What You Can Learn About Marketing From a Backyard Repairer
Are you good enough yet to market yourself like a backyard repairer?
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There’s a type of person I’ve come across over the years whenever I’ve had a problem with an uncommon item of equipment.
I’m talking about the backyard repairers who fix old or hipster stuff like valve amplifiers, guitars, microphones, pianos, vintage cars, typewriters or obsolete computer equipment.
The backyard repairer personality type
Backyard repairers are wildly individualistic — however, the personality type has some regularities to it. They present with certain similarities.
They’re all niche specialists.
They’ve gotten really good at fixing or building one type of thing.
They’re obsessed with their one thing. They know it right down to the bottom and all the way back to the top again.
They’ve worked on this one thing their whole lives, and for its part, this one thing has worked on them. It’s gotten into the creases of their skin and the folds of their lungs and the fabric of their being.
This one thing has overtaken and transformed their existence.
The fact that they are in business at all is merely a happy accident enabling them to spend more time working on their one thing.
Their workshop is usually in their garage or the spare room of their house. They have no interest in expanding or hiring staff or diversifying or paying rent on a commercial lease.
They’re verbose. They love to talk about their one thing. They’ll tell you the history of your stuff in ways you’ve never heard before.
They work alone. They’re usually completely nuts.
And they’re always booked out.
Wait, is this really the person you want to fix your stuff?
Of course they are.
They’re the only person you want anywhere near your stuff.
