This is a topic I talk about ALL the time with my clients.
The difference between 'information' and 'action' is why people buy from you. And this makes a huge difference to how you market and 'sell' what you do.
If you ask me you can never give away enough information. I am happy to share a great deal of 'information' for free, because I know that for it to be effective, for it to 'do' what it's shared for, it needs to be put into action.
Information without action is just 'interesting stuff'. Action is of course the key to results, transformations, the real benefits. At the end of the day there isn't any tangible benefit of a head full of knowledge and information unless you DO something with it. Unless you take action. If you've been at medical school for 7 years (or is it more?) then just learning 'information' about how to be a doctor isn't going to make you a very good one unless you've taken some action, and cared for some patients!
Or what about something simpler - what about riding a bike? No amount of books, reading, watching videos, taking advice on how to ride a bike is actually going to make you able to ride a bike (and just to clarify I am talking here without stabilisers!) than if you've had a go. If you've taken the action to get on the bike, put the knowledge you've been given about what to do into ACTION then you'll not be able to ride a bike - because you won't have done it.
So what does this mean for your business? Well, it lets you know you can give away LOTS of information in your marketing and you'll still make sales. Yes, you can pretty much TELL everyone everything they need to know, but they'll still work with you, or buy your product, because they need to take ACTION. They need to make it happen.
Think about a book... now if you've written a book about what you 'know' then there's (I'm assuming!) going to be a lot of INFORMATION between those covers. You'll have packed the pages with lots of know-how, ideas and information for your readers. And yet they will still want to work with you, even if they already know what's in your head. Because they want to 'do' it.
I give away a ton of know-how on my website, in this blog, on free audios (download the latest now if you've not already!). I run free teleclasses, I make videos, I speak at events, masterminds and seminars, and I share my know-how. I spell out how this all works. And yet I still get clients. Because just 'knowing' does not make it done!
- I 'know' how to cook a 7-course meal (you can buy a recipe book after all). Doesn't mean I wouldn't pay a chef to do it for me :)
- I 'know' how to market my own business (I don't think I can add up the hours I've spent, reading & listening about that topic!), but I still work with mentors to make it happen.
- I 'know' how to keep fit; I still have a personal trainer.
- I 'know' how to cut hair (you just use scissors, right?), but I still go to the hairdressers...
Can you see how this works?
You can TELL people a lot of information and even the 'how to', but the getting it done - that's where they need you. And this is the same if you're selling 'You' (your expertise), your products, your services, your time - whatever you're selling.
And the irony is that actually, the more you 'give' people in terms of information then the more they will buy from you. Because you'll be seen as the expert - the source of all the great information - the fountain of knowledge.
But without the action part you're just a nice water feature! And people will buy the Action. Because that's when the results happen. They will buy from you to make the information REAL.
Go ahead and share what you know. And see what happens.
And PS. If you're still sitting on lots of 'information' you've learned (courses, seminars, videos, audios, teleclasses, etc.) I'd suggest you start putting that into Action. That's when the magic happens.
PPS. That's not me in the photo btw! eeek no chance :)
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