Tag: seth godin

The Importance Of Events

Experts often post
about how everything is always available
and how this lack of scarcity
makes it more difficult
to stand out.

In the Romance Novel Industry,
one of the solutions
to this challenge
is
to hold events.

10 writers promote
a themed Facebook party, for example.

Before and during that party,
their books are in the spotlight.

There is curation
for that event.

Readers who are interested
in the theme gather.
They share an experience.
They then buy the same books
and share that experience also.

TV shows have watch parties.
Viewers post while watching
the episode
at the same time.

Video games have release parties.
Everyone goes online
and plays the game
at the same time.

Events are one solution
to cut through the noise.

And the good news is…
anyone can organize
and host one.

Make It Safe

The easiest way
to make a book sale
is to reassure readers
it is like a book
they’ve already read
and loved.

Readers want a ‘safe’ read,
a story they can be assured
will turn out
well for them.

Romance Novel Writers
(small business owners)
use tropes and comparisons
to reassure readers
their book is the same
in many ways.

THEN
they might also mention
the ways their book
is special.

As Seth Godin
shares

“The reason we haven’t taken
systemic action
is that it’s scary,
not because
it isn’t novel enough.

If you want more people
to take more action,
make it safe,
don’t make it interesting.”

If you want to appeal
to a lot of prospects,
ensure your product/service
seems safe
in your marketing material.

Plan For Startup Mistakes

When I craft financial statements
for new businesses,
I outline
what I believe are
the best case,
worst case
and
most likely case scenarios.

The most likely case scenario
ALWAYS includes buffer
for mistakes,
for stumbles,
for less than ideal startups.

Even the most experienced
project manager
makes errors.
It is a new product/service.
That means new errors
will be made.

Seth Godin
shares

“…the real startup costs
are
the missteps, errors and learnings
that every new project goes through
on the way to success.”

Plan to make mistakes.
They are part of the
startup experience.

What Is Your Limited Resource?

In my Romance Novel business,
my most limited resource
is
my time.

I outsource almost everything
except the writing.
I COULD outsource that also
but I prefer to own that completely.

(One of the reasons
I started the Romance Novel business
was to bring MY stories
to life.)

My product development
and my business’ growth
is limited by the time
I’m willing to allocate
to the business.

ALL of our businesses
have limitations.

And as
Seth Godin
shares

“Finding the one thing
that is at the heart
of your value/scarcity matrix
makes it much easier
to focus your energy
on strategic decisions.”

I know, for example,
I can’t grow my business
in a certain direction
if implementing that strategy
will utilize a lot of my time.
I don’t have that time
to allocate.

Determine your most limited resource
and then figure out
how to grow
using as little of it
as possible.

If We Want Improvement

If I wanted simply to offset
the carbon I use,
I would fund the planting
of X trees per year.

But I know some people
won’t or can’t offset their carbon usage
and
I want the world to improve
so
I fund the planting
of at least 2X trees per year.

The standard tip
for housekeeping
when we stay in a hotel
is expected.
The employee factors
that into her earnings.

Doubling that standard tip
will change her life a bit.

Seth Godin
shares

“Whether it’s splitting a check,
getting a project done
or making an impact on the culture
or a cause,
if you want things to get better,
the only way is
to be prepared
to do more than your fair share.”

If we want the world
to improve,
we should do
MORE than is expected.

You Can Be Replaced Yet Still Be Missed

I worked
in new business development
for a large beverage company
for a number of years.
I worked long hours.
I did research while on vacation.
I was extremely dedicated.

When the executives were given
the mandate
to reduce the already lean organization
by 20%,
my job was one of the first
to be cut.

Some people
were bitter
about having their jobs eliminated.

I expected it.
It wasn’t my first job.
I knew anyone could be
easily replaced.

What I wanted to be
was
missed.
I wanted there to be
an emotional hole
in the organization
when I was gone.

And years later,
an executive told me
that HAD happened.
He said he didn’t realize
the energy I brought
to the team.

As
Seth Godin
shares

“No, you’re not irreplaceable.

No one is,
not really.

But if we work at it,
we might become indispensable.
The linchpin,
someone who would be missed
if they were gone.”

Our goal isn’t
to be irreplaceable.
That’s impossible to achieve.
All of us
can be replaced.

If we care about such things,
our goal is to be missed.

We’re Buying The Way It Makes Us Feel

There’s an ever-going argument
posed by new writers
about whether or not
a Romance Novel
should have
a Romantic Happy Ever After
(or, in some cases,
a Romantic Happy For Now).

These writers
don’t understand
Romance readers
(or any customers).

Romance readers
are buying how the story
makes them FEEL
at the end of it.

They are buying
the Romantic Happy Ever After.
They’re plunking down
their cash
expecting to get
that happy,
all is right with the world
glow
in return.

THAT is what they’re paying for.

Seth Godin
shares

“Most of what we encounter
is driven by emotions,
and our emotions are always relative.
When we’re shopping for a car
or an avocado,
we’re buying the way it makes us feel,
not how it would make someone else feel.”

Understand what your customers
are buying EMOTIONALLY.
And it is ALWAYS an emotion.

Then give them
that emotion.

The Same Thing Every Day

When many people
think of
starting a business,
they think of the big events
– the first spark of an idea
for a product/service,
the finalization of the
first product/service,
the first shipment,
the first store opening,
the first sale.

Those are all
super exciting times.
They are the highlights.

But they are rare.

The majority of time
business building is
a slow slog.
It is unlocking the same office
at the same time
to do the same thing
every day.

Most of the work is
boring and monotonous.

But that work is needed
and that work makes a difference.

As Seth Godin
shares

“If you care,
keep talking.
Keep acting.
Stay focused.
And don’t get bored.”

Making a difference
often means
doing the same things
and
saying the same things
over and over.

Embrace that reality.

Focus On One Target Customer

In the Romance Novel business,
we often talk about
the ‘ideal reader.’

They are the sole person
we’re creating our stories for
and they are the only person
we try to make happy.

This is essential
because no product,
no business,
heck, no person
can be everything to everyone.

As
Seth Godin
shares

“You can’t build a luxury car
that’s also inexpensive,
AND drives well off-road,
AND is very fast
AND super safe.
You can’t create an event
that’s intimate,
open to all comers,
proven,
resilient for any weather,
held outdoors
and unique.”

We have to choose
what we’ll offer,
what we’ll focus on.

I find that much easier
to do
when I have
a target customer
in mind.

Best Of Lists

I’m not a fan of
Best Of Lists.
Because,
unless the products or services or experiences
on those lists
are identical,
they can’t be truly ranked.

Someone who loves big cities,
for example,
won’t enjoy visiting
top ranked Bali
more than they enjoy visiting
second ranked New Orleans.
The experiences are completely different.

And comparing the two
could lessen our enjoyment of them.

Seth Godin
shares

“We end up
comparing our wedding
or our box office numbers
or our tweet stats
not only to
our own best ever,
but to
the stats of others.

This summer is
unlikely to be
your best summer ever.
But it will be a summer,
and it’s up to each of us
to decide what to do with it.”

Best Of lists
and other comparisons
can be great marketing tools.

But the rankings are meaningless.
Our products and services are unique.
They can’t be directly compared.

Don’t use rankings
as an indication of worth.