Can you bargain with talent?

I don't mean to sound like a fawning fanatic, but Seth Godin is a hero of mine. Marketing genius, author, public speaker: he's done a lot, and his bite-sized posts always hit me upside the head with insight and inspiration. You can read his excellent book, Unleashing the Ideavirus, here for free. Don't stop there, though.

In typical Seth Godin fashion, he wrote a post recently that reflected something I've thought about at length and completely agree with. He articulated it much better than I could, of course.

In Talent and Vendors, Seth makes the case that "A vendor is someone who exists to sell you something. It doesn't always matter to the vendor what's being sold, as long as it's being sold and paid for."

Whereas, someone who qualifies as talent brings much more to the table, and their abilities change depending on how we work with them. If we treat them like vendors--who strictly sell commodities--we're going to get mediocre results.

This made me think about my business. It made me think about the people I serve. It made me think about businesses I buy from and people I've worked with.

See, I care about what I'm offering, but I care more about the results I'm getting for my clients. Working with businesses electrifies me. I want an overflow of value to spring up from what I deliver to my clients. This places a responsibility on me, doesn't it?

To perform a service and deliver a product which brings my client disproportionate results over what they paid.

Modernactive doesn't operate on a purely transactional basis. It's not "Wam! Bam! Thank you business owner." This may sound like a rabbits, rainbows, and unicorns statement, but we're into creating great experiences, and actually maintaining relationships. You can't put a price tag on that.

Think about your business. Are you just a product or service goon? Would it matter much to you if what you offered was switched out with anything else? Like miniature pie tins or hairpieces for cats. If what you have to offer is available in abundance, the majority of us will choose the cheapest. However, when the offer incorporates something as scarce as true talent and an exceptional experience, it gets much harder to haggle with.

What does your business do that sets itself apart from the rest? Leave a comment below.