The Zen of Information Marketing

 

(Or Why Infopreneurs Love To Share Their Knowledge)

“Why would I want to teach someone else what I know?” asked a mentoring client of mine.

We had been discussing ways he could launch his own information marketing business based on rich expertise he had acquired from decades of working in a specialized market niche.

But after a few minutes, it became apparent to me that we were seeing things from vastly different viewpoints.

Where I could see opportunity, he saw threat. Where I envisioned product ideas, he saw intellectual theft. Where I predicted fans, he imagined competition.

And I braced myself for a longer session. A tougher one. Then, I set out to try and convince him about the infopreneur mindset.

While we spoke, I jotted down notes to share in the form of an article or report that may help many other infopreneurs like him. This is the fleshed out version of that outline.

Infopreneurs Believe In Abundance

There is very little in common among information marketers as a group. They are diverse in interests, areas of expertise and the way they monetize content. But in one area, they are almost identical.

They believe in abundance.

Specifically in the mindset that there’s enough to go around for everyone to enjoy. That there are win-win scenarios that can be crafted in any circumstance. That little, if anything, is so precious, scarce or valuable that it cannot be enhanced through sharing and benefit a larger group.

It’s an attitude and world view that governs most of what they do as information marketers. Indeed it is close to the core of the overall infopreneur ethos, which thrives on sharing value with audiences.

Those who enter information marketing with a different paradigm of guarding and protecting knowledge assets, fearing their being stolen and pre-empted, or put to use in creative ways by others who may become competitors, initially find it bewildering and strange to come to terms with the idea of willingly sharing their hard-earned wisdom.

But soon, they begin to see the benefits in embracing a philosophy of sharing.

Philosophy In a Sandwich

Imagine you’re at school. You go on class a picnic. Your mom packed you two sandwiches for lunch.

Your best friend joins you on the trip. Unfortunately, his parents couldn’t fix him any lunch. He wonders if you’ll share a sandwich with him.

Here’s your dilemma.

If you give him one of your two sandwiches, you’ll both have a little to eat – but will both end up being hungry soon afterwards, before you reach home again.

But if you don’t give him a sandwich, you may eat your fill – but he’ll starve!

Now consider your situation as an infopreneur.

You have a certain kind of knowledge or expertise. Your prospective clients do not. If you share what you have with them, you won’t have less of your knowledge –

But Your Client Will Have More Of It!

That’s the paradigm of abundance you’ll embrace and adopt as an information marketer. Because information and knowledge is not a ‘depreciating asset’ or a ‘diminishing commodity’. You can give of your fill – and still have the same amount left.

For people caught up in the manufacturing industry scenario of “inventory” that diminishes when sold, the concept of a self-replenishing never-ending treasure trove that you can dip into and dispense freely in unlimited quantities takes some getting used to.

Plus, there’s another important factor at play.

Knowledge Itself Is Worthless!

Like the client I introduced in the beginning, many new infopreneurs worry unduly about the impact of sharing information and experience with a large number of people.

They worry that if too many people know what they do, they’ll create too much competition for themselves, or dilute the value of their information, or…

Stop!

Knowledge, in and of itself, is worthless.

That’s why ideas can’t be trademarked or copyrighted. Only concrete creations based on those ideas can. And a very tiny fraction of those who have access to such information, knowledge or insight actually end up doing anything of value with them.

Effective implementation is the key. It is a rarity. So you hardly ever give away anything through sharing your knowledge.

And even if it is copied or adopted or implemented in a certain way, there’s no reason you can’t keep on doing it in a different way. Creatively. With innovation. In a more effective fashion. And still remain competitive.

So infopreneurs don’t stand to lose much, except in rare instances.

Will Shared Information Lose Value?

Corporations guard their intellectual property ferociously. A manufacturing firm that has a secret process that multiplies their efficiency, or a secret formula that puts them ahead of competition in the marketplace (like Coca Cola) is fully justified in keeping this proprietary information safe and secure from prying eyes.

Apple Inc. fiercely protects not only its patents, but also takes any leaks of its launch plans or new model designs very seriously. That information, if shared among too many people, could detract from the market value of the company.

But this is rare. For most enterprises, and especially small and medium businesses, there isn’t much information that would be harmful or destructive if it leaks out of the organization and finds its way into information products.

By teaching someone the principles of effective lead generation, a company that builds email lists for its clients won’t really risk going out of business. In fact, by sharing their experience and giving generously of their expertise, they may actually end up attracting new clients who understand how their system works – but don’t have the time to do it all themselves.

Sharing what some entrepreneurs might consider to be private and ‘secret’ information may actually encourage new customers to sign up for their services… because they are now perceived as ‘experts’.

In today’s Web based world, just about any kind of information can be found online for free – if you only have the time and take the effort to search hard enough for it.

In this scenario, by sharing your information with people, it’s unlikely that you’ll take away from its value in any sense. It’s more likely that you will benefit indirectly by taking such an approach.

But are infopreneurs ready to share their expertise only because they realize it isn’t dreadfully valuable anyway? Or is there another reason?

Teaching Adds a Profit Center

Information marketers create and sell information products and resources with the aim of making money.

Even if they aren’t too concerned about losing their premier position or risking their business profits if others learn their methods, it is still the rare infopreneur who will willingly give away (for free) information that’s hard earned and precious to the right person.

That’s because teaching this to others can be a very profitable venture.

It’s why infoproducts are so popular, both among infopreneurs who create them and the consumers who purchase them.

No matter whether an infoproduct educates, entertains or inspires audiences, there is a value perceived in them – which means prospects will happily pay to own them.

And that’s the hidden dimension that savvy infopreneurs are aware of – and employ intelligently.

They are aware that ideas without implementation aren’t valuable. They know that there isn’t any real risk from sharing their information with others. And they know that offering this material for sale can add a very lucrative income stream to their online business.

But there’s a ‘trick’ to teaching that can be very profitable to information marketers.

Tell Them Why, Sell Them How

As the expert and specialist, you have an unassailable advantage when it comes to teaching others. You get to choose how much you want to share with your audience.

Some infopreneurs lay it all on the line. They go into explicit detail, spill their guts, expose their heart, and reveal all the nuances and twists that took them years, even decades, to learn and master. Often, such infoproducts carry a premium price-tag which is well worth paying, because it reveals a lifetime of experiences.

Other infopreneurs decide not to share it all, but to limit the part they’ll teach anyone while keeping some portion of it ‘secret’.

This doesn’t mean that they are less generous or broadminded than others, just that they are following a different strategy.

Let’s say you offer a service that writers top quality articles for clients who need fresh, informative content that can be used on websites, blogs or newsletters. You may choose to split your sharing into two portions.

In one, you can teach prospects why it is a good idea to have great content on their websites, blogs and newsletters, and how it is beneficial to outsource the writing to expert freelancers. Such an infoproduct carries enormous value to business owners seeking to understand how to build an authority website that ranks well on search engines and attracts targeted prospects.

But while the infoproduct might have just as easily listed a hand-picked selection of writers who can serve those needs, you may choose to keep that information private – and instead offer the use of your group of writers as a paid service. In fact, if set up correctly, you can even afford to give away the infoproduct that teaches them why – as long as you get enough paying clients who want you to either show them how, or better still, do the work for them.

That’s Why Infopreneurs Share

Infopreneurs care about solving problems for their target market, and do it by sharing valuable information.

They do it willingly because they know there’s little risk, while there’s quite a big benefit to sharing.

They do it intelligently and strategically so that the act of sharing ends up becoming a win-win deal, helping their prospects while creating an extra income stream for themselves.

As my mentor, Jay Abraham, says: “Sometimes, the most selfish thing you can do is to be selfless!”

Infopreneurs intuitively understand this – and share selflessly!

All success

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Tags: abundance, generosity, giving, infopreneurs, sharing

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