Tips & Talk 10 – The Magic of Giving and Getting
Today I present a new way to think about your product business. It’s about the reciprocal exchange of giving and getting that exists with every exchange of product and money. By reframing your thinking along these lines, selling becomes easier and the relationship between maker and customer grows richer.
Particularly with handmade product businesses, a relationship between the artisan and the recipient of a product powers repeat business. You’re not only buying a beanie, you’re supporting the quilter. You don’t just love candles, you know the candle maker. And you’re selecting that special birthday cake because you have a personal connection with the baker.
These things enrich the lives of both the giver and the getter. It not only positions your business for growth, it makes the world a happier place.
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Transcript
Hi there.
Speaker:I see that you made it over to the new tips
Speaker:and talk portion of the podcast.
Speaker:These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and
Speaker:things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.
Speaker:We're going to talk about the magic of giving and getting,
Speaker:and this is not what you think I was driving to
Speaker:work. And I totally switched up the topic because something came
Speaker:to my mind that I really,
Speaker:really wanted to talk about.
Speaker:And so I said,
Speaker:forget it.
Speaker:This is where we're going with this.
Speaker:So let me share with you why this thought came up.
Speaker:And then really the reason that I decided that I wanted
Speaker:to talk about this today is because of how it can
Speaker:apply to you in your business.
Speaker:I think it can solve a really big problem that I
Speaker:know a lot of you have,
Speaker:let me back it up and start making some sense to
Speaker:what I'm saying here.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:you may already know.
Speaker:Last week I did masterclasses covering how to turn your handmade
Speaker:product into an income producing business.
Speaker:And this is something that I do every year.
Speaker:I provide information to people who are just getting started or
Speaker:are stuck in their business.
Speaker:And from there,
Speaker:I invite people to join me in maker's MBA,
Speaker:which is my one time a year coaching program for women
Speaker:who want to turn a handmade product into a business,
Speaker:a real stable income producing business.
Speaker:The masterclasses are now over,
Speaker:but maker's MBA is open for enrollment for a couple more
Speaker:days. Now,
Speaker:if you're interested in seeing what that's all about,
Speaker:just go over to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash join makers,
Speaker:MBA. And if class has already closed by the time you
Speaker:get over there,
Speaker:then there'll be a message that says that you can pop
Speaker:ist for when we open again in:Speaker:what I was thinking about in the car as I was
Speaker:driving to work this morning is how excited I always get
Speaker:every year when I open up this course,
Speaker:because it's a mystery for me of who's actually going to
Speaker:join the course.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:some people are waiting for it.
Speaker:And so I think already,
Speaker:and I kind of know who's probably going to come in,
Speaker:but then there are other people who are totally surprised that
Speaker:I didn't even know before,
Speaker:and it's such a gift to me and I get so
Speaker:excited. So that was the feeling that I was thinking about.
Speaker:And that's the premise behind this whole conversation about giving and
Speaker:getting, as I think through the entire maker's MBA rollout process
Speaker:there's giving and getting on both sides.
Speaker:Let me share with you what my thinking is and how
Speaker:my feeling is with what I'm going through right now.
Speaker:And then I'm going to talk to you about how it
Speaker:relates to you and something that I think can be really
Speaker:significant in terms of how you're and acting moving forward,
Speaker:all along this concept of giving and getting.
Speaker:So when people come on to this masterclass,
Speaker:all I'm trying to do is deliver really valuable information.
Speaker:There are things that I talk about there that no one's
Speaker:ever been exposed to before.
Speaker:So it's really interesting.
Speaker:A lot of the feedback that I get after the class
Speaker:about the information.
Speaker:So the giving and the getting here is on both ends.
Speaker:People who are listening and watching the class and for me,
Speaker:because I love delivering information.
Speaker:So that's giving,
Speaker:right. But then I get in the chats and the comments
Speaker:and emails afterwards,
Speaker:feedback. That's so positive from you.
Speaker:So I'm also getting,
Speaker:and those who attend the class are getting,
Speaker:because they're getting the information.
Speaker:And then they're also giving back to me in terms of
Speaker:a response,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:how sometimes people talk about,
Speaker:well, are you a giver or a taker?
Speaker:So do you give,
Speaker:or do you get,
Speaker:are you predominantly one or the other?
Speaker:I would rather think about this and have all of us
Speaker:start thinking about the fact that we receive value.
Speaker:When we do both,
Speaker:I really want us to start thinking about,
Speaker:instead of doing things that are only one way,
Speaker:either we are giving,
Speaker:or we're getting that with lots of activities that we do
Speaker:in our business,
Speaker:we're actually doing both.
Speaker:And the two people who were involved in whatever the transaction
Speaker:is, are actually receiving value in doing both.
Speaker:But I just mentioned about the masterclass and the material that's
Speaker:delivered there.
Speaker:And then when people join maker's MBA,
Speaker:then there's a very intimate relationship that's developed because I'm literally
Speaker:working side by side with you for four and a half
Speaker:months. And inevitably people who are in makers,
Speaker:MBA become friends because how can you not when you're working
Speaker:so closely together.
Speaker:So again,
Speaker:there's that giving and getting there too.
Speaker:I'm a giving makers MBA in terms of all the content,
Speaker:all the coaching and running business.
Speaker:But I'm also getting,
Speaker:because I'm getting that relationship with my new students and the
Speaker:same thing for the students.
Speaker:They're getting the value of the course learning what to do
Speaker:next in their business,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:And they are giving me confirmation about how great the course
Speaker:is excitement to watch their progress,
Speaker:all of that.
Speaker:So now let me transition over and talk about what this
Speaker:can mean to you.
Speaker:I want you to think about this with your products.
Speaker:So when you've made a product,
Speaker:you've obviously made it because there is some need that your
Speaker:product fulfills.
Speaker:If you're a painter,
Speaker:it could be adding beauty to someone's house so that they
Speaker:can look at the painting and they get a,
Speaker:feel, a warmth because it resonates with who they are and
Speaker:it's brightened up their environment.
Speaker:Or if you make lotions that have healing qualities to them,
Speaker:based on the ingredients that you put in,
Speaker:you're helping people,
Speaker:Sue their skin and feel more comfortable and get rid of
Speaker:any ailments they have or whatever that is.
Speaker:If you make it cupcakes,
Speaker:normally you were eating with someone else.
Speaker:So it's bonding relationships together.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:there's all sorts of things that you may not have even
Speaker:thought of that your product gives to your customer.
Speaker:And then of course you get that purchase,
Speaker:which reinforces and helps you grow your business.
Speaker:So can you see how there's giving and getting within a
Speaker:relationship of you offering products to your customers as well?
Speaker:And what happens when you do this giving and getting where
Speaker:both people are giving and both people are getting starts to
Speaker:make you working with your customers,
Speaker:much more relationship focused versus transaction.
Speaker:So I want you to really think about that.
Speaker:You're providing value in both of these ways for yourself and
Speaker:for your customer.
Speaker:Anytime you're out there sharing your product.
Speaker:And you notice the one word that I have not said
Speaker:this whole time,
Speaker:we've been on.
Speaker:The one word that I have not said is selling.
Speaker:And how many of you,
Speaker:when we start talking about Saleen,
Speaker:your gut just drops.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:it's like,
Speaker:I don't know,
Speaker:sell, it's scary to sell.
Speaker:I feel sleazy.
Speaker:It doesn't feel comfortable to me.
Speaker:Well, fine and good.
Speaker:Think of this as giving and getting your,
Speaker:offering your product out to somebody,
Speaker:for them to be able to get that's going to provide
Speaker:value to them and exchange.
Speaker:They are offering your intention,
Speaker:their interest and their money,
Speaker:which is giving you validation in your product a way to
Speaker:continue growing and building your business,
Speaker:allowing you to create the products that I know you love
Speaker:making so that you can share them out to the world.
Speaker:So it's this one-on-one connection.
Speaker:I want you to start thinking of and integrating into your
Speaker:business versus thinking of I make a product.
Speaker:I sell it.
Speaker:No, you're creating a product that then you're able to give
Speaker:to someone else who gets the value of whatever your product
Speaker:provides. That will enrich all of our lives so much more
Speaker:than just a transactional experience that you're making on your selling.
Speaker:It makes all of us happier because we're sharing,
Speaker:we're giving we're building relationships and we're not just making it
Speaker:a transaction.
Speaker:That's a wrap.
Speaker:I'm going to get to the point kind of girl.
Speaker:And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek
Speaker:sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill That dream
Speaker:of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.
Speaker:We want them,