A key skill that separates entrepreneurs from the rank and file is their ability to organize ideas into products. So many times I hear people say, I want to start an online business, but Im not sure how to create something to sell. How do I make a really high-value information product?
In my business we use something that I think could be very important to everyone whos creating information products. We use a system we call Frameworks.
Frameworks are conceptual structures. They are like skeletons in your information marketing niche that you hang your content on. By developing your content on these, it automatically makes the content more understandable and accessible to people. Also, it really increases the value.
Now increasing value is good for everyone, both the buyer and the seller. I think weve got probably ten really cool frameworks we use, but Im going to start you off with just a couple so that you can get a better idea of how they work.
The first framework is one that I personally love and use all the time. Its the inner game, outer game framework. As you are structuring your content, you divide everything into two categories. One contains all of the all the inner-game aspects of whatever your information product is teaching. This is the theory part. This includes things like beliefs, emotions and dreams. Its everything thats inside us, our thoughts and feelings.
For your information product, you are going to create the mental model that your customers need to use to get the results that they want. You teach them how to think and feel about their problems and the solutions you offer. You tell them, Heres what you need to do with your emotions. Heres the perspective that you need to take.
The outer-game category contains everything related to the outside world. These are the things you need to do, the actions you need to take, and the behaviors you need to develop. These are the relationships you need to set up. The inner game, outer game framework works really well, because it addresses every aspect that your information product needs to cover, inside and out.
Another framework that I use a lot is past, present and future. It starts out with everything thats happened in the past that got you to where you are. Sometimes you have to go clean up the past. You need to get resolution or maybe even declare bankruptcy and let the past go. So you cover that first.
Then there are things that have to be done now, in the present moment. These are the action steps that need to be taken. This is where you show them the plan and the steps that will lead them out of their pain.
Finally, there's the future, which is all about seeing a bigger, brighter, clearer vision of times ahead. One thing that makes us very powerful as human beings is that we can look into the future. We can use whats going to happen in the future, right now. But most people dont do that. They dont leverage the future by using it now, so thats another aspect of this framework.
As you can see, frameworks are useful in creating information products, and theyre important. So go ahead and use these two. Then, look for some more yourself. Make sure you choose some of the good frameworks that you see out there, and hang your content on them. They will naturally organize your content. Theyll also make it much more valuable and understandable for your customers.
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Neil Asher (
http://www.neilasher.com/freestuff.htm) has built five multi-million dollar companies from zero, including one he took to $8 million in sales in under two years. He has created and sold successful franchises in England, Italy, Ireland, Australia and South Africa. Visit his web site for access to 17 FREE videos, 6 FREE books and two hours of audio training, revealing How To Make BIG Money Selling Information Products On The InternetEven If You Dont Have A Website And Youve Never Sold Anything On The Internet Before.
