Over the next few posts I want to give you some important techniques you can use to enhance your marketing – and boost your bottom line. (Given that we’ve just spent a couple days talking about being resourceful, I thought this might further your ability to do just that. To help you succeed at the levels that you’re capable of.)
One of the questions (or some variation of it) I still get asked quite often is – “how can I make some money fast?”
The truth of the matter is that that’s a bad question for someone who is just starting their business to ask.
You see, if you have a business – if you have stuff that you’re selling and you have a list of prospects and clients/customers – then there are things you can do to accelerate that process. Because you already have leverage-able assets that you use to do it.
However, if you’re not at that point yet – if you don’t have a customer list, a prospect list, products you sell – then you do not have those assets to leverage. Which means the only asset you do have to leverage is yourself. And that makes the job more difficult.
But not impossible.
The Meaning of “Money”
So before we get into the techniques of how to do that, the first thing we need to do is kind of shift your perspective and focus a little more on your business and its ultimate purpose.
We’re not going to cover the meaning of “business life” in this short newsletter, but what we can do is start going down the path that, when fully embraced, will help you succeed much faster; help you grow your business much faster; help you grow your profits much faster; and also get a lot greater enjoyment out of what it is that you do.
So, let’s step back for a second and just remind ourselves that money and wealth are just representations of value. Let me explain…
In the days before money, business was done via a system of bartering or trading. If I had a farm and I grew corn and I wanted meat, I’d take some of my corn to the cattle rancher to trade. But maybe he had all the corn he needed. Instead he was looking for lumber to fix his barn. Then I’d have to take my corn to the lumber market and find someone to trade their lumber for my corn. Then I’d take the lumber back to the cattle rancher and then trade.
Very inefficient.
Money was developed as a way of representing value. I could sell my corn for money that represented its value. Then go directly to the cattle person and buy meat with that “stored value.”
So money represents value. And, “wealth” is essentially what you end up with when you provide the world more value than you use for yourself.
That’s really the ideal way of looking at making money.
And that also surfaces the ultimate purpose of your business – to create value.
How You Can Uncover Value to Monetize
It’s all about creating value. Now understanding that, we can look at certain types of questions or statements as clues as to where value can be created; where we can create value that people would want – and pay us for.
You want to ask the same questions your prospects, the people in your marketplace, would be asking themselves. Let’s start with:
I hate ________.
What would your prospects fill in? If you solve that hate, that is a way of creating value. They may say: “I hate how I have to figure all this out myself.” If you said that, then you could create value by saying: “I’ve created a step-by-step plan for you.” Or “I’ve created whatever that will reduce all uncertainty as far as what’s the next step to take.”
Next sentence:
I don’t like _______.
Now obviously “I hate” and “I don’t like” are similar in that they’re both in relationship to achieving some end goal or not experiencing some nagging pain or aggravation in their day-to- day lives that you can resolve.
Next one is similar too.
________ frustrates me.
What frustrates your prospects? Why can’t it be easier for them?
Next sentence:
Do I have to _________?
Next sentence:
I wish there was ________.
Next sentence:
I’m tired of ________.
Next sentence:
________ sucks.
Or:
Having to do ________ sucks.
You see, what all of these questions have in common is trying to tap into some negative situation, circumstance, event, activity that your prospects don’t want to participate in.
And by establishing them – you can search for ways to eliminate them and provide value.
In the next few posts, we’re going to talk about what to do once you’ve answered those questions…