Do you want to scale your company? I mean really scale it to capitalize on its full potential…
If you do, there is an important skill you need to master.
Before we go on… I will tell you this is a skill that will also help you hire the BEST people, raise capital from the right investors, increase your freedom and give you the option to drive your business to a big exit…
- Scale.
- Freedom.
- Exit.
These are important, often aspirational goals for founders. But sadly most founders are only dreaming of them as they are stuck in the grind. Dealing with day to day issues. Trying to make payroll. Juggling ten roles and watching the todo list keep growing.
The great news is that to be successful driving to ANY or ALL of these goals, you have to master one really valuable skill.
So what is this skill? This almost magical opportunity you have in front of you?
THE SKILL: Mastering The Art of Selling Potential
That’s right. You have to become a master in the art of selling what is possible. Selling potential.
To get what you want or need in life one of the most powerful tools at your disposal is helping people see beyond the current circumstances. Help them move past the walls in front of them, the hurdles along the path and see the beautiful green pastures and beaches ahead.
Selling Potential
This may hit you as a big challenge (depending on how deep in the grind you find yourself). Or you may think this will make you a silver tongued devil trying to deceive people. Maybe it sounds like voodoo.
Well, as I often tell founders, if you want to RISE to your full potential and achieve what is possible in your business and your life, often the first step is burning down the beliefs that are trapping you. The things that your mind is telling you that are holding you back. This is likely one of those.
When I think of Steve Jobs, I, unlike some people, see a genius. Maybe he wasn’t a genius at management (as I’ve heard he was a bully). Maybe he wasn’t the best father or friend (as I’ve heard he was self absorbed). But where he WAS a genius was selling potential.
Steve Jobs could see a world where people carried their music in their pockets. A world where everything was a click away on inexpensive apps. He saw a world where beautifully designed devices – from watches to phones to computers – were just as powerful and ubiquitous as old tan box computers. And most importantly he helped you and I see it too.
When he shared his visions and his stories he wasn’t talking about anything we had at the time – he was painting a picture of what is possible. When Elon Musk founded Tesla or SpaceX he wasn’t showing investors and employees a perfect, market ready offering – he was selling what is possible when they believe in his vision and come together to make it a reality.
The Importance of Potential
In my exclusive founders program (ExitDNA) we talk about the ability of founders to create demand for their companies not because of the revenue they are generating, or the profits they have. We talk about showing the market a powerful picture of a future that they can achieve. When people start seeing where you are going, and believe you are likely the get there, amazing things start to happen.
- The brightest people want to come work for you.
- The best investors want to back you.
- The biggest companies want to buy you….
Because THEY all want that potential.
I don’t want you to sell fluff. And please don’t talk about dreams and hopes. This only works WHEN you burn down your beliefs about what is possible. When you make a choice to pursue what you want and you can see the path dotted out into the future. You have to see it, believe it and be 100% committed to making it happen.
This is the hard part. This is where you have to hit pause right now and dig deep to ask yourself, can you see it? Are you willing, ready and able to make it happen?
If not, you haven’t burned them down. Your beliefs are still holding you back. And if it is because you are in the wrong job, leave. If you don’t believe in your company, start a new one. If you don’t believe in yourself – commit right now to get the skills you need to be successful.
YOU have to believe.
Then and only then are you ready… Want to hear the best part?
Once you have done this… once you believe, see the path and are committed, then all you have to do is share the story.
Tell the world where you are going and why you will get there. Show them what is possible. Help them see what you already know.
When you can sell potential, as my friend and client Maegan says, “you can bend the world to your will”. It doesn’t get more powerful than that.
BONUS: If you want practice selling potential, start with yourself. I’ll share a free exercise with you called, The Great Outcome ™ that will help you start seeing what is possible in your own life. As the picture becomes clear, you can share it with others.
To access the FREE version of The Great Outcome CLICK HERE
RISE to your potential and others will be excited to join you on the journey. Sell the potential you see and the world will bend.
As always, I’m here to help you.