View Single Post
  #5  
Old March 17, 2003, 11:06 AM
Michael S. Winicki
 
Posts: n/a
Default A slightly different point of view...

> Don't get involved in an area you know
> nothing about. That's a quick way to
> failure.

There are a myriad of success stories out there about people that have succeeded in industries where they had little or no knowledge like Richard Branson, J. Peterman, Lillian Vernon, and from my own personal experience Johnny Berguson, owner of Kindom Inc.

Granted knowledge about "something" who intend on selling is helpful but that knowledge can quite often be learned very quickly. Read a couple books on any hobby and you can acquire enough superficial knowledge about the hobby to put forth some sort of product for resale.

But more important is an understanding of how business works. If you have a good understanding of direct marketing you can probably sell millions of products that you have very little knowledge of. All you have to do is be bright enough to find (or create) a Unique Selling Proposition concerning a product or service and then market that product or service.

Many times I think a novice in a particular business/hobby/industry actually has an advantage because they have a "fresh" outlook on how things could and should be done. They haven't learned all the bad habits nor do they know what they are about to sell can't be sold (or done). And low and behold they prove the whole industry wrong. They create a new paradigm for that business/hobby/industry, which results in a huge windfall for them (and rightfully so).

I personally think the "working knowledge" needed to successfully sell any product or service is generally overated...and the need for "general business knowledge" underated.

Take care,

Mike Winicki-Business Specialist and Strategic Planner