I was reading Seth Godin’s blog today and he made a really interesting point about Steve Jobs.
Did you ever see Steve Jobs appear in public without selling something?
My answer was no. Steve Jobs with his mock-turtleneck and jeans was always pitching something.
This begs the question:
How come Steve Jobs was able to pitch the world every time he made an appearance and you can’t even get away with talking about your product on Facebook without alienating your friends and family?
I think it really comes down to one thing.
Steve Jobs made cool shit.
Apple products are interesting. They are innovative and in many cases “game-changing”.
Now (of course) you don’t have to be Apple-cool to make money with your products, but it doesn’t hurt to be interesting.
It’s easy to sell when you’re interesting.
Being interesting is one approach. Being interested in other people is another approach. I’ve also learned that we are all in sales. We all have to sell our ideas every single day, whether we are employees, parents, teachers, business owners or anything else. It’s how you do it that matters. There is nothing wrong with selling if you do it the right way.
Chuck