Imagine the biggest, juiciest, most delicious meatball you can imagine. Now picture covering that meatball with caramel, hot fudge, whipped cream and colored sprinkles.

Pretty disgusting, huh?

That’s the picture that Seth Godin painted in his new that seller Meatball Sunday. He makes the case that new media marketing options like blogs, online video, social networks, and all of the Web 2.0 social media marketplace are like the toppings at an ice cream parlor.

If you start with ice cream, adding sprinkles, cherries, hot fudge and whip cream will make it tastes great. But if you start with a bowl of meatballs, it becomes messy, disgusting and ineffective.

Seth’s message is directed at corporations who sell basic staples like cereal, beer, cars and toys.

But this analogy is even more applicable to entrepreneurs and small-business owners.

Here’s why…

It’s OK to market like a meatball - IF…

Imagine again that same big, juicy, delicious meatball. Except now this time picture that meatball surrounded by fresh handmade spaghetti, covered with the tastiest tomato sauce you’ve ever had, dusted with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and accompanied by a great glass of Chianti.

Quite a different experience now isn’t it?

You see, for the solo-preneur, start-up entrepreneur or small-business owner; the fact of the matter is YOU are the business. You are what you’re selling.

Why?

Because the fact is —

people by WHO you are before they buy WHAT you’re selling.

If you’re marketing in today’s new media marketplace, it doesn’t matter if you’re marketing as a meatball, tofu, or ice cream.

What needs to come first is you answering the following three questions:

    - What is my personal brand? (And how well is that packaged?)

    - How effective are you at gathering a Tribe that passionately connects with your style?

    - Have you chosen the right “toppings”?

Look - the bottom line is pretty simple. It’s human nature for you to want to hang out with people who are like you. The same is true in business. We want to do business with people who are like us… or at least people who we like.

How well you package and present yourself will have a major impact on your success in today’s New Media Marketplace.

What about you?

    What are your answers to the questions above?

    And what else do you think is crucial to persuade people to to buy WHO you are before they buy WHAT you’re selling?

Share it in some graffiti down below.


John Paul Micek is a co-founder of the international business coaching company RPM Success Group ® Inc. He and his partner Deborah Micek are authors of the hit book Secrets Of Online Persuasion, and creators of the BLOG i360™ New Media Marketing Site Creater.
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