Published by Patrick on 22 May 2008
Using Crowdsourcing to Build Your Business
On Tuesday evening, May 20th, I attended a workshop on the Stanford campus about the rise of crowdsourcing, collective intelligence and the wisdom of crowds. The term crowdsourcing originated in an article written by Jeff Howe and published in Wired Magazine. The workshop was a fascinating analysis of the different ways companies are leveraging user-generated content to help build their businesses.
The idea is simple. If you align the incentives and give people a reason to contribute to their cause, they often will. In fact, the average person and a remarkable amount of “spare capacity” that they can allocate to any number of activities; like hobbies. The right business model can give people a vehicle to do what they love while benefiting your business and often delivering remarkable results.
With this in mind, I took a look at my own business: Tactical Execution. We provide a variety of educational products, ranging from free resources to inexpensive CDs, intensive workshops and even one-to-one consulting. How could we invite the public to participate in our business and contribute to our success? How could we leverage the talents and skills of our own audience to help us spread the word?
Tactical Execution just launched the Level 7 SOI Corporate Training Program. It’s a competitively priced, intensive workshop about internet market, designed specifically for a corporate audience. And it’s in demand! We’ve found that there’s a huge market of brick-and-mortar companies that see the opportunities available on the internet but have no idea how to capitalize on them. The Level 7 SOI Corporate Training Program provides those answers.
Tactical Execution has already been offering the Level 6 SOI Boot Camp and has had overwhelmingly positive feedback. But that program is designed for individuals. The Level 7 Program has a flat fee and the client can bring as many attendees as they like. If the audience is larger than 20, additional attendees can attend for just $50 each. We believe there are literally thousands of companies who could benefit from the Level 7 SOI Corporate Training Program.
With crowdsourcing in mind, we decided to open the sales process up to the public at large. We created our very own crowdsourcing sales program. Rather than hire a sales staff, pay for office space, telephones and administration, we would instead offer a significant commission to those people who help us spread the word and sell the Level 7 Program on their own. In fact, we offer a straight $1000 commission on every sale. It’s that simple.
The only thing we need is a simple 1-page application form including your PayPal email address and a completed W-9 form. Once received, we provide you with a customized PDF document describing the program and referencing you as the salesperson, and you’re ready to go. As long as you represent our company in a professional way, you’re welcome to use your own imagination to help us spread the word and promote our new program.
Please visit the program description page as well as the sales program page if you’re interested in participating in our program. Together, we can help move our economy into the internet age … and make a few dollars along the way!