It’s not often that the death of someone I never met affects me emotionally. I don’t mean that I never feel sadness for someone’s loss but rarely does my mind keep reflecting back on the death someone who I never knew. However for the past several weeks I have experienced a sense of great loss with the passing of Steve Jobs.
I think it’s because I really admire the way he embraced challenge and change. Of course, he was also brilliant and that doesn’t hurt, but lots of truly gifted people never make their mark on the world like Steve Jobs. It was his ability to use his gifts and draw the most from them that really inspires me. Because of this, I have collected some of the things he believed in so that I can review them again and again.
I thought I’d pass along some of the ones I hope shape the way I view life and challenges from now on.
1. “Sell Dreams Not Products”. He understood that the iPhone was something more- a lifestyle not a phone. This applies to us as custom framers. We don’t sell framing- it’s much more than that. Knowing what your product really gives your customer is the key to selling it.
2. “Create Great Experiences”. People remember things tied to emotional experiences. Want your business to be remembered? It takes more than just a great product- it takes a great experience.
3. ” Master the Message”. If you understand that you are selling dreams and realize the impact of great experiences, you can then create a message that is powerful and far-reaching.
Finally, if you haven’t seen this video from the commencement address he gave at Stanford in 2005, I urge you to do it now. It brings home how little time we really have to do so much. He places a total urgency on doing what makes you happy and therefore fulfilled. Here’s the link. Save it someplace so you can draw on it when you need it. I know I will.
