What are you selling under the counter?

This is one of my favourite expressions when I'm letting someone fabulous know they are keeping their Thing a secret UNTIL clients work with them.

Here's the scenario...

You have something brilliant that you sell—let's call this your 'Thing' :) —but instead of putting it on display in your shop window, you put together a nice enough window display of what you're good at instead. It's not a terrible window but it's no Harrods at Christmas time—more a so-so high street shop. You know you're selling top drawer when you get to work with clients, but you've just gone for the 'safe' window display so as not to offend...

Now when (if) people do come into your shop—and let's be honest some will just walk past with that so-so window display—they might have a browse... but probably leave with nothing.

Or if they ask for help you'll have a chat with them and find out what they are looking for and if you know you have exactly what they need but it's 'under the counter' you might then mention it, but no-one actually knows about it.

I know it makes sense to save your really good stuff (after all, it might sell out!) but how is anyone going to know about it if it's not on show in the window?

I see this happening all the time—when people work with clients, they are brilliant! Doing their Thing like the fabulous business celebrity they are. But that's the thing... they only get to be brilliant when they HAVE a client. What about the getting?

It's going to be a lot easier to GET new clients if they can see your brilliant stuff.

And if it sells out, then be OK with that—it's what I call a 'quality problem' (which can easily be solved by putting up your prices, or having different levels of what you sell, or licensing your Thing, etc.)

Your Thing should not be out in the back room or under the counter; it need to be slap bang in the middle of your shop window so that EVERYONE who walks past and likes the look of it can come in and buy it. Don't save your best stuff for the people that persevered and came in on the off chance, and had the courage to question and ask and maybe (just maybe) got offered the good stuff after a lot of effort.

Your Thing needs to be in its spotlight, centre stage in your shop window and if it sells out it sells out. I am sure you won't really mind if you're so popular you become in demand? Would a waiting list be a bad thing?

Just something to think about when you set up your 'shop'...

PS. If you are going to keep something under the counter, this is where you keep surprise bonuses that add to your already brilliant Thing.

Want to talk more about this?

Let’s have a conversation

Posts you may have missed:

Keeping your eyes open

I know EXACTLY what an ideal client looks like for my business. So when one sits down next to me and starts talking to me, or emails me, or messages me on Facebook, I know to have ‘that’ conversation. ‘That’ conversation is the one where I ask them to make a decision to do something about finding their Thing or not.

When you know what you’re looking for, it’s easy to see… so here are some things to set your radar to spot.

Do you really need someone else?

Your Thing is on the end of your nose. And the thing about your Thing being on the end of your nose, is that you can’t see the end of your OWN nose. You need someone else to tell you what’s on the end of your own nose (or a mirror). And this is why I have a coach and a mentor. I ‘know’ what I want to do with my business, and where I want to take it and usually I have an answer to how to do that… doesn’t mean I can see the wood for the trees and know clearly my next steps!

Having someone else can make you doing your Thing so much easier, bigger, better, quicker, profitable and more.

The joy of spreadsheets (and other things)

Now, I am almost spluttering out my own cup of tea as I just wrote the title to this blog. Because I’ll be honest–being organised is not my Thing and it has been known for me to roll my eyes (a lot) at the mere suggestion of a spreadsheet. But when it’s something that’s important to me, I can be more organised than a clipboard-wielding matron with a ward full of patients.

What’s the result?

I’m not actually that bothered HOW you do it, I just want to know it works. And I know you know it works, so why are you spending so much telling me about how it works. I’m not actually that interested. I mean I might want to know the details AFTER I’ve decided I want the result. But I’ll buy the result first.

The long way round

Sometimes we know we’re ‘almost there’, but instead of taking the step to the left, we take about 47 right turns to end up there instead. And that’s OK.

Sometimes you’ll meet people who found their Thing, worked out their business model and got their positioning or niche right in one go. And then there will be other people (I was one of them) who took quite a few steps to get there. And shorter isn’t always better if you paid attention along the way.

2 steps forward and 1 step back

Are you dancing?

Taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back in a cha-cha style? If dancing’s your Thing then that’s allowed :) but if your Thing is anything else, it’s not!

1 step followed by another step is what it takes to keep moving into your spotlight.

What are you selling under the counter?

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Latest Posts

Posts you may have missed:

Keeping your eyes open

Do you really need someone else?

The joy of spreadsheets (and other things)

What’s the result?

The long way round

2 steps forward and 1 step back

What are you selling under the counter?

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Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Latest Posts

Posts you may have missed:

Keeping your eyes open

Do you really need someone else?

The joy of spreadsheets (and other things)

What’s the result?

The long way round

2 steps forward and 1 step back