Tara Gentile on The New Economy

Posted on by Nicola Balkind

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Tara Gentile is a customer-obsessed business strategist who works with a global clientele on making a bigger impact with their businesses for less heartache. She told us about The New Economy and the experience of exchange within it.


Why do we get all wiggly on the inside when it's time to ask for money? There's a big-hearted mission behind your business. You want to impact people in big ways & small – so the most important thing is getting your work into the hands of others, not just getting paid, says Tara. But we are in business – participating in commerce – so getting paid is important. Tara's advice seeks to help you to stop procrastinating on sending invoices, avoiding sales conversations, and undervaluing and underpricing your work.


On The New Economy – Creative business owners are choosing to follow their passion, do what they love, instead of making more money. The New Economy is about both/and – not either/or. "You can have your cake and eat it too!" says Tara. Tara now makes 4-5x more money than she did when traditionally employed.


On Value – Connection, experience and ideas are more valuable than ever, says Tara. These are the things we all trade in. This is what people are craving. It's what businesses want more of as well. Adding to that, business today is more personal than ever, which is why sales conversations are so hard. We know the people we're selling to. It brings up all these feelings around the way we do business. It's important to understand what happens in an exchange, in a transaction.


On Business – Business is never just business: transactions change lives. "When people buy, what they're really doing is saying, "I want to change. I want to learn a new skill, have a new experience, a new connection with someone."


Tara also picked out a quote to help us rethink our business strategy. "People don't buy drills, they buy holes." – David Ogilvy. They don't go to the store to buy the widget; they go to buy the tool that does the job. What they're motivated by is not the tool, but the action that it creates. So what is the hole that your product or service creates for someone? By making clear what you can do for them, it makes the transaction a lot more clear.

On Exchange – Exchange is voluntary. When people enter into a transaction it's not because you coerced them. "People trade voluntarily for mutual gain." – John Mackey, Whole Foods co-founder. As a consumer, money is not the most important thing. That's how value is created in an economy. The transaction can't result in loss – it results in mutual gain.


Tara's 4 Myths of Exchange – 1. You're bothering people when you sell to them; 2. You're asking for too much; 3. You're not capable of delivering what you've promised; 4. You're being pushy. Banishing these incorrect beliefs are central to participating in The New Economy.


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Watch Tara's talk:




Tara Gentile from Small is Beautiful on Vimeo.

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Here's more from Tara Gentile through our Twitter live feed!