Sunday 29 January 2012

Don't sell junk...

We all want to be successful at what we do (winning!); it’s human nature, and it’s what drives us. Some are more driven than others, and consequently are more successful. Some just have better timing or luck, and they are also more successful.

But one of the things that nearly all successful people have in common is that they provide something of value.

I love examples, so let’s use one…

Imagine you are buying a car. The salesman gives you a choice between a nice shiny roadster that doesn’t run, and a plain sedan with low mileage, lots of options and a great warranty. Which car are you going to buy?

I’d wager most of you went with the sedan, because it actually works. You’ll be able to drive that sedan for years and you will get your money’s worth from it. There is a lot of value in that sedan.

That’s what your customers are looking for: things that work and provide value. They want to improve their lives and make them easier.

Sure, you can make a bit of money selling snake oil (or broken down roadsters). You might even be able to make a lot of money...but you will always be looking for new customers, because nobody wants to be a sucker.

If you provide something that truly helps someone out, that improves their life and is of value to them, you won’t even need to look for customers! They will come to you. And they will keep coming back, because they want what you have.

Provide something that is truly of value, and success will come…


Now I'm going to leave you with a challenge. I want you to take a look at what you do, whatever it is, and improve the value of it. You can make a big change or a small change, that's up to you, but make it better than it is right now. Then I want you to come back here and post what you did. Let's see what you guys can do!

10 comments:

  1. I'll start it off. You may or may not have noticed, I've turfed the Amazon ad on the sidebar. All of us bloggers dream of making all kinds of money from our blogs, but I don't think that's the way for this blog. It's flashy and annoying, and I think it detracts from the overall experience of my blog. What are you going to do to add value?

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  2. Howdy Matt – I set up a blog a year ago. Yup! I was hoping it would generate a bit of income. Nope! I still have adds sitting there - for what could be crap and several for stuff I would gladly purchase if I had any money. What bugs me more than selling crap is marketing methods, secret formulas and formulas and instruction for the trick to instant wealth. Anyway … I am finding this whole “social networking” adventure stimulating.

    In my blog, I promote a Thai practice called (my spelling.) Tahm-boon – acts of merit. Could be charity; could be good advice; could just be listening and caring; could be considered the Buddhist version of the Christian Golden Rule.

    So, I sit here listening to some chants someone on Twitter from India introduced me to, occasionally pet the cat in my lap or get up and go downstairs to drink and then eat a coconut; but all the while relaxing into a focus of amelioration. Usually, I sleep well.

    The core of Thai Buddhism is Think Good, Speak Good; Do Good

    Tahm dee di dee – Do good get Good

    PS: I have a page inside Gems via Thailand called What I Read. Comments such as this with links back to the articles go there.

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  3. I love this article because it is so true! Value added incentives are what drive people today! The greatest part is that you do not need to spend money to add value. Rather, give readers what they are looking for, honesty.

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  4. Great article, Matt, and I totally agree. When I first became an Indie author I did my own covers and editing to a degree. It was okay, but now that I've been around for a year or so I feel I owe it to my readers to do more, so I'm hiring professional designers for the covers and professional editors for the stories. Yes, it costs me more to put out my product now, but my fans are worth it.

    Linda

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  5. So true! Unfortunately there is a lot of junk to sift through! Nice to meet you thru twitter.

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  6. Hi Matt, Liked the subject. As far as creating a better value? Instead of going postal after being downsized, I poured it all into my book. I'm still trying to figure out what's next, but until then I hope the book helps people in similar situations. I'm also trying to be the best dad that I can and showing my kids that life goes on when you get thrown a curveball. See ya, Scott

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  7. Hi Matt, is nice to read and follow you on twitter.I have relax and defined my goals which is helping people achieve success through human resource, eBooks and Website development for all. More at www.AKACOMNG.com
    I believe success comes by helping more and more people become successful.

    See Ya. Chukwuebuka U.

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  8. Awesome post, Matt. My philosophy exactly. It's surprising how many people fail to realize the importance of honesty and integrity in business, which boils down to providing customers with quality products and service. --Renee

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  9. Great post, Matt. Providing a great product is what it's all about. Writing the best book possible for my readers means tossing aside five months of work and words to start again. I'm writing the same story, but a different version. Why? The first one wasn't my best. This one IS. I'd rather miss a deadline than release something I'm not proud to call mine.

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  10. You guys are awesome! Lots of great examples of providing extra value, I'm impressed! It really does pay off for everyone. Stay tuned for a new post tomorrow morning...

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