Blog 330: You Are An Idea

And good ideas spread. Instead of thinking of yourself as a person who sells stuff or delivers services, think of yourself as an idea.

It’s not what you sell or do for people, it’s how you interpret the purpose of these goods and services in someone’s life. Selling investments and making financial plans isn’t what makes you valuable (or even interesting). It’s how you see your place in people’s lives that ultimately makes you worth hiring.

After all, if all you are saying is, “I have stuff that you can find anywhere,” then you shouldn’t be surprised that you’re having a tough time attracting interested clients.

But if you’re saying, “I can see beyond the simple need of these necessary things; I can see how they can change your life and complete you,” then you’ll likely find some interest.

So why don’t you do this …

Forget about everyone. Instead, think about a handful of “someones.” Stop playing numbers games. When you market to the masses, you are counting on hope. (“If enough people look, a handful might be interested.”) You hope.

Think small, think slow.

Think in groups of ten. Find ten people who want what you have, and make sure that what you have is lovable. To be lovable it means it has to be, somehow, more than what it is.

Mutual funds are mutual funds. There isn’t anything lovable about them, and besides, everyone you compete with has access to the same ones anyway. It’s not about products, it’s about you. People buy into your idea.

These first ten people will tell ten people, or maybe a hundred people or maybe even a thousand people. Or maybe they’ll tell three.

Find only ten more people. Repeat.

Your idea spreads. Your business grows. Not nearly as fast as you want, but faster than you could ever imagine.

This approach changes the posture and timing of everything you do. Go slow. Like Tom and I do. We don’t buy ads, we don’t ‘spray and pray,’ we don’t do anything but share our idea with people like you, who agree with it.

I’m not against sharing my ideas with everyone, and when they ask for them I’ll be happy. But for now, my friend, all my ideas are for you.