Embrace
Try everything. Even if you think it’s gonna suck. Because that’s the thing that can open paths to new ideas, from your own perspective, your own experiences, your own life. And as Chad Smith says: “And at the end of the day it’ll end up sounding like us (red hot chili peppers) anyways.” That’s authenticity. Not the crap you’re being sold to by the bros. 🙂 “The opposite of a great idea is another great idea.” And it’s one that triggers new ideas.
Charge what you’re worth
How many times you’ve been told that, and yet, you’re still underpriced? Or worse, “underpromising and overdelivering”… This thing of “you deserve to get paid what you’re worth” is nonsense. Your worth and what you get paid are not correlated. In a business setting (this means: if you’re working doing work for someone other than yourself) what you get paid has little to nothing to do with what you’re worth. Because if that were the case, you’d be able to charge whatever (made up) number you…
Money is not a problem.
“Money is not a problem.” In a negotiation in behalf of a client, I asked my client:”Please give me the prices (at full) for these 2 programs your customer wants to buy. Money is not a problem. They have as a minimum 24K euros.” The answer? “Here. This is the price —but you can offer it for less.” The “less” price? 16K The fear of “losing” the opportunity made them leave money on the table. Despite having the extra approved budget. Of course, now comes the ethical question: “Isn’t this…
Are you the expert?
Do your customers just ask you for what they need and you tell them “Yes, here are some options for you to choose from”? Or do you guide them through the process so that they can make an informed decision? Or do you even tell them “No, sorry. I don’t do that / provide that / work like that”?
The largest smallest
What is the largest tiny market where you can be seen as THE perfect option (aka meaningfully relevant)? Market: group of people trying to get something done. Meaningfully relevant: only you (or a very few) can help this market to serve get the thing done. The thing done: the desired future state they’re trying to achieve. When you define it, you’re the big fish in the small pond.
About 20…
“That’s how the super rich talk: they just say 5… 20…” Funny thing, that’s how your ideal customers also talk: in a natural way, with a big number, in terms of money. When you’re selling, you have to not think with your own pocket. You have to align with what they can afford and where they see the upside. Value is subjective. And the things they value, have a different appearance to what you see. Can you say to your customer “It’s $ 10 000” without giggling or breaking character? Try it…
Nobody move!
Play it safe. You’re not chased by a T-Rex. Not now —and certainly not once you get to innovate and bring great, new things to the market you serve. However, that’s how many businesses, orgs and entrepreneurs behave once they reach a certain point. Because now that you’re there, you’ve got much to lose. Just think of this: What if you get much more to win?
Same situation, 2 advisors
In yesterday’s daily the message kind of didn’t get through the intended way. I’m sorry. There were a few readers’ responses that made me realize that. Thank you. 🙂 Hopefully, this time it will be clearer. Imagine this. You need to make an important decision on your business. A game-changer. One that has the potential to change the way you’re perceived in the market you serve. You approach 2 advisors (Will and Joe). Your budget is 10K. In the future of this (imaginary) scenario, both of them…
I used to be part of a cult
Yup. Buying into an idea and not quite questioning deeply… until I did: Category Creation. The main argument is that it… “involves the creation of new categories of products and services to introduce to the market. […] Category designers present their products and services under a new category and educates the market on that category.” And while this sounds awesome, it’s not really “creating” a category. To create a category, it needs not to be existing before. And here’s the thing:…
That daily thing…
Look, this daily thing is a game-changer. In terms of: Expertise, it lets you go deep on things you love AND hate in your industry. For the ones you love, on how to make them bigger. On the ones you hate, on seeing ways to change the situation. Creativity, it pushes you to think deeper —and different. It helps you make connections you never thought of before. Deciding what to focus on (positioning/niching down/specializing), it gives you the freedom to explore all the different ideas you…