Part 4 of Brianlinton.com’s Series for Entrepreneurial Success | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 |
If you owned a Toyota dealership but you drove around in a Hyundai, what do you think a potential customer would think?
As an entrepreneur you have to live what you sell. If you sell a certain type of car you better drive that car. Showing confidence in your product or service that you sell is of utmost importance when a potential customer is deciding whether or not to buy from you.
I wanted that hat so bad, and I'm not even a tennis fan.
This may mean making sacrifices. One of the main products I make for Sand Shack is our Sand Shack brand baseball caps. I love them, I really do. But this summer there was a Lacoste hat that I just had to have. It was the white one with the crocodile logo and mesh backing. Andy Roddick wears it on tour. So a few weeks ago I succumbed to my desires and bought one for $55. And as I sat in my room with the hat on and tags still hanging off I felt so good, it fit perfectly and I looked so good in it.
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Last week I returned that hat. It was hard to part with it, but I knew it was the right thing to do. 30% of my company’s sales this summer were from our hats. How could I possibly bring myself to wear a Lacoste hat in public when I am trying to build my own brand? I couldn’t, it wouldn’t do anything for Sand Shack; and if it did anything it would be hurting my brand if a customer saw me wearing it. It could be seen as me not having enough confidence in my own products to wear them in public.
This may be extreme; after all it was just a hat. But it was my product, my design, and my brand that I disowned when I donned that Lacoste hat.
You can wear whatever hat you want, as you probably don’t sell hats, but think about what you sell and always make sure you use your product or service. I say services because this applies to them too. If you sell financial advice you better adhere to the same advice you are selling.
Always live what you sell. This picture appeared on the front page of the Cape Cod Times over the summer. The red plaid hat was our best seller.
This is all obvious, but it is essential for entrepreneurial success. You will fail if you don’t live what you sell. All great entrepreneurs are passionate about their products and you can see it in the way they live. Think about Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, and many more.
As I come out with more and more products I will continue to wear my products with pride. Eventually I will be able to clothe myself completely in Sand Shack apparel.
3 Reasons to Live What you Sell
1. You show your customers you are confident in your products or services
2. You will be able to find flaws in your product or services, and fix them
3. As an entrepreneur you are the face of your company, always using your products or services means you are a walking advertisement
Are there any other benefits in living what you sell? Let’s hear what other people sell, or are thinking of selling, and how you live or will live what you sell.
| Part 1: Have a Great Personal Story | Part 2: Be Serial at a Young Age | Part 3: Blag About Yourself | Part 4: Live What You Sell | Part 5: Be the Nicest Person Your Customers Know | Part 6: Always Ask For Business | Part 7: Always Seek Great PR | Part 8: Get People Talking About You and Your Company | Part 9: Sell Something you are Passionate about and can Easily Get |
