Why Your Business Doesn’t Sell: The Silver Surfer Theory

Guess who’s the most powerful superhero? Superman? Thor? Hulk? Green Lantern? Wonder Woman? The answer is none of the above. The true answer is Silver Surfer. This might be subjective and based on opinion for the most part, but his superpowers make a strong case for him being one of the most powerful superheroes ever. The Silver Surfer’s powers and abilities include, but aren’t limited to, energy absorption and manipulation, matter manipulation, superhuman strength, invulnerability, god-like stamina, flight speed, cosmic senses, and cosmic self-sustenance.

OK, so what does this have to do with you and your business? What does it have to do with why your business doesn’t sell? It’s actually simple… you’re not marketable. Your brand and product isn’t easy to digest. Your business is too complex and a little difficult for the average person to identify with. When it comes to business (assuming what you sell is quality), you’re a Silver Surfer. Even though Silver Surfer is more powerful than Superman and Thor, he’s not nearly as popular. Silver Surfer isn’t nearly as popular because he’s not an easily marketable character. Although he is extremely powerful and has some of the coolest powers ever, he’s one of the hardest superheroes to identify with. It’s easier to identify with Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, The Flash, The Hulk, etc. In lamens terms, you’re extremely powerful and have the ability to do all kinds of cool things, but it’s too much for the average person to digest.

The Jack-Of-All-Trades

Enter the jack-of-all-trades. Supposedly the jack-of-all-trades is known as the “master of none.” Jack-of-all-trades is known to reference someone who is competent with many skills, but not highly competent in one. Instead of being “great” at one thing, you’re known to be just good at multiple things. A ton of artists and creative types might fit this description. If they are just simply good at a few different things, that’s not something that will be easy to market. On the flipside, if an artist is multi-talented and highly proficient in everything he/she does, that looks much better, but it is still not easy to market.

In reality most artists typically don’t just practice one art form. Most creatives are multi-talented. It’s hard enough as it is to make a living having a career in the creative industry, imagine having multiple skills and talents and being highly proficient in all of them while trying to package everything and sell it to potential clients/customers. On the surface it’s worthy of praise and applause, but outside of that, it’s a hard sell. Generally, if people hear that you have the capability to do multiple things proficiently, they will admire you from a distance. The problem is admiration and getting a pat on the back doesn’t put money in your pockets. That ultimately doesn’t get you any business!

The simple solution to this problem might be to just scale back on what your business sells. While that might be the easy solution to this “problem,” it can deprive people of the greatness that you are capable of providing. Being great at one thing has its limits. When it comes to your business, if you’re a one-stop shop, that makes your business more attractive to a potential customer who will need multiple services. When it’s all said and done, people respect people who are knowledgeable and skilled at different things. In this case, it’s OK to be the Silver Surfer.

The Hyper-Individualist

Another reason why your business doesn’t sell is you might be a hyper-individualist. A hyper-individualist is described as someone who has a tendency to act in a hyper-individual way, without any regard to society. You operate in way that is highly liberated and free of the usual societal norms/restraints. Overall you don’t give a fuck about what anyone thinks about how you conduct yourself and how you live your life. What you do is customized. Your business isn’t necessarily “original,” but it is different from the typical business. In business, individuality is a strength, not a weakness.

Silver Surfer is a hyper-individualist! He does his own thing! His powers and skill sets are highly unique. In business, this gives you an edge over the competition. While everyone is doing the same thing and selling the same things, what you sell is something that everyone else can’t sell because you are the only one who is capable of producing it. With this in mind, you must highlight your individuality from a sales standpoint in order to stand out from the competition (if you even have any). This is one of the most important things to do as a business. People need to see why what you sell is better than what the next person sells. Your quality product or service backed by your individuality will most likely make someone choose you over someone else who is just like everyone else.