According to both my own surveys and published research, introverts by and large excel at listening. We cherish creativity and feel comfortable planning. We’re good at working things through in our heads or in private. Putting all this together, we shine as product developers. We don’t just enjoy the process of creating and packaging; we have what it takes to do it well.
Product development is a continuation of what introverts did as a kid: tinkering in the basement, writing up a storm, obsessively learning about computers or comic book art, drawing all the plants in the woods, thinking up a new language, or writing songs for a best friend.
Do you recognize yourself in this description? If so, here are a few additional reasons why developing some information products can be a perfect way for an introverted service provider, professional or expert to develop a clientele and boost your annual earnings. It’s a revenue generator as well as a marketing vehicle. Why?
It’s a great way to get potential clients over the trust hump to hire you.
Just as the ice cream store gives you a little spoonful of an unfamiliar flavor before you commit to a full ice cream cone or dish of it, your information product provides a sampling of your intellect, talent, knowledge, and writing flair. Having someone read or listen to your info product to get to know you is much less time consuming on your part than giving free introductory consultation.
One copywriter who posted on the Warrior Forum said that his copywriting career was going nowhere until he developed and sold a few info products. Then instead of chasing down clients (unsuccessfully), they came after him and said, “Hey, your copy is pretty good. What would you charge for a sales letter? I’d like to hire you.” You see, the product elevated his standing in their eyes.
Product development is something to sell to do-it-yourselfers who’d rather save money or think they can’t afford you.
Interestingly, the do-it-yourselfers believe they are buying a report or a home-study course to save money and learn how to do something themselves. But often they learn what’s involved to the point where they sort of understand it, then realize they don’t have the time to do it. Or they’re concerned they’ll mess it up, and since you know so much more than they do (they’ve just seen the proof), they end up hiring you to do it. I’ve seen this happen in my own business again and again and again. It turns a $29.95 product sale into a client worth thousands of dollars.
Infoproducts provide additional income.
One colleague of mine revealed that reports she’s created have brought her more than $100,000 while she continues coaching as her main source of revenue. If you find it hard to imagine on that scale, you might be thinking of products as inevitably low-priced affairs – $10 to $30 each. Your products can cost lots more than that, however. In fact, with the right strategies in place for the right audience, you can charge $99, $299, or much more for content that is smaller in bulk than what’s in a paperback book. At one point, my most expensive home-study course cost $1,297, and while I didn’t sell one of those every day, it certainly was nice when I did.
Infoproducts also enable you to earn while on vacation, when the economy slows down or in retirement.
If you feel you’re on a treadmill of nothing but work in order to keep money flowing in, developing products offers an escape. Some years back, I developed some higher-priced products to finance a three-month road trip from Massachusetts to Alaska and back. I did not do any client work at all during those months, and yet the money kept flowing into my bank account from products that I had set up for sale before we left.
As I said, product development matches your introverted personality strengths and talents. Your creativity gets an enormous workout. Your listening skills can ensure you produce something that people want. Hook up with someone to show you the steps that didn’t exist when you were playing around as a kid, and the process becomes easier and smoother than you ever imagined.
In the next lesson, we’ll tackle social media for introverts.
