The answer to this will dictate the success of your self-employment venture. And the answer is not merely "yourself."
The answer is also far more than semantics. It's tragically important for you (and me) to understand what we are really selling. IF…we want to succeed.
And I know you do. Want to succeed.
What you are NOT selling is a mere product or service. If you think it is, then you are competing against the universe and everyone else that would claim to sell what you do. People today are not satisfied to buy a mere product or service.
If that were the case, we'd all buy our clothes from Wal-Mart. They have fine clothes there. They basically follow the societal trends of style, moderately durable and very cheaply priced.
So why don't you buy your clothes from Wal-Mart? Socks and undies don't count, as I actually DO buy that stuff from there. But shirts and pants and jackets and such. I don't know anyone who buys that kind of stuff from there. OK, heck…we buy the occassional stuff for our kids, but only while they are young and have no brand name identity yet…but try to stick with my analogy before I ruin it.
We don't buy our primary clothing from Wal-Mart because our cloths say so much about us. We want to wear clothes that attach some meaning behind them. If you go through my personal clothing, you'll find:
- Northface
- Gap
- Columbia
- Old Navy
- Merrell
- Woolrich
- J. Crew (not really, but I want some)
- …etc
Why? Because I want to associate myself with the images those companies portray. And they've caused me to believe their clothing actually feels and performs better. Does it? Some may, some is just overpriced. Which is why most of mine actually came from the Goodwill store down in Old Colorado City, which is the best place in Colorado Springs to find those types of clothes, barely used, for a few bucks. I love it.
My friend Dave Munson who I talk about so much, owns Saddleback Leather, Co. If all they sold were leather bags, he'd still be selling puppies for tacos in Mexico. Umm…that's an exchange, not an ingredient by the way.
Dave was just at our FreeAgentAcademy 'Expose Yourself' event and stated that what he's really selling is "A lifestyle of adventure." So when he shares photos on Facebook of his 51 day trip to Europe and Africa to see the world and help kids in Rwanda, he's doing more to sell his leather bags than anything else he could do, as he's showcasing the lifestyle and image that really sells his stuff.
That's Dave and me in the picture at the top, sporting our bags that say, "Yeah baby, taste the adventure..."
What about you? What are you selling? And you can't say your product or service. When you discover the essence and heart of what you are (or want to be) selling, you must get it as a tattoo so you don't forget. It must be the platform that you speak and stand on. It must be the heartbeat of your business and promotion and sales. Your website must lead with it!
Dave told me my website was lame, and when he heard me say I wanted a bumper sticker that said "Self-employment or death!" he said "That's what you need to lead with!! That's excellent!"
I had all the attendees at the event write and share what they are really selling. Mine with Free Agent Academy was:
"I'm selling an inspired life of freedom and purpose."
Doesn't that seem more compelling than "I sell self-employment."
So again, what are YOU…really selling??
I went further into this in our Free Agent Underground Show with Justin Lukasavige. You can listen here:
Free Agent Underground Show - "What are you really selling?"
