The first step to a great website is having a great theme. My friend Michael Hyatt has created that theme. Along with his web developer Andrew Buckman, Hyatt developed the theme based on his experience tweaking his own site to maximize email captures, sell digital products, promote his speaking and offer a great reading experience for his visitors. This theme was created by the refining fire of experience.
Image courtesy of MichaelHyatt.com
My sales coach Pierce Marrs taught me that every purchase is a transfer of trust.. People buy Starbucks coffee because they know what it’s going to taste like and how they’re going to be treated when they buy it. People will buy the GetNoticed! theme because they trust Mike. The theme will have great functionality but that’s not the first thing that will move people to buy it. Trust sells because trust assumes excellence.
Yesterday I wrote about Donald Miller charging $30 for a 92 page paperback book.
Who charges that much and who pays that much for a thin book? Donald Miller charges that much and enough people paid for it to move it into the top 25 books on Amazon. It won’t sell as many copies as 50 Shades of Porn but it’s not about outselling anyone, it’s about serving your tribe. Hyatt can charge well over $97, the industry standard for themes, and people will buy it. I think a price point of $127 or $147 will sell a lot of themes. People will pay more because of the support that will come with it and the trust that has been built up over time.
Make it your goal today to build more trust. Give your wisdom generously and you will see that generosity reciprocated one day.
Hyatt fights the same resistance you do
Michael Hyatt isn’t a golden boy. Everything he touches does not turn to gold. This project has been difficult. Building a theme isn’t easy. It’ll be a huge success because Hyatt fights the resistance just like you and I do. He just fights harder. I think Mike and his team have been surprised by the response to this theme because they underestimated the amount of trust people have in Mike. They also underestimated the amount of discontentment people have in their sites. The theme won’t be perfect out of the gate but there’s no such thing as a perfect theme so who cares? Hyatt will ship as soon as he’s able. The community will find the bugs and he’s deploying a launch team to be on the front lines of discovering issues. You can apply to join the launch team and check out Mike’s original post at http://michaelhyatt.com/get-noticed-wordpress-theme.html
Why I’m just like Donald Miller and Michael Hyatt
I have a lot of things I’m going to sell over the next six months; a book about my marriage, ways to save 10 hours a week on your email, a revised Evernote product and a few different on-line communities I manage. The mindset that Don and Mike help me with every day I follow their example is that I need to do the small things right and then ask for the sale. Trust happens over time so we must make small deposits of trust. Customers will in turn invest in whatever it is you’re selling. We fight the resistance and we all create in spite of it. Don, Mike and I aren’t special, we just fight hard to create.
My name is Andy Traub and I help people tell their stories in a way that maximizes their impact. If you'd like to create your own custom channel to reach the world then I can help. Just 
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Actually I don’t plan on getting either.
I just heard about Donald’s new book so I MAY be interested in that although I don’t follow him very closely at all. I loved his last book, though.
I have been using Standard for a couple of years now, which is what Michael’s new theme is loosely based on I believe.
If I were not already using Standard 3 I would certainly consider it.
Thanks, James. Standard 3 is a great theme, no doubt. However, my theme really isn’t based on it at all. We coded it from the ground up. There’s really nothing we borrowed from Standard in the design of the either the back-end or front-end.
Again, Standard is an excellent choice. I have recommended it for years. I just wanted to clarify.
And thanks for taking the time to do so, Michael!
Am I misinformed that at one time you were using Standard? I know John did some of the original work.
For whatever reason I always considered your site to be a variation of Standard Theme.
James,
Michael’s old theme was a customized version of Standard Theme. So you’re not mistaken on that.
His Get Noticed! Theme is a completely new design that brings in some great elements. An elegant design, customized sidebar options, a new landing page template, and much more. Take a look at his page today and you’ll see something completely different from a month ago.
Thanks for your additional thoughts, Joseph.
I still don’t see that big of a difference from a couple of months ago.
That is no one’s fault. I do 80% of my blog reading through Google Reader. I hit the site when I want to comment, which is rarely on Michael’s site, again, no one’s fault, this is how I consume information.
I just remember moving to Standard Theme over a year ago and finding out Michael’s had some of the same origins.
No doubt Michael’s theme will be wildly successful and everyone on his team is well deserving of it.
I love this post because it is so true! I am really excited for the launch of his theme and I will probably purchase it too. I even started using BlueHost because I trusted his suggestion and got a great deal because of it!
I am glad you three fight hard to create and have created such good content. Even to the point where I will pretty much buy anything that you guys create. Even for a 92 page book that is $30. You three along with a few others ( Jon Acuff and John Saddington) have made me want to create my own brand and tribe.
Charles, what’s funny is that I was trying to figure out what “three” you meant and then realized you were putting me in with Mike and Don. Thanks for that brother. Keep shipping!
I’m really wanting to pick up Donald’s new book. It sounds fantastic and like it would help me to continue writing a wonderful story. My backlog of books is the preventing factor at this time.
I’m excited for Mike and his new theme. I’d like to know more before I purchase it. Though I’ll probably end up with it at some point or another.
I am right there with you Joseph!