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Customers > Skills

Marketing, social media, advertising

Fersko

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I think an important matter is too easily neglected in the field of information about entrepreneurship. Mostly, when doing research you'll always be taught to master a skill that you can sell, and what the best ways are to obtain that particular skill. Or that you have to come up with this amazing idea that will make the world a better place.

So that's what my naïve self did, just start working on projects with my new obtained skills, or that I learned on the journey. Now, the result was always the same once I launched my product; it was just me and the sound of crickets (no one gives a shit). Luckily these skills are not a sunk cost, but in regard of the projects valuable time is lost there.

I'm starting to believe that developing a good product isn't even the most essential factor anymore. Instead, I start to think that the 'obtainment of customers' is the most essential skill of an entrepreneur. You can have the most amazing skill, but if you cannot attract customers you're nothing with it...

Please make up my mind, or share books/sources that cover this.
 
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Johnny boy

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You're goddamn right!

Customers are everything.

I sell LAWN CARE. Literally the most basic, normal, boring thing you could sell. Kids can do it. It's a step above a lemonade stand but that's it.

But I make good money, the business is doubling in size every year. I live on a lake, golf in the summer and ski in the winter. I don't have any work scheduled for a month or so! My employees do the work. I'm 24!

I have few "skills", aside from being STUPID HANDSOME and being able to play a couple of chords on my guitar. I can build a basic website I guess...

And all I've got are CUSTOMERS.

The secret to business: PEOPLE HANDING YOU THEIR MONEY.

That's all. Somebody's got your money. Get them to hand over a lot of it, or get a lot of people to hand it over, or both. It's an equation. Revenue = avg. sales per customer times number of customers and profit = revenue minus expenses.

I don't sell my skills. I sell my employees' skills. (Which isn't saying much when they're getting paid $15 an hour).

Customers are everything.
 

alexkuzmov

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I think an important matter is too easily neglected in the field of information about entrepreneurship. Mostly, when doing research you'll always be taught to master a skill that you can sell, and what the best ways are to obtain that particular skill. Or that you have to come up with this amazing idea that will make the world a better place.

So that's what my naïve self did, just start working on projects with my new obtained skills, or that I learned on the journey. Now, the result was always the same once I launched my product; it was just me and the sound of crickets (no one gives a shit). Luckily these skills are not a sunk cost, but in regard of the projects valuable time is lost there.

I'm starting to believe that developing a good product isn't even the most essential factor anymore. Instead, I start to think that the 'obtainment of customers' is the most essential skill of an entrepreneur. You can have the most amazing skill, but if you cannot attract customers you're nothing with it...

Please make up my mind, or share books/sources that cover this.
So we are just forgetting about "word of mouth" and how that works?
 

Andy Black

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I start to think that the 'obtainment of customers' is the most essential skill of an entrepreneur.
I think we just need to do two things to be in business: Help people. Get paid.

Acquiring skills doesn’t necessarily help people.

“We can’t invoice for input.” (Blaise Brosnan)

 
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Fersko

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So we are just forgetting about "word of mouth" and how that works?
Well in terms of looking up information to educate yourself about entrepreneurship, I think we do. It really doesn't get hammered enough, probably because all the information you look up is trying to generate leads for courses to be monetized. While of course the "word of mouth" should be the first thing to master and understand, before even considering taking a course.

I don't know yet if I'm getting into those lead 'traps' on this forum, after all we're all entrepreneurs trying to earn that extra penny. I'm convinced though that an open & transparent community would be more beneficial to everyone at the end. Maybe I'm just reading the wrong threads.
I think we just need to do two things to be in business: Help people. Get paid.

Acquiring skills doesn’t necessarily help people.

“We can’t invoice for input.” (Blaise Brosnan)

Really liked this thinking, also an interesting anecdote you explained in your video.

The websites you build for your customers can be that good looking and performant, but if it doesn't help the client it's worth jack shit.

So I'm definitely going to place myself more often in the customer perspective.
 

Kid

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So we are just forgetting about "word of mouth" and how that works?
I was pondering about this before.
And its an interesting fact.

What i concluded is:
1)"Word of mouth" IS the best marketing ever.
2) Other forms of marketing are just speeding things up.

The second thing needs to be explained:
"You can only speed up something that is already moving."

This means that if you have not so great but still not so bad
product, great marketing can speed up adoption of it by the market.
Meaning - they will buy more of it.

If you have something that people don't need
or don't want, no amount of marketing will do.
Few times in history there were companies built on big cash for ads
and shitty product and they end up as write-offs for investors.
 

BrianLateStart

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I'm starting to believe that developing a good product isn't even the most essential factor anymore.
You're 100% right. If nobody knows about your product, they can't buy it.

Please make up my mind, or share books/sources that cover this.
My strategy is to follow the process in Mark Schaefer's book Known. Mark points out that people buy from someone they know and trust. He also believes that anyone can become known. But, you need to create the process to do just that. His book is as much of a step by step how to as it is the ideas behind it.
 

alexkuzmov

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Well in terms of looking up information to educate yourself about entrepreneurship, I think we do. It really doesn't get hammered enough, probably because all the information you look up is trying to generate leads for courses to be monetized. While of course the "word of mouth" should be the first thing to master and understand, before even considering taking a course.

I don't know yet if I'm getting into those lead 'traps' on this forum, after all we're all entrepreneurs trying to earn that extra penny. I'm convinced though that an open & transparent community would be more beneficial to everyone at the end. Maybe I'm just reading the wrong threads.

Really liked this thinking, also an interesting anecdote you explained in your video.

The websites you build for your customers can be that good looking and performant, but if it doesn't help the client it's worth jack shit.

So I'm definitely going to place myself more often in the customer perspective.
I didnt quite understand your answer.
Are you saying that the community is not transparent enough or?
 

OneLifeOneChance

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The “obtainment of customers” I think is code word for providing value. Without any value provided to your customer, the ability to obtain your customers is absent.
I agree with @Andy Black . You gotta help people and when you do so, I believe the money will inevitably follow provided that you have given sufficient enough value to them that makes them say “take my money”.

Basically you want customers, to do that u gotta find needs, solve and provide value, I don’t know if you’ve read both of MJ books but both definitely gives some very valuable insight and tips into how to find needs and where to look for opportunities
 
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Fersko

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You're 100% right. If nobody knows about your product, they can't buy it.


My strategy is to follow the process in Mark Schaefer's book Known. Mark points out that people buy from someone they know and trust. He also believes that anyone can become known. But, you need to create the process to do just that. His book is as much of a step by step how to as it is the ideas behind it.
Book definitely looks very promising, I've put it on my list. Big thanks for that!
I didnt quite understand your answer.
Are you saying that the community is not transparent enough or?
I'm sorry that I wasn't clear.

What I mean is that on a lot of these kind of forums, subreddits or whatever you make yourself believe that you are cultivating to a successful entrepreneur. Instead you're just getting absorbed in other people's business model to sell you their courses about the 'obtainment' of a certain skill, what they claim is mandatory to be a successful entrepreneur.

So I feel like the most crucial parts are left out when searching about entrepreneurship. For example on here you read a lot about front-end web development, and how they learned it and how it is earning them big $$$ now. But how did they get their first customers? Did they already have an extensive network of people that are in need of a website? Maybe this a good idea for another thread: "How did yet get your first customers?"

Yesterday I listened to an interview of Naval Ravikant a renowned tech angel investor, as a socialist apparently he claims to fully cover 'how to get rich' in his podcast series. I'm assuming he will mostly talk about the right mindset to achieve your goals, and I think that's what you need to be looking for. I'll checkout the series, and hopefully it's of some value.
The “obtainment of customers” I think is code word for providing value. Without any value provided to your customer, the ability to obtain your customers is absent.
I agree with @Andy Black . You gotta help people and when you do so, I believe the money will inevitably follow provided that you have given sufficient enough value to them that makes them say “take my money”.

Basically you want customers, to do that u gotta find needs, solve and provide value, I don’t know if you’ve read both of MJ books but both definitely gives some very valuable insight and tips into how to find needs and where to look for opportunities
Well, I start to think now that 'value' shouldn't be the big focus anymore. Instead being on the right place and right moment with your product is what is more beneficial to success. Once you've figured out you can basically sell anything.

Take @Johnny boy's lawn firm which is a simple business model, that comes with a value that can easily be offered to customers by almost anyone. But if you don't know when or how to offer that value, you're still useless...

As for the books I still need to read them, but I'm more looking for books that cover 'how to get customers' because covering the needs of some people doesn't necessarily mean the conversion of them into customers.
 
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alexkuzmov

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I'm sorry that I wasn't clear.

What I mean is that on a lot of these kind of forums, subreddits or whatever you make yourself believe that you are cultivating to a successful entrepreneur. Instead you're just getting absorbed in other people's business model to sell you their courses about the 'obtainment' of a certain skill, what they claim is mandatory to be a successful entrepreneur.

So I feel like the most crucial parts are left out when searching about entrepreneurship. For example on here you read a lot about front-end web development, and how they learned it and how it is earning them big $$$ now. But how did they get their first customers? Did they already have an extensive network of people that are in need of a website? Maybe this a good idea for another thread: "How did yet get your first customers?"

Yesterday I listened to an interview of Naval Ravikant a renowned tech angel investor, as a socialist apparently he claims to fully cover 'how to get rich' in his podcast series. I'm assuming he will mostly talk about the right mindset to achieve your goals, and I think that's what you need to be looking for. I'll checkout the series, and hopefully it's of some value.
I think I get what you are saying.
Sounds like you are getting lost in theory.
Good news is, nobody in this thread is trying to sell you something.
Instead of listening to one more podcast, why not try and help someone with something?
Thats the essence of "getting your first customer"
Everybody`s story is different and sharing details on how they got their first customer, wont help you.

Seriously, would it help if I told you that a friend of mine, 12 years ago, was working in a company where they had a client which they couldnt take, because they didnt have enough devs, so they proposed I do the project instead?
What benefit can you get from such info?

Look for opportunities to help people.
 
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Kevin88660

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I think an important matter is too easily neglected in the field of information about entrepreneurship. Mostly, when doing research you'll always be taught to master a skill that you can sell, and what the best ways are to obtain that particular skill. Or that you have to come up with this amazing idea that will make the world a better place.

So that's what my naïve self did, just start working on projects with my new obtained skills, or that I learned on the journey. Now, the result was always the same once I launched my product; it was just me and the sound of crickets (no one gives a shit). Luckily these skills are not a sunk cost, but in regard of the projects valuable time is lost there.

I'm starting to believe that developing a good product isn't even the most essential factor anymore. Instead, I start to think that the 'obtainment of customers' is the most essential skill of an entrepreneur. You can have the most amazing skill, but if you cannot attract customers you're nothing with it...

Please make up my mind, or share books/sources that cover this.
I think it really boils down to understand what you customer wants, in short taking out their hard earned money to buy your product or services.

A lot of products and services are valuable in theory, but few can make customers willing to pay for it.
 

Fersko

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I think I get what you are saying.
Sounds like you are getting lost in theory.
Good news is, nobody in this thread is trying to sell you something.
Instead of listening to one more podcast, why not try and help someone with something?
Thats the essence of "getting your first customer"
Everybody`s story is different and sharing details on how they got their first customer, wont help you.

Seriously, would it help if I told you that a friend of mine, 12 years ago, was working in a company where they had a client which they couldnt take, because they didnt have enough devs, so they proposed I do the project instead?
What benefit can you get from such info?

Look for opportunities to help people.
Well I stumbled on this by getting more practical, I have a textile printing company all set-up with a clean website but my acquisition of customers is drying out.

That's why I have the tendency to read some theory, to figure out how to approach this problem.
I think it really boils down to understand what you customer wants, in short taking out their hard earned money to buy your product or services.

A lot of products and services are valuable in theory, but few can make customers willing to pay for it.
Very true, it's how the customers values your product, I'm learning. As a producer you'll always highly value your own products, but that isn't really of importance.
 

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