Does limitation “sell”?

This is the last article on this “Limitation & Advantages” series (check the previous articles at the bottom of the article). This time I’m going to share more about how limitation can “sell”.

Nowadays, selling is too much associated with things related to money; somehow “selling” is associated with an action of taking money from the other person. I’d like to introduce a better word that I found more accurate to be associated with “selling”, it’s called “relationship“.

In a relationship, we’re all selling. Lovers sell their rights to love and to be loved. Friends sell their time to care and help one another. Mentors sell their influence, while mentees sell their potential to be nurtured. Salaried employees sell their time, energy and intellectual property to the company they worked for. Bosses sell their company and vision to their staff. Entrepreneurs undoubtedly sell their products and services in the marketplace, while customers sell their money for the service and products they need. We’re basically selling whenever we deal with at least one person.

Selling does not have to include money; selling without money is called giving.
Selling is not all about our benefit as well, it is also about the others’ benefit.

The only nice thing about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others.

Doug Larson

The first question comes to my mind when I’m reading the quote, “Why does it bring joy to others?” My next thought: “Is it the joy of taking advantage of the others’ imperfection?” A narrow-minded person will think that others’ imperfection is an advantage; imperfection of others will make them looks better, or maybe a way to manipulate, deceive or win over the person. Yes, it is a sort of joy that others’ imperfection can bring for us, but it is a joy for a wrong reason, and hardly people will be really happy and successful with that kind of attitude, jealous and deceitful.

How does our imperfection become a joy for others, then? Here are the answers I found from various sources…

1) Limitation inspires others to be successful

I have shared Nic Vujicic’s story in the first message in this series, “The 5 steps to win with your limitation“. He has no limbs but he has the right perspective, he has attitude and confidence, and that makes him very successful as he is now. What is interesting, his limitation shows us a message that anyone of us can be successful! If a person without limbs can be successful, we must check what are the reasons why we are not successful yet? Most probably it is more of character issue rather than your limited talents. The good news is that characters can be developed. It takes time and persistence, but whoever and wherever you are, as long as you are alive, you can learn and have a better character.

2) Limitation enables you to help effectively

Somebody has to go through something for somebody else’s sake.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer has gone through sexual abuse during her childhood, and how she can become such a leader and influential person, made her a testimony for all the people with the same struggle. She understands very well the feeling and the struggle of a person with sexual abuse background has. Similarly, who knows a struggle of losing a child, more than a person who has ever lost a child? Who understood a widow’s struggle more than a widow?

Similarly, this is what I am trying to do with my blog here; I believe that my struggle with my introversion and the 7 flaws I have shared before will help me to become an effective help for the people who has the same struggle with me. I hope that through my limitation, this blog will be helpful for you in your happiness and success journey.

3) Limitation lets others approach you

Express a mean opinion of yourself occasionally; it will show your friends that you know how to tell the truth.

Ed Howe (Novelist and editor)

John C. Maxwell shares the Approachability Principle in his book “Winning with People”. That principle shares about the ways to become approachable. One of them surprised me: it is the exposure of own weaknesses. He ever mentioned the principle to a group of leaders, asking them to admit their weaknesses in front of their subordinates. One of the leaders approached him, mentioning that it’s not a good idea. I believe many will also disagree with this approach; they take into assumption that the people surrounds them have not known the weaknesses they have, and hesitant to take risk exposing them. They missed out the benefit of becoming approachability here…

Approachable people are honest about their abilities–and shortcomings. They are willing to be told not what they want to hear but what they need to hear.

John C. Maxwell (Winning with People)

4) Limitation enables others to help

The image on the left is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and you will see what the highest need of every human-being is self-actualization; that includes morality, creativity, spontaneity and problem solving. Robin Sharma called this as a drive for significance which every human being desires to become. And what enables them to fulfil their need rather than our limitation. Our limitation enable others to help us, that gives them significance and sense of joy. I believe deep inside every one of us, there is a hunger to help others, hunger for applause for what we have done.

When you are in the position of having limitation, do not afraid to receive help! Some people I know are very uneasy to receive help. They always want to be a giver, and they miss the importance to be a receiver in a relationship as well. I believe that we all should give the other person the sense of joy on giving as well.

Similarly, I had a limitation in writing; it is my English grammar. This opened an opportunity for Cynthia Springer (whom I know from Jean Browman’s CheerfulMonk.com) to help me on my shorter posts. I have not given anything to her, but she is so enthusiastic on helping me with editing some of my posts. I just wanted to use this opportunity to say a big thank you for her.

The second important point, give the other person acknowledgement for their help! Recently, Richard Callaby wrote a comment on my article, 5 steps to win with limitation. He mentioned on how my article has helped him. I also want to thank him for that. His limitation enables me to help him, and it’s a very much sense of joy in helping others that I felt. Similarly, John C. Maxwell also shares his habit in his book, Winning with People…

…when I read an excellent book and I take away a lot from it, I jot a note to the author to say thank you and to let him or her know what the work meant to me. All teachers want to hear that their work is making a difference.

John C. Maxwell (Winning with People)

Does limitation really sell?

All the above reasons I shared with you are how our limitation helps the other person in a relationship, but selling also involves our own benefit. Can we use limitation to sell for our own benefit? Here is my finding on how people have been using limitation to sell; I will leave the question of whether it is ethical or effective to your opinion.

1) Limitation invokes the fear of loss

This is undoubtedly a very effective sales trick, limited time and limited edition invokes a sense of fear of loss to the potential customers. Even more when it is a very good deal; people will look forward to grab the deal. Yaro Starak from Entrepreneurs-Journey.com has an interesting article sharing this, deadline driven marketing! From the customer point-of-view, I have written an article on how to be careful on this kind of sales trick, “Mindset to win sales trick“!

2) Limitation invokes the sense of authenticity

An advertisement on TV caught my attention. I can’t remember what it is, but it includes an interview to some people, asking their opinion on the product. Interestingly, the person being interviewed is speaking with broken English, we call it here as Singlish (Singapore English). Why do they use his answer in the ad? I believe the answer lies on the sense of authenticity it gives to the viewers.

3) Limitation invokes controversy

This is an observation from Derrick Kwa at Sui Generis shares an article on the advantages of shortcomings. He takes an example of how Apple has been using locked limitation in iPhone to get people talking and create very much fuss or news in the market. Here is quoted from his blog…

Being “remarkable” (as Seth Godin says) isn’t necessarily about being really good. Sometimes if you’re too perfect, there isn’t much to talk about. Sometimes, the best way to get people talking is to have shortcomings - or rather “supposed” shortcomings - to stir up controversy.

Derrick Kwa

The ultimate result is the free publicity they got, when people more and more talk about it, more people find out about them and possibly purchase them.

4) Limitation invokes sympathy

That is an observation from Corinne Edwards on her article, “Hillary and your soft underbelly“. Her observation is on how Hillary cried during one of her campaign, and here is quoted from Corinne’s blog…

When Hillary cried the other day, all I could think of is her opposition attacking her by saying, “Could this weepy woman be a Commander In Chief?” Now, the pundits are saying that it helped her. It made her more human. They are even suggesting it may have won her the election in New Hampshire. She showed her soft underbelly… It made me think about how showing your vulnerability to others could make them love you more.

Corinne Edwards

5) Limitation invokes curiosity

Here is an observation from Chris Bloczynski on the 99 headline technique revealed. There are two headlines that describe the usefulness of limitation very well, that is the number 57 and 95, “Exclusive…” and “Don’t read this”. Chris’s explanation on the point 95 is very interesting, here is taken from the article…

The “Don’t Read This…” headline grabs your prospect’s attention because it uses reverse psychology. It catches your prospect off-guard and they wonder why they shouldn’t read it. They also become more curious by the prohibition.

Chris Bloczynski

Concluding thoughts

You may wonder whether the above points are ethical and effective. The answer I believe depends on the degree on how we balance the benefit for us and others, also the degree of your strength and limitations. Limitations by themselves will not sell, but I believe limitation help us to need each other. My previous article shares how limitation helps us to grow and focus on our strength. That is a very important piece on how eventually will be able to help others in their area of weaknesses.

Here is a very interesting quote I grabbed recently from Joanna Young from Confident Writing…

We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another

Luciano de Crescenzo

By ourselves alone, we will not fly. We will need each other to fly, and for any relationship, limitation sells.

Any thoughts on any of the points above…? Share your opinion on the comments below! I’m looking forward to learn from your thoughts and opinion too.

For your success,
Robert

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