of you! I found the “Mark's ongoing trial” to be very engaging, especially his post about entering and then melting intense emotional states, both positive and negative. To quote Neo: “Whoa”.

I also do other practices… yoga, golf, writing, work in the corporate world, etc. Work is especially challenging right now, some of it from extremely old patterns of my own and some of it not my doing. I usually experience the emotional state of hopelessness at work. Not all the time, mind you, but I would say it's a few minutes daily. It would be very cool to experience my work life in a different way.

Cheers, off to dive!

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Re: Mark from Los Angeles

Pelle said May 1, 2008, 2:42 AM:

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the pod!

A lot of people are turned off by Centerpointe's marketing strategies. Personally I don't mind the marketing, but I think that they could target it more to a post-modern/integral audience - since I'm guessing that's where they get most of their customers.

Pelle

Re: Mark from Los Angeles

Mark said May 1, 2008, 10:16 PM:

Hi Pelle, thanks for the welcome. Yes I've thought the same thing, that Centerpointe should market to a post-modern/integral audience. However, to be fair to Centerpointe, this does lead to the question, well, what would that look like? Post modern marketing exists, but does integral marketing? And what if they're actually doing a version of it, crass bulk mail for everyone at blue, sorry, amber, data up to the edge of trade secrets for orange and preach excellence, transformational talk and lots of Rogerian support for green, and integral means doing it all at once for different audiences? All of it done with a red attitude of not caring how many people you irritate. It's only when you're at violet that you know to market by making one phone call and millions of people will buy.

Or, should the question be (hello Gaia sales reps!) why am I not looking at a Centerpointe banner ad right now as I type? Maybe there's one elsewhere, I haven't explored this pod long enough. Or maybe the decision was made that you don't market to people who have already purchased.

Anyway, sorry, this is how my brain works. Must say I think my theme for using Holosync is around finding a way to use the strengths of my brain within a work context, and identifying and integrating the emotional blocks. Those blocks are strong, and I may post a true need for support at some point.

Thanks

Re: Mark from Los Angeles

Tatter said May 1, 2008, 10:19 PM:

Hi Mark, and hello to everyone here. I'm new here, too, and like you Mark I get those warm fuzzies from everyone here, too. I started reading this forum a couple of months ago when i was trying to decide whether or not to invest in Holosync. You guys were definitely helpful! I went ahead and did it.. started listening to Awakening Prologue in mid-March. Really loved it, though i had some of that 'overwhelm' to deal with in the first week or two. But once i was through all that i found the discs to be soooo nice and soothing. Sometimes it'd just be a nice relaxing hour, and sometimes i'd go deeper and have one of those really great sessions.

About the marketing stuff – at first i really liked all the goodies they sent me. The book, the extra discs, the informational letters. When i got that first letter offering a “special deal” on the next couple of levels i was ready to do it. But… i procrastinated like always and just kind of forgot about it. Then about a week ago i got another “special deal” letter. I still had the first one lying around, so out of curiousity i compared the two. The most recent one i got was definitely a lot better, and the offer to join that inner circle thing was nearly HALF of what the first letter had offered. This has definitely made me skeptical.. not of the discs and what they do ('cause i'm definitely enjoying them), but of the cost. Maybe if i wait another month or so i'll get an even better (and cheaper) offer?

Re: Mark from Los Angeles

Mark said May 1, 2008, 10:32 PM:

Hi Tatter! Well, clearly all's fair around negotiating a price…

Re: Mark from Los Angeles

Gemstar [no longer around] said May 2, 2008, 7:08 AM:

Bev said: “Maybe if i wait another month or so i'll get an even better (and cheaper) offer?”

Gem says - don't yold your breath waiting. ;) You get two “cheaper” offers per year - but generally you're going to find that even those will gradually become more expensive as the costs involved with running any business run up with inflation.

The idea is to encourage you to continue, and mostly to help YOU to make a commitment to yourself to continue. Think about it. Most people will get discouraged at some point along in a long program (and this program takes about 13 years to complete), and if finances are also a bit tight at that time, the likelihood of them throwing in the towel is very strong. The Centerpointe people know this is true, probably from their own experiences.

So offering a way to help keep you focused on your ORIGINAL reason for starting the program, by giving you the opportunity to buy the whole program (or larger chunks of it) at a greatly reduced cost, IMHO, is not only good marketing, but shows a good measure of what a good “integral” business plan looks like. I have actually found, too, that in doing this, and using the Support program that is offered to ALL Holosync purchasers, eventually the people there get to know who you are, and can then be even more helpful. But maybe that's just me.

There have been times when I've been very discouraged with my financial situation, but I am so glad that just over three years ago, I decided to take up the “Inner Circle” offer. The other not so known benefit is that when you do the Inner Circle thing, you rarely get any future advertising mail from CRI - unless it is something that is being offered first or exclusively to the IC people. Sometimes they don't even advertise it - they put it on the “Participants” part of their web-site, and if you click in there, occasionally some really good deals can be had, especially if you're an IC member.

Just thought this might clear a few notions up for y'all.

Cheers!
Gem ~~^v^~~

Re: Mark from Los Angeles

Tatter said May 2, 2008, 5:06 PM:

Thanks for the encouragement and advice Gem :)

Re: Mark from Los Angeles

Nomaders said May 4, 2008, 8:34 AM:

Hi,

I've been using HS for over 5 years and have completely enjoyed the journey so far.

I'm glad that Gem has posted before me because I agree with what she has to say.

I joined the inner circle for 2 reasons: 1) It was much cheaper and 2) I wanted to commit to the program as I knew any form of meditation was going to be beneficial.

I'm also happy with my decision and as Gem stated, rarely get any marketing info. Sometimes I've missed some items I might be interested in (for example the gamma CD's).

In general I don't like enjoy being part of the whole marketing thing but want to bring to everybodys attention to the fact that marketing goes on with all products. BMW's or KIA's… PC's or MAC's, Microsoft or Yahoo, Aquafresh or Crest, Coke or Pepsi, Movies, TV's, … As I'm editing I just need to look to the right of this page…

For a company to be successful and continue to support itself, marketing is a must. And for a company like Holosync which actually sells meditation CD's, let me state that again, sells meditation CD's, and has live support , it takes money. Is Bill Harris making money, sure. Is Bill Gates making money, sure. If you start your own company and the timing and product is right, you'll have the potential to make money as well (abundance). Sorry about going on for a bit but I see so much negative stuff about the marketing of HS and it seems unbalanced compared to the marketing practices of other products. Choose the product for the value add. And just so everybody knows, I have no direct or indirect links to Centerpointe besides the meditation cd's that I use. OK, I'm stepping down now:)

Have a wonderful weekend, I just started PL4/ CD4 and my brain is buzzing,

Nomaders

Re: Mark from Los Angeles

Mark said May 5, 2008, 11:10 PM:

Hi Nomanders… I do admit to being conflicted about their marketing, I recognize their right to do it…

thanks for your view