How to Create a Unique Product to Sell

Lately, I've been getting a lot of questions about plagiarism and creating unique products. It's one of those things that many learning content or information product creators worry about. At least at first.

At first, you see people spend a great deal of time researching and learning about their topic or product type. (Not niche -- niche is customer centered not product centered). They are afraid that all this research and learning will spill over into their own product and someone will accuse them of plagiarism.

Like many myths it's based on a misunderstanding.

Let's start by defining plagiarism. Oxford defines it as "the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.". Most writers define it as wholesale copying.

Unique on the other hand means being the only one of its kind.

So in theory, unless you copy a particular writer's work or only research one source and then use their ideas you won't be plagiarising. And if you create a complex product from scratch the chances of it not being unique is somewhat limited. After all, even if you use the same outline, a second book will still use different words from the first.

So now that that's put to bed, let's deal with creating a unique training product in a more generic sense. After all, the way the term is used by marketers is the way that really matters. And in the view of a marketer, unique refers to having a unique selling proposition -- something that makes your reader prefer your solution over imitators. Even the ones who went before you!

So how can one create that type of information product?

The answer is to start with your customer. Develop a clear view of who you want to deal with. A clear view of your target audience for the information product you are developing.

It's inevitable that your preference in customer or audience will be different from other peoples' preferences. In fact, starting from the customer will eliminate many of your competitors from the running at all.

Once you know you customer -- in detail -- it's time to figure out what moves them. What problems are they facing now? What will they want to avoid in the future? What will they want to achieve in the future?

Now use your topic to solve their problems, avoid their fears or achieve their desires. Your solution is bound to be different from every other solution out there. It will be an amalgamation of everything you know and everything you have experienced. It will be as unique as you are.

Do you want to learn how to create information products (learning content)? Check out my new free eBook "7 Myths and Seven Tricks in Nine Steps": http://www.learningcreators.com/myths.htm

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

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