The Grasshopper must have gotten his real estate license recently when he said, “Stop selling what you don’t own.”

I just watched an accomplished photographer telling photographers to stop being angry. What he may not realize is that he sits on a seething cauldron of anger. It’s easy for me to spot his anger based on my training, but it may not be apparent to him. His advice to fellow photographers was sound but he doesn’t own the quality he’s attempting to sell.

How often have you given a piece of advice to someone that would benefit you as well, but you don’t follow? That’s selling something you don’t own.

How often have you preached from someone else’s hymn book without following their tenets?

We all do it.

The key to outgrowing this behavior can be accomplished one of two ways:

1. Cease the practice completely.

2. Take the steps necessary to own the behavior you’re selling.

I can tell you from experience that #1 is the easier path. Just make a conscious effort to stop selling that which you don’t own. You may have been parceling out this advice for decades but you personally have nothing to show for it. If it’s not working for you, stop selling.

#2 is a pilgrimage. It will take consistent effort over a longer period of time than you are comfortable with. You will have to get out of your comfort zone to own.

The benefit to you in outgrowing “selling what you don’t own” is something people long for in others: Authenticity.

Authenticity sells itself.

Just notice the empty feeling you have when peddling rented experiences. That feeling will translate to others when you’re making your pitch and authenticity will be absent. You’ll just be talking for talking’s sake.

Yes, you’ll fool some of the people some of the time but you have to live with your feelings 24/7.

Take what you’re selling out of inventory OR own what you’re selling, and discover that you can’t put a price on owning authenticity.

All the best,

John