Last week, I asked you what was at the center of your writing career.
Some people were confused. They responded with their passion, mission, or purpose.
That’s not what I was asking for. What I was asking for is what is at the center of what you OFFER?
In other words the answer is not about you or how you feel about what you offer. The answer is about what OTHERS perceive you offering.
If you are not in business yet, or you are not successful in business yet, it’s going to be difficult to answer this question. Because the question pertains not to what you want to do or hope to do, but what you deliver.
For example, you walk into Starbucks and you perceive them offering espresso because there is a big ol’ espresso machine right there in the middle of the espresso bar. Right?
You hand them money. The barista hands you something with espresso in it. (We’re just going to stick with espresso for now, but we’ll come back to the Chai, Strawberries and Cream, etc. later.)
So whatever you are offering makes a big impression on others too, or at least you hope it does.
For example, I said creating and teaching were at the center of what I offer. I create pieces of writing. I offer them as articles, curriculum, books, blog posts, e-zines, etc. So my espresso, or what’s at the center of all of this, is the creating of pieces of writing, each with a unique purpose and intention. That’s before I even do anything with them. This is what happens first, constantly, and is the key to my humble success.
This is kind of like the way Starbucks creates espresso drinks. Will you look at what they can do?
They can give it to you hot or cold. They can give it to you with milk (or variations of milk). They can give it to you with chocolate or carmel. They can give it to you big or small. They can give it to you straight, with hot milk, steamed milk, or just foam. They can give it to you iced, iced with milk, or whipped with ice and milk-y stuff into a frappé.
Clearly, you can see, when it come to what they do with their espresso, Starbucks is not messing around.
They are going to give it to you exactly the way you want it and this concept is built into their business model. It’s the sheer variety of what Starbucks can do with a shot of espresso that makes them so brilliant as an enterprise.
So.
We come back to you.
Back to question number one: What is at the center of what you offer? (What is your espresso?)
And on to question number two: How many ways are you offering what you offer?
And while we are on the topic, which ways are the most successful for you?
