I'm a fan of Seth Godin and his philosophy of doing things. His books are available on Amazon and at his website sethgodin.com. One of the things Seth encourages us to do is to do the extraordinary and not waste our time doing what everyone else is doing.
I don't know about you but I've never been very good at hyping a product beyond what I am convinced it's worth. I am not the guy who can sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo but I might be able to sell him or her a sled. Here's the thing, it couldn't be just any sled. If it were just any sled I would be forced to compete on price or convenience. I want to sell on value. It would have to be an extraordinary sled.
I develop software for the iPad to help stroke survivors regain their fine and gross motor skills. It is extraordinary because no one else is doing it but that's too easy. It's extraordinary because my friend Larry is a stroke survivor and by spending time with him I know what he needs. I know that the buttons have to be a little bit bigger. I know that the interface cannot be too cluttered or it becomes confusing. I know that the bells and whistles that the rest of us appreciate get in his way.
So how do I make it extraordinary? I make it extraordinary by knowing my customer better than anyone else. I make it extraordinary by spending time with Larry and other stroke survivors. I make it extraordinary by listening and observing.
Whatever it is you do you can make it extraordinary. Take the time to observe how your customer experiences your "product". Be passionate about making it better and it will be extraordinary.
