21 Jun What Are You Selling?
What Are You Selling?
The question caught me unawares, so I thought I’d ask you. 😆 What are you selling? I had no immediate answer when the questioner arrived at my booth table (see photo above). But at every other booth, someone was selling something. I had a booth. What was I selling? My answer is at the end of this post, and my hope is that knowing my process of coming to an answer will help you even more.
A Richer Question Than We Realize
“Selling” implies certain things. “What are you selling?” is a richer question than you might realize at first. This was certainly true for me. At first, I was grossed out by the question: me, selling? What an insult!
What is It to You?
Being insulted by the question says more about our money wounds than about selling. There’s nothing wrong with selling. Or so I found out when I asked myself what it actually meant to me, rather than focusing on how it’s misused. This post gives you my process of going beyond being grossed out to answering the question in a way that was useful to me.
So first things first: Being grossed out by the question barely counted as a “first thing.” The real digging in began when I noticed how much resistance I had to being asked! At a festival! Sitting at a booth! (Laugh, it’s ok. I think I’m funny, too.)Â And realizing how easy the question was for me to dodge when working “safely” at home. So there I was…in the marketplace. Not a virtual marketplace, even. (I am on social media and do only rare bits of advertising online. It’s safe, too.)
To approach the question, I had to define the question.
Definitions
Here’s what selling means (to me):
-
- Promoting
- Guaranteeing
- Vouching For.
So, What Are You Selling?
Now I could answer the question:
What do I promote, guarantee, and vouch for in life’s marketplace?
Moneycoaching and fundraising are the easy answer. (In the moment, they were the answer I gave the questioner.)
My real answer is “peace of mind.”
I can’t guarantee prosperity, abundance, or even “peaceful, ethical money management and nonprofit fundraising.” Those are just what the services I offer, and the spirit I offer them in. They’re not what I sell (promote, guarantee, vouch for).
What I guarantee, vouch for, and thus can promote arising from my work is peace of mind. And that is a worthy answer to give. So I’m sharing it with you. But more importantly, I hope you ask yourself these questions, if relevant to you, and that you will share your answers, here.
Jennifer
Posted at 23:04h, 28 MayHey Beth, I just noticed you linked our farm in the Photo credit. Thank you! Painting for/with you was lovely.
Beth
Posted at 23:09h, 28 MayThanks, Jennie! It was for me as well. Just lovely!
Pingback:Stop Struggling to Balance Money & Freedom - RAISING CLARITY
Posted at 11:11h, 28 June[…] RAISING CLARITY was at the Body Mind Spirit Festival a few weeks ago, I gave a workshop on peace with money. At the end, one participant asked how to balance freedom and […]
Darryl Burks
Posted at 23:04h, 21 JuneI like to think I am selling “comfort”. Not just physical comfort, but a compassionate or sympathetic ear that listens without judgement and can empathize with the discomfort someone may be feeling. A break if you will, from the hectic, noisy society we live in where even taking a breath is an act of defiance lest you miss some new political or societal drama unfolding, or even worse, WASTE TIME, doing something that doesn’t make money or serve some utilitarian end. When did we stop being able to take a day and just appreciate being alive ? That is what I strive o offer people.
Beth
Posted at 13:45h, 22 JuneI love it. Dig into that notion of “comfort.” It’s very very rich, as you describe it, Darryl. There’s more there, I sense.