Selling air: marketing the intangible and the hard-to-explain

I was a freshly minted PhD in English Literature, and nobody cared.

At least that’s the way it felt as the rejection messages rolled in during the fall of 2011. I’d sent out dozens of job applications, and to be frank, was lucky when I got a rejection message at all. Silence was the more common reply, and much harder to cope with. It yawned before me, inviting all sorts of speculation on where I was going wrong. I reached out for help with my resume, my interviewing skills, and when this didn’t produce immediate results, I folded my arms and got down to some good old-fashioned pouting at how unfair the world was.

Eventually, though, I needed to absorb the fact that my academic credentials and grades weren’t going to sell me to potential employers (and that folding my arms wasn’t going to make my situation any better).

It was this same experience that introduced me to a challenge that is felt by companies around the world — the challenge of selling air.

Much like a recent graduate on the job market, countless businesses sell products and services that are both intangible and tough to explain. More than ever before, the world is filled with people who have difficulty describing what their business does (especially to relatives at family barbecues).

As the 21st century unfolds, more and more companies are going to start selling air. And no, I don’t mean companies that are literally selling air (although I won’t make any predictions on that one, either). I’m talking about businesses whose products and services are a) intangible and/or b) difficult to describe to non-experts.

More than ever before, the world is filled with people who have difficulty describing what their business does (especially to relatives at family barbecues).

The challenge of making our value seen and understood isn’t unique to people who are fresh out of school with knowledge to sell. At some point, we all need to market the expertise that’s in our heads or the skill that’s in our hands. Portfolios and proof stories can help , but even getting these in front of people will take longer than the 4–7 seconds of attention a potential client or employer is likely to give you. You need a very clear, very quick way of positioning yourself as the best possible solution to an existing problem.

In my journey as an RFP specialist and a director of marketing & communications in the professional services sector, I’ve become deeply invested in the questions around how to effectively market and brand intangible goods and services. And no, you can’t just apply the same principles you’d use to sell a hammer. Compare that to the services provided by a company like KMPG, a literal black box when you look at at some of their office buildings. KPMG’s tagline might as well be, “We’re huge, and you’re aware of that.” That sort of vague, slightly ominous positioning might be okay for the giants of air-selling, but not for the rest of us.

KPMG’s tagline might as well be, “We’re huge, and you’re aware of that.”

That’s why I’m inviting anyone who’s interested to follow this publication, or to sign up for our mailing list to receive exclusive insights, stories, and resources on how to sell air.

What’s even more important though, is that I’d love to hear from you. If you have a post that you’d like to feature in this publication, are interested in joining the editorial team, or have thoughts on any of the pieces you read here, please feel welcome to use the comments section or to email me directly at philip.glennie@selling-air.com.

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