On your own? Don’t let that stop you!

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.

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.

Interviews are an amazing way to discover what you didn’t know you knew already. Provided you’re OK to think on your feet, or OK to ‘go with the flow’, you’ll find out you know a lot more than you think you did. I come up with all sorts of statements, stories and a-ha moments simply as part of a conversation. This is why I rarely say no to an interview.

If you don’t have a clear name for your Thing–an obvious package or product, a clear sight of it on the shelf/in the market, a clear offer–then it’s really hard for people to buy.

It’s all about perspective.

I always say that your Thing is your filter on the world and how you see things differently. That’s why your Thing is very often a different way of working, a different order, different detail, different language or a different approach entirely to how something is done. It’s your take on the world, not necessarily a brand spanking new eureka moment Thing. Which of course is all about perspective.

Sometimes when your perspective is very different to everyone else around you it can be hard to share. Perhaps you don’t want to ‘stand out’ or be different. For many of us it’s inbuilt not to be a show off or get noticed to much. Certainly in my life experience that didn’t always end well (it does now, but not back then).

I know your park is special and has everything in it you like to play with. Perhaps it’s got sparkly swings, or a huge football pitch perfect for 5-a-side; it might have a deep treasure-digging sandpit or a roundabout that goes reeeeaaaallllly fast. And I know you think your park is the best, and that everyone should come and play in it. But it’s not always as easy as that, as not everyone sees your park in the same way. Bit like your Thing really…

We all have our own style and attitude and approach, and I am sure you aren’t the right person for every single business or consumer who needs your Thing. You might be too loud (or too quiet), too complicated or too simple. You might be too casual or too strict, too friendly or too standoffish. What if you’re the chalk and they want the cheese? The black and they are looking for white?