Give away your knowledge, and you'll make money. How does this work? Isn't this counter-intuitive? Let's think about this. If you get early adopters (Seth Godin would call them "sneezers") on board and they like what you have to say, they'll talk about your ideas. They'll share it with their friends, they'll put it on their blog, and they'll invite others to try it out. Low risk because it's free, except high risk because really you're putting your reputation on the line. The more they talk about it, the more it will hit the mainstream, and eventually you'll hit a "tipping point" where it's the next great thing that everyone has got to have. At that point, you can charge these people money, because not only will they buy what you're selling, they'll tell their friends who will tell their friends, who will all buy your stuff. Another thing that you'll find is that people that you give things away too are far more likely to be grateful for what you've given them, and are often flattered that you were willing to share what you know/what you sell with them for nothing, and will recommend you to their friends, again decreasing the amount of time it takes for you to reach that magical tipping point. It sounds easy enough. Now, do you have the guts to make it great and give it away now, or do you think you can't afford to? What you really should be asking is: "Can you afford not to give it away?" |