[Coworking] Quit marketing your stuff, start marketing your values
Hi all, It's been a great couple of weeks over here in Seattle watching Jacob put together his presentation for the Coworking Europe conference. While watching his practice run-through last night (he's so much more organized than I could hope to be!), I was struck with the reminder that the best way to market our coworking space is not by telling folks about all our great shared resources, but to tell folks about our great values. Let me extrapolate a bit: *No one's business has been improved by our shared printer. * **While shared resources (internet, printer, desks, coffee, etc.) are great, they don't make anyone's business or work better. While it may be a contributing factor to why people step through our doors, it is certainly not the reason that they stay. Our members enjoy these things, but they STAY here and enjoy their experience coworking because they get relief from the isolation they felt working solo and they're able to be productive again. *If you're trying to get people into your space by telling them about all of your stuff, you're likely wasting your time (and attracting the wrong folks)*. If there is one thing that we've learned over the last three years, it is that we are not in the stuff business. We are in the coworking business. If we try to sell ourselves otherwise to potential new members, we wind up disappointing people. Our true selling point is our culture and our values: we believe that choosing to work along side one another makes our work AND our lives better overall. We believe this, and if we can get that message across, we wind up attracting folks who stick around and are happy. *Members are not impressed with the stuff. * Alexandra, our rockstar Community Cultivator, told us during Jacob's run-through that she rarely has people commenting on how great it is that we have an internet connection or a fax machine. Instead, they comment on how cool they think it is that we have rotating artwork in our space, or that we have yoga on Wednesdays. The culture of our space is what impresses people and encourages them to become a member - that's because they see *value* there. They see their work life being enhanced. If you felt your work/life balance could be improved by a fax machine, well, you'd just buy one and get on with your life. What coworking spaces have to offer is SO much more exciting than the stuff. Them's just the thoughts here on Tuesday morning in blustery Seattle. Hope this is helpful to those of you currently hemming and hawing about how to get some new members in the door. I implore you: don't waste your time telling them that you have a badass internet connection. Spend your time telling them that they don't have to be alone anymore. :) Susan __ Office Nomads officenomads.com 206-484-5859 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
Re: [Coworking] Quit marketing your stuff, start marketing your values
Awesome, awesome, awesome. FYI, this works in businesses other than Coworking, too. Benefits/values is often a stronger selling mechanism for benefits. The problem is that they're harder to describe, so people most often default to features instead of benefits. -Alex /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Tue, Nov 16, 2010 at 2:09 PM, Susan Evans su...@officenomads.com wrote: Hi all, It's been a great couple of weeks over here in Seattle watching Jacob put together his presentation for the Coworking Europe conference. While watching his practice run-through last night (he's so much more organized than I could hope to be!), I was struck with the reminder that the best way to market our coworking space is not by telling folks about all our great shared resources, but to tell folks about our great values. Let me extrapolate a bit: *No one's business has been improved by our shared printer. * **While shared resources (internet, printer, desks, coffee, etc.) are great, they don't make anyone's business or work better. While it may be a contributing factor to why people step through our doors, it is certainly not the reason that they stay. Our members enjoy these things, but they STAY here and enjoy their experience coworking because they get relief from the isolation they felt working solo and they're able to be productive again. *If you're trying to get people into your space by telling them about all of your stuff, you're likely wasting your time (and attracting the wrong folks)*. If there is one thing that we've learned over the last three years, it is that we are not in the stuff business. We are in the coworking business. If we try to sell ourselves otherwise to potential new members, we wind up disappointing people. Our true selling point is our culture and our values: we believe that choosing to work along side one another makes our work AND our lives better overall. We believe this, and if we can get that message across, we wind up attracting folks who stick around and are happy. *Members are not impressed with the stuff. * Alexandra, our rockstar Community Cultivator, told us during Jacob's run-through that she rarely has people commenting on how great it is that we have an internet connection or a fax machine. Instead, they comment on how cool they think it is that we have rotating artwork in our space, or that we have yoga on Wednesdays. The culture of our space is what impresses people and encourages them to become a member - that's because they see *value* there. They see their work life being enhanced. If you felt your work/life balance could be improved by a fax machine, well, you'd just buy one and get on with your life. What coworking spaces have to offer is SO much more exciting than the stuff. Them's just the thoughts here on Tuesday morning in blustery Seattle. Hope this is helpful to those of you currently hemming and hawing about how to get some new members in the door. I implore you: don't waste your time telling them that you have a badass internet connection. Spend your time telling them that they don't have to be alone anymore. :) Susan __ Office Nomads officenomads.com 206-484-5859 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.comcoworking%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com . For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
Re: [Coworking] Quit marketing your stuff, start marketing your values
Spot on, Susan! We've never seen ourselves as in the services business. Citizen Space is a community resource with a great culture and cool people. We also happen to have wifi. :) Thanks for sharing! Hillary On Nov 16, 2010, at 11:09 AM, Susan Evans su...@officenomads.com wrote: Hi all, It's been a great couple of weeks over here in Seattle watching Jacob put together his presentation for the Coworking Europe conference. While watching his practice run-through last night (he's so much more organized than I could hope to be!), I was struck with the reminder that the best way to market our coworking space is not by telling folks about all our great shared resources, but to tell folks about our great values. Let me extrapolate a bit: No one's business has been improved by our shared printer. While shared resources (internet, printer, desks, coffee, etc.) are great, they don't make anyone's business or work better. While it may be a contributing factor to why people step through our doors, it is certainly not the reason that they stay. Our members enjoy these things, but they STAY here and enjoy their experience coworking because they get relief from the isolation they felt working solo and they're able to be productive again. If you're trying to get people into your space by telling them about all of your stuff, you're likely wasting your time (and attracting the wrong folks). If there is one thing that we've learned over the last three years, it is that we are not in the stuff business. We are in the coworking business. If we try to sell ourselves otherwise to potential new members, we wind up disappointing people. Our true selling point is our culture and our values: we believe that choosing to work along side one another makes our work AND our lives better overall. We believe this, and if we can get that message across, we wind up attracting folks who stick around and are happy. Members are not impressed with the stuff. Alexandra, our rockstar Community Cultivator, told us during Jacob's run-through that she rarely has people commenting on how great it is that we have an internet connection or a fax machine. Instead, they comment on how cool they think it is that we have rotating artwork in our space, or that we have yoga on Wednesdays. The culture of our space is what impresses people and encourages them to become a member - that's because they see value there. They see their work life being enhanced. If you felt your work/life balance could be improved by a fax machine, well, you'd just buy one and get on with your life. What coworking spaces have to offer is SO much more exciting than the stuff. Them's just the thoughts here on Tuesday morning in blustery Seattle. Hope this is helpful to those of you currently hemming and hawing about how to get some new members in the door. I implore you: don't waste your time telling them that you have a badass internet connection. Spend your time telling them that they don't have to be alone anymore. :) Susan __ Office Nomads officenomads.com 206-484-5859 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
Re: [Coworking] Quit marketing your stuff, start marketing your values
RE: We also happen to have wifi. :) ...sometimes ;P (lucky we sell culture, because even the wifi had some issues for a while!) T On Tue, Nov 16, 2010 at 4:07 PM, Hillary Hartley hhart...@gmail.com wrote: Spot on, Susan! We've never seen ourselves as in the services business. Citizen Space is a community resource with a great culture and cool people. We also happen to have wifi. :) Thanks for sharing! Hillary On Nov 16, 2010, at 11:09 AM, Susan Evans su...@officenomads.com wrote: Hi all, It's been a great couple of weeks over here in Seattle watching Jacob put together his presentation for the Coworking Europe conference. While watching his practice run-through last night (he's so much more organized than I could hope to be!), I was struck with the reminder that the best way to market our coworking space is not by telling folks about all our great shared resources, but to tell folks about our great values. Let me extrapolate a bit: *No one's business has been improved by our shared printer. * **While shared resources (internet, printer, desks, coffee, etc.) are great, they don't make anyone's business or work better. While it may be a contributing factor to why people step through our doors, it is certainly not the reason that they stay. Our members enjoy these things, but they STAY here and enjoy their experience coworking because they get relief from the isolation they felt working solo and they're able to be productive again. *If you're trying to get people into your space by telling them about all of your stuff, you're likely wasting your time (and attracting the wrong folks)*. If there is one thing that we've learned over the last three years, it is that we are not in the stuff business. We are in the coworking business. If we try to sell ourselves otherwise to potential new members, we wind up disappointing people. Our true selling point is our culture and our values: we believe that choosing to work along side one another makes our work AND our lives better overall. We believe this, and if we can get that message across, we wind up attracting folks who stick around and are happy. *Members are not impressed with the stuff. * Alexandra, our rockstar Community Cultivator, told us during Jacob's run-through that she rarely has people commenting on how great it is that we have an internet connection or a fax machine. Instead, they comment on how cool they think it is that we have rotating artwork in our space, or that we have yoga on Wednesdays. The culture of our space is what impresses people and encourages them to become a member - that's because they see *value* there. They see their work life being enhanced. If you felt your work/life balance could be improved by a fax machine, well, you'd just buy one and get on with your life. What coworking spaces have to offer is SO much more exciting than the stuff. Them's just the thoughts here on Tuesday morning in blustery Seattle. Hope this is helpful to those of you currently hemming and hawing about how to get some new members in the door. I implore you: don't waste your time telling them that you have a badass internet connection. Spend your time telling them that they don't have to be alone anymore. :) Susan __ Office Nomads http://officenomads.comofficenomads.com 206-484-5859 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.comcoworking%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com . For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. -- Tara Hunt CEO CoFounder http://www.shwowp.com http://www.twitter.com/missrogue phone: 514-679-2951 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
