Classic Christmas Lessons — What I’ve Learned From Rudolph About Letting Your Offerings Shine

Since we were children, most of us have been singing the story of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, a valuable lesson about including others who are different from us, and giving people a chance to shine. Looking at Rudolph’s story through my marketing lens, I’m inspired not about giving people a chance, but about keeping an open mind about your own service offerings and products — one that you’ve had on the back burner might just be poised to become your best-seller, if you just give it the chance it needs.

We’ve all got our obvious mainstays, the products that are guaranteed to sell, the services we’ve become comfortable (maybe a little too comfortable) promoting and that we rely on for our monthly income. What I’m suggesting is that you keep an open mind about those other offerings that you don’t promote or give much attention to. One of them may actually be your diamond in the rough. With a little thought, attention and marketing, this neglected offering could be your new star.

Identifying Your Rudolph
The main requirement to finding a diamond in the rough within your offerings (or your ideas that you haven’t yet added to your service offerings) is to keep an open mind. Don’t ever assume that something won’t be well-received or won’t sell well. Santa assumed that because Rudolph was different, he wasn’t well-suited to his job. Rudolph was also never given a chance to properly train to fly a sleigh, as he was excluded from the reindeer games.

Really listen to your clients and hear their needs. You might be tipped off to something you already offer but haven’t been promoting, that they are looking for. It might also be a matter of adapting a service or product you already offer to meet the expressed needs of your clients.

By packaging or promoting it in a new way, you might be pleasantly surprised at how it takes off!

My Rudolph
Initially, though I offered LinkedIn services, they weren’t really on my radar as a big seller. However, when I noticed clients asking for them more often, I created a new package that brought these services together (including LinkedIn profile optimization, updates and articles) and it has quickly become my leading seller. I’ve really watched sales of this package soar!

Remember, the first step is listening to your clients. What do they need? What are they asking for? What have they requested you offer more of?

Next, take your offering and perfect it, polish it up a bit — really give it a chance to shine. Then, promote it properly!

And most importantly, always be on the lookout for your Rudolph. It’s not a one-time process. The market changes, your clients’ needs change, and you need to stay on top of what your clients want.

Want some help figuring out your own Rudolph and giving it the chance it needs? I would love to help you! Give me a call.