Dylan and Rita were at their wits' end when I met them at the World Internet Summit last weekend.
By this point in their lives, they were supposed to be successful. They were supposed to be vrooming around in flaming red Ferraris, living the plush life and knocking back champagne on the harbor.
Hah! They should be so lucky
After two whole years of heartbreak, they were just as lost as they'd ever been. Sitting here at this summit, they were somehow hoping the information they received would solve their problems. Intently and studiously, they scribbled notes about how to succeed on the Internet. They looked for ways to improve their marketing with a product that would bring them their fortunes once and for all.
Yet there was just one teensy-weensy problem.
They had no product. Nada. Nothing.
All they had was a sob story
But what a wonderful sob story it was. If you can call sob stories wonderful, that is.
They'd scraped their shins dabbling in real estate. They attended seminar after seminar. Even greedily latched on to every single piece of information that the pros were doling out.
And unlike most, they didn't just sit around doing nothing. No sir-ee. They actually put what they'd learned into action. They went out and bought property. They worked long hours. Renovated the properties. Put them up for sale. They did as they were told.
And they were still struggling.
Despondent and weary, they wondered how this Internet seminar they were attending would help them. How could they create a product? How could they advise someone on their Web site, or even have a consultancy of sorts, when they had failed so miserably?
Failed? I think not
Can you see a gem of a product? You can't? You're kidding, right?
Because it's there for all the world to see. Dylan and Anita have failed. Like spectacularly! They've bought the wrong houses, done too much renovation, put in the wrong tenants. Everything they've done is totally, completely wrong.
And if they had a chance to do it all over again, they'd know exactly what they'd skip and what they'd stick to.
Now stop and look around at the landscape. How many books and workshops do you see on succeeding in real estate? Tons, huh? And how many do you see about failure? Not a lot.
So here's the plan…
Dylan and Rita could put together a tiny booklet. Nothing too fancy. Just a photocopied production from Kinko's. In that booklet, they could put in every single failure they've ever had. And what they'd have avoided or done differently. To beef it up, they could also go to successful real estate punters and ask them how they'd have handled these particular situations differently and successfully.
And Voila, they'd have a book called The Pitfalls of Real Estate—How to Avoid the Mistakes We Made. They'd peel off the gloss and show you the reality and how not to get into the ditch they'd so spectacularly fallen into.
And Dylan and Rita wouldn't have to stop at a book. They could go on to create a workshop. And an audio set. And a hands-on consulting service. If you were starting out in real estate investment, would you want to make the same goofy mistakes as Dylan and Anita? Wouldn't you be more than glad to spend another $200 and find out the facts?
Dylan and Rita thought they had failure. Instead they have customers walking around with $200 in their hands dying to be educated. A thousand such customers a year, and they'd be in Champagne City... nooo sweat.
The darned goldmine is sitting under their noses. And they just can't see it.
What's more, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone else on the planet who would be uniquely in a position to describe their real estate experiences in a similar fashion as Dylan and Rita. The frustration, the fear and the passion alone would make them squillionaires, if they were to pursue this path.
And all they have to do is tell us about failure
Julie doesn't know what that means. Julie is a smart girl. I know because I met her in Sydney. And she's into selling travel to corporations. She doesn't think she's exceptional.
In fact, the concept of being the best in the world is as alien as the dark side of Mars is to a wary Rover.
However, Julie does something better than her colleagues. She listens. And, consequently, she sells more. Quite a bit more, actually. And if pushed a little bit, Julie could quite easily be the best in the world in one field.
Selling with silence
Doesn't that send a chill down your spine? Wouldn't you like to hear a speech or read a book on Selling with Silence? I'm falling off my chair thinking how Julie could be the foremost authority on teaching salespeople to shut up.
And she's damned good at it. While I blabbered on, she listened. Intently too. It's a niche of a niche. But hey, do you know anyone on the planet who's doing the same thing?
And really… you don't have to be the best in methodology. You just have to be the best in getting clients to understand the concept. All your clients need to do is relate to you and consequently get results.
Thassit!
Julie has it in her. And she does it everyday. Now all that's left is for her to turn it into a product—and whammo, it's showtime!
Tania wasn't impressed
It had been 15 years to the day when Tania had a handicapped son called Tony. Today, 15 years later, Tony was more or less able to manage without too much assistance. But the last 15 years had been gut wrenching for Tania.
She had to leave her job. The computer generation passed her by. And now, 15 years later, she was available but unemployable.
It looked like she was doomed to work at Burger King for the rest of her life.
Or was she?
When Tony was born, Tania wept bitterly. This was not the perfect baby she'd hoped for. Look around you, Tania. Every day on this planet, tens if not hundreds of parents are shedding tears just like yours.
Once the tears are dry, they'll turn to the one source up there in the sky called the Internet. They'll search for how to manage a handicapped child.
And they'll find your site. And like some secret library, you'll be able to give them tons of details. Nothing flashy. Just the unvarnished truth.
Then you can sell them a book… perhaps a membership to the site
Year 1. Year 2. Year 3. Year 4. Year 5... and so on. Tell them the type of hospitals to visit, the type of education to impart, the kind of pitfalls to watch out for.
These parents will worship you, Tania. Because your knowledge is going to save them years of tripping and stumbling. When you stand in public and speak, it needn't be a polished oration.
You'll do fine as the words spill out from your heart.
Your magic, your niche is within you. Your product can be created today, if you so wish. You don't need to sell someone else's product. You've got your own.
And by God, you don't even have to be a success at what you do. How good is that?
Why do you wait?
It doesn't matter if you're a copyeditor or Web designer. You've got your product within you. You can create marketing success out of your own experiences.
Sure the road is long. Sure it's hard. But hey, the passion will get you there. And you'll have wild, raving fans every step of the way. You've got the potential and the words. When you're passionate, you don't need eloquence. It will pour out like a raging torrent from your heart.
If you've been struggling to find a product, look no further than your nose.
Why do you wait? It's time to turn tears into gold. And that time is right here, right now.
Go for it! Be brave, and mighty forces will be with you.
