W.W.S.D.

I'm trapped. Talking about Seth Godin or his books seems to mean the bar is raised and I have to talk in an outlandish tone so others will buy the book, or tell others. Its got to be an IdeaVirus, or Purple Cow, or Free Prize.

But thats not what I want to do. That's not me. That's not what this blog is about. But I do want to talk about Free Prize Inside because I think it is important, especially to smaller B2B businesses. Why important? We are often trapped in innovation-less marketplaces, but our organizations are loosely structured, making Free Prizes easier to roll out. Lets take a closer look:

• A Free Prize is nothing but an innovatation that makes selecting your product rewarding to the customer. The prize may be hidden or obvious. But it is Remarkable--which means that it isn't just a gimmick and that it is worth remarking about.


• The way to find a Free Prize is by Edgecraft. Edgecraft is taking existing or potential competitive advantage and pushing it to the edges. A very cool idea but...


• It is Difficult. Difficult means more than hard work, it means stepping out of the box and being able to look in (and looking and looking). This is where using Jackie Huba's idea of "What Would Seth Do" as a mantra could be helpful. It means having your radar on for sensing the edges that customers like so that you can exploit the edges.


• Most inspirational to me is the idea of the Champion. The champion is the person (hopefully you) who can take the Free Prize and make it happen. Seth says it is better to have a Free Prize that is within your power to be a Champion for. Passion is not enough. You have to also work at creating a reputation that allows others to let you be a Champion. Really, it is a lesson in being a leader. People don't follow people they don't trust, no matter how great the idea.

So there is the secret to the whole book. But if you really want to be a disciple, buy the bible (I mean book). use it learn W.W.S.D.