Fooling people used to work. Creating something average and telling
people it was better than it actually was...worked. The majority of
your time, cost and resources were spent on the message, finding enough
customers, and the sale. Unless you were building a new plane or
telescope, something requiring intense engineering, the big cost of
delivery was in the lie.
Now, fibbing is easy and cheap. Websites are better and cost way less, finding and connecting with audiences
is a click away and keeping in touch with customers is virtually free. So,
what's the hold up?
There's still a hard part. In fact, it's gotten harder. With so many
new ideas flooding the market, creating a remarkable experience, a
story that's authentic and rises above the clutter, is now much more
challenging. Not because it costs more or requires additional skill to
create. The hard part is commitment...commitment to getting started and
to doing it right. You can't win unless you do both. Get started with
something that's significantly flawed or perceived as a gimmick and you
fail. Wait until it's perfect and you lose out to someone else. The new
skill requirement is knowing when...when to fire, when to release the
next version...and when not to.
Develop a reasonably creative idea...one that solves a problem and is
worth talking about. Make it better than average...something that has
meaning and a soul. Show people you care by improving (or abandoning)
it. And, don't waste people's time...sell it to someone who wants it.
No embellishment, no bait and switch, no forcing the issue. If it's a
remarkable story, it works. The only question is whether there's a big
enough audience to support it. That's hard to figure out...called risk.
Fear is probably the only thing holding you back. Better move past that...someone else has.