As you may have read in an earlier blog post about a week ago I just finished reading and reviewing Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin* and in a couple of weeks will be featuring an interview I did with him on this blog so don’t forget to subscribe to this blog to be notified when the article and other compelling content from this site is available. Seth made a very good observation on his blog a couple of days ago of how more of his books were sold by other authors than his own promotion. He also wondered why books are often promoted by other authors but movies don’t get blurbed by other directors and actors.

I’ve often made the off-hand comment that I wish Apple Computer paid me a direct commission because I certainly sell a lot of their computers!* It’s true, I will tell others the benefits and features I value in the products Apple makes and they will buy them. I also will give Adobe a lot of credit for the work I do when I receive a complement on my graphic design work. Other products I value and sell are Toyota, Oreck as well as local restaurants like Saskatoon and Portifinos in Greenville, SC.

What sold me on the T.V. show lost? It wasn’t ads ABC showed on T.V. but rather my brother and another friend of mine had some DVD’s* I borrowed and an online Friend, Cliff Ravenscraft produces an excellent podcast about the T.V. Show that made me want to tune in more. Finally I have to ask, How many T.V., radio or magazine ads did you see or hear to get you to try out the search engine, Google? If my guess is correct I would say, none. I heard about Google from other people online as well as friends and I was quick to tell other friends and family about Google. Does your product or service have something so special that others will want to “sell” it for you and not even get paid? Even if your product is a “commodity” can you make it unique enough to engage a “volunteer” sales force?

*Thankfully Amazon has an affiliate program the will pay me a little for recommending products they sell.

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