Most people think they need an actual product to sell—but what if the experience was the product?
One of my favorite websites on the planet is TabletHotels.com, who have vetted and hand-selected some of the world’s most gorgeous, well-designed hotel spaces. I always go there first, looking for accommodations, because: it’s a feast for the eyes, it makes booking a pleasurable treat, I trust their taste, it makes my life easier and I’m demonstrating what I value by using their website—as opposed to sorting through hundreds of big box, industrial grade carpet hotels who flaunt flimsy plastic cups and dimly lit beige yellow curtains.
Another website I’m obsessed with is called The Plum Guide. Similar in vein, they've curated London’s most stunning rental homes—only one out of one-hundred accepted—and send out actual critics to test homes against 150 criteria…including fast Wifi, awesome neighborhoods, drool-worthy interior design, and at least three “superpowers”—from fireplaces to rooftop terraces, every home must have at least three outstanding features.
Neither one of these sites have their own product to sell; they’ve simply taken other people’s products—hotels or property rentals—and curated the best of the best, creating a more favorable experience for the buyer. That’s the product.
It's common to worry that you need to come up with something totally new and unique and NEVER BEFORE SEEN! to sell, but that’s not the case.
On an Internet full of noise, sometimes the easiest thing to offer is simplicity.