Went to Hugh and Seth‘s Purple Cow party last Thursday; my first “art opening” in a long time. This one was pleasantly different.
The people there didn’t go for the art. They also didn’t go for Hugh’s or Seth’s books. They went for the ideas, the people, and the conversations they knew would be there. It just so happens that all those interactions were surrounded by superb art and great books. Instead of saying, hey come check out this art, it was hey come hang out with us–by the way there’s some art here, too.
Of course, the conversations often drifted to the art and the books. And that was perfect, because that allowed us to fit those products into the context of our conversations and current worldview.
They created a conversation where their products naturally fit in. Over the course of the night I sold myself via a natural process – one that was much more effective, powerful, and satisfying than had they delivered a straight pitch.
The sweet spot in marketing today is not finding the perfect pitch. It’s about finding the environment, conversation, and higher purpose that your product fits into–and then creating that for your prospects. Keep your products in the picture, but don’t make them the picture. And then people will naturally sell themselves, and they’ll do it happily.
You might have missed the party, but you don’t have to miss the fun. Check these out:
Thanks. We decided to lay off “The Pitch” early on- long before the party started. It would’ve been tacky.
For me, it was most fun to see Seth and his fans (and my fans) interact together, without me or Seth needing to be in earshot (or even at the party, in theory). That was far more rewarding than any art sale.
The cross pollination was indeed great, and now you guys get to be part of those positive memories everyone created. Not bad.