Have you ever heard someone say “I don’t know what I would sell?” Or “Why would anybody hire me to do that..?”.  It’s more common than you think!  We live in a society where many people are taught from an early age to not stand out in the crowd.  Did someone tell you at one point or another in your life to stop showing off?  

While the intent might have been to protect you from some unknown harm, it ultimately had a long term effect in life.  That effect is downplaying what you are capable of as well as doing what it takes to stand out in a crowded market.  Have you ever seen someone with lots of potential hold back for a variety of excuses, with none of them being truly valid?  It all stems from moments like these that we have to address and overcome to ultimately bring the inherent value we all possess to the marketplace.

Identifying Your Value

Each and every one of us is unique in the world, even if you have a twin!  Every person has a unique path through life gaining various perspectives and experiences along the way.  When you are wanting to market a product or service, you have to ask yourself two questions.

1. What is something you are passionate about doing?
2. What are people currently buying in the market?

Why Passionate?

There is an expression.  “If you love what you do, then you’ll never work a day in your life!”  The more passionate you are about your endeavors in life, the more success you will ultimately achieve.  Do you know people that completely dislike Mondays?  How do they start their week off? Compare this to people who love what they do and how they go about their day.  It is a complete 180.  I challenge you to look for people who are passionate about what they do in life.  You will quickly see they approach tasks differently, simply because they love what they do.

The more important reasons why you must be passionate is because you must go beyond the motions of doing a task.  You are the business, you must love it more than anyone around you.  You have to be willing to put in the long hours to serve the clients you attract.  If you’re not passionate about it, then you will quickly find another way to pass the time.  

Take an inventory of what you do specifically in your business, or what you would like to offer.  Ask yourself on a scale of 1 – 10 how passionate are you on each of these.  If you are not very passionate about what you are doing, then it is imperative to find offerings that you are passionate about.

The more passionate you are about your business, the more people you will attract.  When you are networking, the people you meet will sense the enthusiasm you have and will want to know more.  When you are not passionate about what you are doing, you will have a hard time attracting clients.  

What Are People Currently Buying?

When it comes to offering a product or service it is important to understand what people are currently buying in the marketplace.  When you leverage existing behaviors, you will increase the probability that people will buy from you.  Let’s look at a couple of examples of how this works.

Online Grocery Shopping

Today there are companies such as Amazon and Walmart that allow you to purchase groceries online and even have them delivered. However this was not always the case.  The first time online grocery shopping was available was circa 2000 when the concept of ordering anything online was still fairly new.  It was touted as the wave of the future, the convenience of ordering groceries from the comfort of your own home.  Remember, the vast majority of people at this point had never ordered anything online.  Many retailers still utilized catalogs for their customers to order products from the comforts of their own home.  

Because of this environment, while the concept of purchasing groceries was solid, it wasn’t implemented at the right time.  For a product or service to be successful in today’s world, it’s imperative that it fits in with existing behaviors.  Today, because of the sheer volume that’s ordered online, it is only logical for this type of service to be offered.  

Uber

The concept of people hiring a taxi or paying a fare for a similar service has been around since 1605.  However, since the addition of the automobile the business model has remained fairly constant for over a century.  A key tenant of business is to provide a product or service cheaper and at a more cost effective rate than your competitors while offering superior customer service.  

If you’ve ever called a taxi from places other than the airport, you can quickly find yourself waiting for an unspecified period of time before your ride shows up.  On days such as New Years, you might simply be told it will be a 3 hour wait prior to a taxi becoming available.  

Uber leveraged technology to solve some of those pain pain points with clients by keeping them in the information loop.  Additionally, they figured out how to leverage individuals desire to create freedom in their life by working for themselves and provide a service in a cost effective manner.  

What Uber did can be considered a disruptive entry to the marketplace.  The service they offer, disrupted the traditional business model.  Has it ruffled a few feathers along the way, you better believe it.  This however is the course of business in the marketplace.  You are only on top as long as another competitor doesn’t come along with a better way of doing business.

Walmart

If you live in a major US city, you will at one point or another have seen a Walmart in your area.  However this wasn’t always the case.  Walmart leveraged technology to improve efficiency in the retail environment.  In the past, most major stores had some type of warehouse space where they stored goods until they were needed on the floor.  Walmart changed the model by utilizing technology to only have in the store what was needed and eliminated the concept of backstock. If you ever go to one of their stores late at night you will find them restocking the entire store. Because of this, their numerous competitors that existed in the past simply do not exist anymore.

By providing the same goods found at other retailers at better prices, Walmart capitalized on existing consumer behaviors  to become the dominant leader in the marketplace.

What Are The Next Steps?

In your business, once you’ve identified what you are truly passionate about.  You must take the time to look for how you can be competitive in the marketplace.  Look for ways to leverage technology to get your products and services in front of your ideal clients.  The most important thing is that you take action!  You might have the greatest product or service known to mankind, but if no one knows about it, you’re not in business!