Selling Your Mindfulness Teachings to Organizations, with Danny Grieco

In this article, you'll learn:

Danny Grieco has helped thousands of mindfulness and meditation teachers bring their valuable skills to organizations, corporations and nonprofits across the globe.

His success spans over a diverse range of organizations from startups to Fortune 500 companies such as Facebook and Amazon. Danny is also a certified teacher at Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, the mindfulness program born at Google. His instruction is engaging, fun, instantly applicable, and refreshingly relatable.

In a recent interview Sean Fargo, the founder of Mindfulness Exercises, speaks with Danny about how he has built a successful career offering mindfulness in the professional sector while helping others do the same. 

Sean and Danny also share about a new Mindfulness Sales Course they are launching to help anyone interested in teaching mindfulness and meditation to large or small organizations while also establishing contracts that support continued offerings.

Sean Fargo: What are the biggest challenges involved in selling mindfulness and meditation services to organizations and corporate clients?

Danny Grieco: I think the biggest challenges are probably how we frame what we´re offering and then getting people to feel it.  

In the corporate world, we tend to stay in our heads a lot, but as mindfulness teachers we actually embody what we teach, and that has a significant impact on how others feel in response to what we offer. So, part of the challenge is holding that embodiment.

In terms of how we frame what we offer, if we understand what challenges they have first, (e.g.) burnout, retention, stress, people not getting along, then we can frame it in way that´s relative to things that matter to them.

I know a really good fellow teacher who, when asked, “How are you so good at bringing these workshops into companies?” she said, “I might not call it meditation. It might be ´mental strength´, or ´stress reduction´, or ´nervous system regulation´.”

Basically, being adaptable and using compassion and empathy in order to put it into their words is really a powerful way to bring it to them.

Sean Fargo: What specific skills or strategies do you think are most essential for effectively pitching mindfulness programs to corporate clients?

Danny Grieco: In sales pitching, it’s crucial to not only demonstrate the product but to help clients feel its value. While discussing ROIs (returns on investment) addresses the technical side, engaging the emotional side is equally important.

It´s helpful to ask clients about their experiences with mindfulness and how it made them feel.  We can offer a short practice followed by reflective questions to help them envision the impact that could have at work. For example: “How would it change things if more people in your organization practiced this regularly?” This allows them to connect on a deeper level.

Also, through our ability to dig deep, understand, and hold space, the person we´re engaging with feels like: “Oh my gosh, this person gets it. They're listening. They're asking deeper questions. I trust this person; I want to speak to this person; I don't want to ignore this person when they reach back out again.” That´s part of the beauty of it.

Another effective element to pitching is incorporating storytelling that relates the benefits to current issues like burnout and mental health. In this way, we can emphasize that beyond physical health, mental well-being is essential when it comes to managing stress, strengthening resilience, and improving the overall wellbeing of an organization.

To sum up, effective pitching involves embodying the practice, using relatable stories, and engaging clients with mindful questions and reflection to connect emotionally and tactically.

Sean Fargo: Can you give an example of a demo you might offer when pitching a training?

Danny Grieco: Sure. I like to offer a brief practice to help people experience how mindfulness can be implemented throughout the day without necessarily committing to lengthy sessions. For example, I suggest trying a simple three-breath exercise:

I start by inviting them to get comfortable by taking a deep breath relaxing the body, then another breath allowing the mind to settle a little bit. Followed by one more nice deep breath to drop in a little bit more.  I then invite them to just sit with this for a moment, and then ask themself: "What's most important right now?”

This often shifts the conversation from a rushed tone to a more thoughtful and centered one, helping them realize a more embodied sense of what we´re bringing to the table and the immediate benefits.

You might also ask them: “What would it be like if more people in your organization did that? …What would it be like if everybody did just those three breaths at the beginning of weekly meetings. How do you think that might change things?” This all supports clear insight into the positive impact these practices can have on the work environment and organizational dynamics both short and long-term.

Sean Fargo: Can you share a success story where selling your mindfulness training to a company led to significant positive changes within that organization?

Danny Grieco: Sure. I can share a couple.

One story I love recalling was when at the very end of a training with a major tech company, we invited everybody to share their experience & takeaways. There was one young woman, who´d been a bit scattered the whole time, she didn't seem as focused. And what she said was: “My biggest takeaway is that I now see my fellow employees as actual real people.” That blew me away.

The fact is: not only is she seeing her employees as real people, they're seeing their clients as real people. Some of the companies we work with are not only interfacing with their fellow employees, they're interfacing with the world through the work they do.  Seeing that ripple effect come out is really powerful.

Another success story is when there was a lot of doubt about bringing mindfulness to a big software company where employees tend to be highly analytically and conceptually oriented. We were worried that they wouldn't take to the training. However, there's an amazing article in Reuters sharing how they saw a 200% return on investment with the training leading to a rise in employee engagement and a fall in absenteeism.

Knowing we're making these changes is so positive. This isn't just: oh, do this and feel good. They're actually having bottom line business results that come as a result & benefit of mindfulness & meditation practices.

Sean Fargo: How do you maintain authenticity and compassion while navigating the business aspects of selling mindfulness or meditation offerings?

Danny Grieco: I think it really starts with connecting with your intention, and from there, connecting with the unique challenges that organizations are facing. That's the very first module in the Mindfulness Sales Course, connecting with our ´why´ and asking: What is the positive impact I want to make in the world?

When we start by really knowing what our intention is, we automatically come from a place of purpose and authenticity when relating with potential clients.

From the first conversation, we can share that the intention is to see if there's a good fit for bringing more peace to their organization by effectively addressing current challenges in ways that they feel would be helpful right now.

Research shows that the best salespeople are those who recognize a good fit, explore it without pressure, and maintain alignment with their deeper intentions. It's okay when nerves come up, that's normal, but reconnecting with that intention helps prevent becoming overly aggressive or heady.

Corporate workers have become used to people pitching them, just trying to get money and convince them to sign the dotted line. But if our intention is to truly work together, and there's alignment, that puts them at ease. And that's what really comfortable sales feels like.

Sean Fargo: What are the most common misconceptions or objections that you hear from organizations when you're trying to sell your mindfulness offerings?

Danny Grieco: First off, when it comes to objections and skeptics, the number one way to respond is to welcome them. If someone is asking questions, it means they're actually thinking about it versus checked out. So, welcome questions, invite further clarification and acknowledge the validity of their concerns.

Probably the biggest misconceptions or objections I hear are that it feels ´woo woo,´ or I'm asked, “Where's the money in it? Where's the money in breathing?” Traditionally, companies don't spend money unless they can see that it's going to make money.

There's a couple ways to respond to this: one is a logical approach and another is a feeling based approach.

On the logical side, we can present current data. For example, there's hundreds of articles and peer-reviewed journals showing how breathing calms the nervous system, which allows the brain to work better.

In the Mindfulness Sales Course there's a spreadsheet of links to highly supportive articles. A lot of effective sales is sharing evidence-based support, including from third parties, and referencing other companies who´ve incorporated mindfulness and meditation at the workplace. For example, Hyatt Hotels uses this, Ford uses these tools, the UN uses this, and it's also been used in professional sports. The more places they see it successfully applied, the more it's like, okay, I can't really ignore this anymore.

Sean Fargo: As you said, a lot of companies want to know if there's money in breathing or wondering what they're going to get out of this financially, for example how mindfulness training impacts their bottom line.

How do you measure the success of a mindfulness training, or how do you measure the return on investment of your mindfulness for organizations?

Danny Grieco: Great question. The quick answer is survey, survey, survey people.

There's a few important pieces relative to surveys. I would strongly recommend starting with a pre-survey, where you can ask questions like: Can you name any specific ways stress affects your work today? Then, taking another survey immediately following the workshop, asking questions such as: In what ways will this affect your work?  And later, in a post-workshop follow-up survey asking about any noted changes in their work and their biggest takeaways.

Once we've done one or more workshops, meeting with the client and reviewing both the quantitative and qualitative data offers clear evidence of how the workshop and practices have had a positive impact. For example, pointing out how the head of sales said that now they feel like they're able to be much more present and get more work done in a day.

So, being able to have specific examples of success stories and specific numbers is really powerful. I recommend making this a part of the program itself.

Danny Grieco: Since teaching in organizations, I have really come to see how important it is to find ways to integrate bite-sized micro-practices throughout the day. For example, if I'm about to hop on a call and I'm nervous, I take a few mindful breaths; it doesn't need to be twenty minutes on the cushion. Or, if I'm feeling flustered after a call, I can 1) notice that I'm flustered, and 2) I can do some grounding practices.

Emotional intelligence has been another really big piece that is strengthened by integrating micro-practices. For example, I now know that I don't have to wait till tomorrow morning to sit on the cushion in order to calm and center myself.  I can practice mindfulness at any moment.

So, offering simple, practical, and accessible practices that can be implemented throughout the day has really enhanced my practice and approach to mindfulness and it's one of the best ways to teach it.

Sean Fargo: What advice would you give to someone who wants to share the practices of mindfulness and meditation with professionals, understanding that they are selling their services?

Danny Grieco: First off, as I mentioned, always connecting to your intention is key: i.e., your why behind doing this work. Knowing that helps with confidence and supports grounding in purpose, which increases motivation, drive, and desire.

Then honestly, I´d say, get the sales skills to do this so that we can effectively bring the intention out there.

In corporate sales today, we reach out in a certain way, we have a first call in a certain way, we ask certain questions, we share our value in a certain way, we share contracts in a certain way. Understanding what these mechanisms are and how they work makes a potential client feel comfortable.

They can see that: okay, this person has the intention, the groundedness, the ability to teach, but also, they know how our world works. They're going to be able to work with me and collaborate with me throughout this process. This is what the course that I share is about.

So, the advice is: Connect with your intention, know that you already have a lot of the essential mental and emotional skills in place. Then balance those skills with the tactical skills of sales to make for a really powerful and effective presence with what you bring.

Sean Fargo: Beautiful. Thank you so much for your time, Danny.

Danny Grieco: My pleasure. The honor is really mine. I feel that all of us together can turn the tide of this world. Thank you all for supporting the intention to amplify the reach of mindfulness by supporting mindful transformation in the workplace.

Sean Fargo: There's never been a greater demand for mindfulness teachers in the workplace.

So many people in professional settings and organizations are suffering. They're stressed, they're depressed, they're overwhelmed, they're burned out.  So many professionals could really benefit from mindfulness practices, which cultivate compassion within and without while strengthening emotional regulation and resilience.

I encourage you to check out Danny's course on our website mindfulnessexercises.com so that you can effectively help people in organizations with integrity and authenticity.