November 18, 2020
Knowers vs Doers
For folks who are used to selling their hands by the hour (e.g., devs, designers, writers, togs, etc), it can be a real head scratcher when I suggest packaging their expertise in new ways.
The typical reaction is something like:
“Huh? I build websites... which amounts to me typing code into a text editor. There is no other way to package it!”
Yep, I get that. If you see yourself strictly as a doer (i.e., “I am someone who does X”), then the idea of packaging your expertise in new ways will bounce off your head like a dodgeball.
Here are some examples of a doer mindset:
- “I code web apps.”
- “I design pitch decks.”
- “I write sales pages.”
In order to come up with new ways to package your expertise, you need to shift your thinking to a “knower” mindset (i.e., “I am someone who KNOWS HOW to do X”).
This is a big difference.
Someone who knows how to do something has a whole new set of options beyond just doing the thing.
Things like teach or advise or oversee or audit. Things that consultants and advisors and teachers and trainers and coaches do.
This is what I mean when I say “sell your brains, not your hands”.
Longtime doers often have a knee jerk reaction to the idea of selling their brains instead of their hands.
Reactions like:
- “That’s not real work!”
- “There’s no value in me just telling clients what to do!”
- “Clients won’t implement my advice on their own!”
- “Those who can’t, teach!”
- “I’ll lose my edge if I stop doing what I do!”
These reactions are all myths, especially the last one.
Besides, you don’t have to stop doing what you do. You can keep selling your hands if you want to, but make it the most expensive offering in your product ladder.
For all the potential clients who can’t afford your direct assistance, package and sell your “know how” at price points that are affordable to them and profitable to you.
Before long, you might just find yourself with a bigger audience, more leads, better clients, and a diversified set of income streams.
Yours,
—J