Here is a question I NEVER EVER ONCE IN MY LIFE asked myself:
“How do I add value today?”
If you think about it, that is kind of a weird thing to say… like, in real life, no?
One of the biggest marketing rules I live by is: if I don’t think/talk that way in normal life, I don’t think/talk that way in business.
For example, I never get up and ask myself, “How can I give more value to my husband today?”
That is a little… creepy, no?
Instead, I think: “That’s my boo. I love him.”
I love him so much that I want to do nice things for him. I want to make him feel loved.
I want to take action to make his life easier, where I can.
I also want to know him, and help him to get to know me at a deeper level.
I assume “more of the real me” is better, because I know that when we got married, he chose me in my full humanity. He said yes to the fun, sexy, agreeable parts of me, as well as the…. errr… everything else. (And trust me, he knew plenty about the ‘everything else’ going in…. )
That’s loving partnership, right?
For serving my peeps, it’s the exact same thing.
I love you, and therefore, I want you to have everything you want. I want your life to be easier.
I think tons about what is USEFUL to you, and try to give it to you as much as I can. Out of the joy of loving you.
Because I love you, I want to learn more about you. The REAL you. So I pay attention to you.
I assume you love me too, so I help you get to know me better, too, by telling you the truth about me. Even when showing only the presentable, pleasant, buttoned-up parts of me feels “safer”.
How much simpler is that?
Can we make it even simpler? Let’s try. Here are the rules for “adding value.”
(1) be human. (Your messy humanity is ALWAYS more valuable to others than a manicured robotic perfect life-coach-bot version of you because…. well, duh. The truth is always of higher-value and has greater power to connect and heal than the alternative.)
(2) give a shit about other people. (as you already do!)
(3) and be useful in ways that will require you to grow into deeper levels of your love & courage.
Sacred work it is, no? And that is LITERALLY all there is to marketing.
We can do this.