GarthBox

Interestingly what people pay you for is often wildly different from why they pay you for it.

Many businesses still believe the what matters.

They take out ads featuring shots of the what in use. They talk about the functions and features. They share every detail about the product so you’re completely informed (and hopefully persuaded to pay them for it).

Little of it resonates unless a consumer is in need of one particular screw for her DIY bench.

Yet, even then, is it a screw she wants or the relief in knowing she’s almost finished?

When in doubt, confirm that the why trumps the what.

Talk less about the richness of your custard and more about the deserved feeling of treating oneself.

Take out fewer ads that showcase the design of a hammer and creatively show how a father feels when his kid wants to give it a swing or his wife appreciates his handyman-ness.

It’s becoming ever more rare to get paid for the what. Why wait around until it’s extinct?

 

Stay Positive & The Why Is The Only Reason The What Matters (HT to Dave)

Photo credit

There is a handful of reasons why we shouldn’t learn something new, try something different, and master tasks we never thought of mastering before.

At the forefront of all those reasons is that we fear The Suck. Those 15 minutes of being really really bad at whatever we’re trying for the first time. That suck can produce emotions like frustration, stress, and embarrassment regardless if anyone else is around.

Thing is, to process copious amounts of information, to be a maven, to be able to at least do it all (no one said you have to be incredible at it) you have to be open to The Suck.

I’ve learned that when you acknowledge The Suck and call it out and work through it, there’s no end to your ability to process all you need to be good at something you’ve never been good at.

It doesn’t take much. Just a little resilience and attitude to deal with The Suck because you care enough about your abilities once you’re past it.

 

Stay Positive & Give Yourself Permission To Suck

Photo credit

Without a doubt those who fail learn more and become smarter, more caring, more connective people than those who avoid circumstances where failure hangs out.

Succumbing yourself to risk is as easy as avoiding it. Here are some ideas that will help you fail better, fail more often, and in turn become a better person because of it

Take fewer shortcuts.

Raise your hand first.

Accept more responsibility (even if you have to give it to yourself).

Be detailed about what success by your hands will look like.

Get others involved in your pursuits. A team trumps a single player every day.

Focus on what you can influence and empower and bring your best self to. The external doesn’t matter if you can’t influence it. Note it, sure, then get back to the real work.

Last but not least, call yourself out when you fail. Own the failure. Not only learn from it, but share the lessons with others. You’ve failed so others don’t have to fail in the same way. They’ll look up to you for this. Not down.

 

Stay Positive & Go Fail A Bit

Photo credit

It doesn’t take many words to invoke emotion.

“I love you.”

“You’re right.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Screw you.”

“Shhh”

If you find yourself using a lot of words for the details on your packaging, your “about” page or your FB statuses and responses, then it’s likely you’re working to reason with the target.

Perhaps, like many, you believe if she could just see the facts, that the fine points would be enough to convince her to buy your product.

Sadly, while that’s the case for a few in this world, it’s not the case for all of your target, especially as you continue to develop a better product and build a tribe.

Using the right words, words that resonate, not just persuade (and with that, using fewer words) begins by answering a couple of questions:

1) How does she feel before she uses your product or service?

2) How does she want to feel after using it?

In other words, why is she considering you in the first place? The answer to this is not the solution you offer. The answer to this is the emotional shift she is willing to pay money to make. What is that emotional shift from and to?

When we understand our targets ambition and predilection, then we can begin to use language that evokes the desired emotion.

Then we can finally quit rambling, using thesaurus for more descriptive and detailed words, and trying to persuade with paragraphs when all it takes is a few right words.

 

Stay Positive & Words Matter, Fewer Words Matter Most

Photo credit

Every artist, no matter the industry, will have to decide early on in their careers if they will give what the client or customer asked for or if they will give them something they are proud to have their name on.

A client may not ask for metrics to support the strategy you’re putting into action. Do you share the metrics that support it? What if they don’t support it?

If a customer at a restaurant orders a four-cheese ravioli, do you deliver just that? Or do you deliver an experience that’s worth talking about outside the restaurant?

A fair-goer is starving and you’ve got one last soft pretzel that’s not soft at all. Do you sell it because the customer wants it? Or do you say it will be 5 more minutes while you make a fresh batch?

Do you quickly throw together a book cover design for an author who doesn’t care about design? Or do you design a book cover that meets your high standard of excellence even if you’re not getting paid for it, even if people tell you the author won’t care, even if you know there’s a chance it’ll get scrapped in the end?

Here’s one more fork in the road for you: if a client or customer tells you that they won’t do business anymore with you after this last project…do you still give it your all?

Answers and attitudes to these questions dictate whether you’ll be a starving artist or a successful one.

 

Stay Positive & If You Won’t Put Your Name On It, Consider Not Shipping It Until You Do

Photo credit

The president of a super successful multi-million dollar company recently told me much of what he has done with the company has been serendipitous.

He would start with an idea, and then unique and helpful (unsought-after) support would arise that made the idea better and wildly different than what he started with.

Soon he would find himself doing something no competitors were doing with little effort because of the serendipitous support.

What’s noteworthy is that he didn’t have these excellent ideas himself, nor did he act on them alone.

Some still see serendipity and momentum as a chicken or the egg situation. It’s not.

You start, you build momentum, and all these serendipitous moments launch you forward.

But you have to start.

 

Stay Positive & Why Wait For Serendipity When You Can Evoke It?

Photo credit