Benno Pieters' Blog

I believe that the Cottage Industry will return in Full Force! What is the Cottage Industry? In Medieval times, in the villages, people used to produce from their own homes. They had a small plot of land to grow vegetables, perhaps keep a cow, and had a few chickens. They were blacksmiths, or bakers, weavers, or cobblers and paid each other with pieces of silver. Some were beer brewers, which used to be very important because you could not always trust the water supply. Gold was used for larger items. In the Anglo-Saxon world, 1 troy ounce of gold, would buy a gentleman a hand-tailored suit. It still does. People were not really rich in those times, but they were quite happy. Here in the Netherlands, you can get a grasp of how that used to be at the Archeon Museum. Industrial Revolution Once the Industrial Revolution started, people flocked toward the cities because they could earn more. The Cottage Industry ceased to be effective as specialization and economies of scale started to set...

Together with Antoinette Pernot I wrote the book (in Dutch) in the spring of 2010. It is about how to Become a Brand (yourself). Since we are both Sales People, we look at new ways of generating business with the intent to selling something. We look at new technologies in how we can apply to sell something (easily). We test them and tweak them and when satisfied start using it ourselves. Sometimes we can productize them and support our customers in doing their business. Authority Selling What you really want in selling is that customers approach you in stead of the other way around. Then you can concentrate on quality in delivering your product or service. The best way to sell something is by having a great reputation, by being a brand. Then there are no questions about quality, delivery, people just assume that what you deliver is good stuff and want to know how it can help them. The next step is becoming an Authority in your field of expertise. Then potential customers will start ...