In cathedrals, people preach doctrine to the masses and expect these teachings will inspire conformity. Any level of "buy-in" is pre-supposed due to the values people bring when they voluntarily walk through the door. Those preaching then set out to teach and imbue the followers with the creed of the institution.
How does this translate to us as marketers? We have a temple of our own. We preach hope through practicality. On the far end is a goal. This is where most marketing (today) starts. Most marketing talks about the "result", not the process it takes to get there. This is tantamount to assuming you will go to Heaven while not having a firm handle on your belief in God.
On this end (the here and now reality - and how we approach things) is a conscious decision to believe or reject the information presented. In our "church" we want you to actively explore the tenets and come to your own conclusions about "truth". By doing so, we understand the risk of not hyping, of not over-promising and to simply convey information in clear, candid, objective terms.
On this level, we need to apologize. If you need to be moved by exhilaration to take action, we are probably not the best fit for you. Do we want you to be excited? To us, excited may be a bit of overstatement. We would settle for confident and absolute resolve about the choices you are making - with your eyes wide open.
Here's why: the last thing we want you to feel is being "sold". Our goal, in our cathedral, is that we want you to feel educated and inspired by our refreshingly honest approach to making money. We want to earn credibility and respect. In this metaphor, we are independent of the "institutions" and reject most of "how" the gurus advocate marketing and growing a home business.
And to invoke Robert Frost, when coming to these two roads that diverge in a yellow wood, the one you choose will make all the difference.
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