What You Can Learn From the Way Josiah Wedgwood Made His Pottery World-Famous
Josiah Wedgwood famed entrepreneur and pioneer of mass production of pottery
Josiah Wedgwood is considered by many to be THE person behind the industrialization of the manufacturing of pottery.
It is said that he used the scientific advances of his day to create a superior type of pottery. The unique glazes that he came up with made his pottery stand out from all the pottery that was out there.
But it was in 1763 that his superior pottery was taken to places he could have never imagined when he first began.
It was in that year that he began receiving orders from Queen Charlotte herself.
Realizing how desirable his pottery would be if others knew that the queen considered it worthy of purchase, he somehow convinced her to let him name the line of pottery she had purchased “Queen’s Ware.”
The “Queens Ware” Pottery named after Queen Charlotte who purchased from Wedgwood
For some reason, she agreed! When he got her permission he knew that that was all he needed.
Why? Because he then marketed his connection with the royal family in any and every way he could. In fact, anything he made for the Queen from that point forward was automatically exhibited before it was delivered.
It was this type of marketing that eventually opened the doors for him to begin selling his pottery in the United States in 1764.
You might not realize it, but Josiah Wedgwood’s story reveals important lessons for business owners today.
Two Lessons You Can Learn from Josiah Wedgwood:
1. The product or service you sell must be superior, or stand out, in some way from the competition.
Wedgwood’s unique techniques and glazes were superior to anyone else’s and that caused his pottery to stand out from the competition.
The products and services that you offer must stand out from the competition.
If they don’t, there’s no reason to read the next lesson. Because it will be very difficult for you to succeed if your products or services can’t stand out from the competition.
2. People must know why they should choose your products or services instead of any other similar products or services.
Josiah Wedgwood understood what many businesses owners don’t: having superior products or services won’t matter if you people don’t know they exist and know they’re superior.
Otherwise, your business and your products or services will be your town or your industry’s the “best-kept secret.” (Many businesses no longer exist because of these type of secrets.)
That’s why Josiah Wedgwood got the Queen’s permission to use her name. He did that because he knew that he’d then be able to say that she purchased from him.
And he knew that that would be an instant clue to the people he was trying to reach that his pottery was superior to the competition.
Many Misunderstand Marketing
The term “marketing” wasn’t really used back in Josiah Wedgwood’s day like we use it today. But either way, he was still marketing and he was an amazing marketer.
And that leads us to two reasons many business people don’t see results from their marketing.
The first reason is that some people make marketing more complicated than it needs to be. The other reason is that they misunderstand what it is.
Things You Must Understand to Market Effectively
You see, in order to be able to market effectively, you must understand:
- What marketing is at its core level
- The difference between marketing, advertising, and sales (and how they work together)
- The common mistake marketers make (even established marketers still do this sometimes)
- What marketing can and can’t accomplish (its true power)
- And then, the essential steps to all effective marketing (These are the steps you will always need to take no matter the medium or tool.)
The things I listed above are the types of things I will be teaching in my upcoming “Intro to Marketing” class that I will be teaching for UC Berkeley Extension in Belmont, CA.
If you want to know a straightforward, simple yet powerful way to think of and use marketing, and you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, then you might want to consider being a part of my next class which begins Tues
What I Will Be Teaching in My “Intro to Marketing” Class
Just so you know, my class will not just be an average, everyday view of marketing. In my class, I will teach you:
- I will teach you a unique definition of marketing that I created for this class and it will help you to understand marketing in a clearer, deeper, and more simple way than many others. (You can use this definition to always keep you focused and clear on what you are trying to achieve with any marketing you do.)
- I will teach you 9 steps to any/all effective marketing. (This will help you to have a process that you can always rely on, no matter what type of marketing you’re using.)
Here’s what one of my students said about my class and the lessons he learned…
“I have never been involved in marketing before, but I took an ‘Intro to Marketing’ class with Scott Aughtmon at UC Berkeley Extension in Belmont and I really enjoyed it. I not only enjoyed Scott’s speaking style, materials, and quizzes, but it was really helpful for me to put together the required marketing plan for the class. It really helped me to be able to consolidate what I learned in the class. And the suggestions and feedback that Scott gave me while I was putting together my plan was like magic and worked great for me!”
– Ken Imai
Sr. Marketing Manager at Renesas Electronics America Inc.
My class starts soon (Tuesday, March 20th at 6:00 pm) so if you’re interested, then don’t procrastinate and miss out. Click here to sign-up right now.
IMPORTANT: If you want to take my unique class, then make sure that you choose this specific class from the list: Section 094 | Mar 20, 2018 to May 29, 2018 | Belmont
I’m a business strategist, consultant, content creation specialist, and speaker. I’ve been studying effective marketing and business methods (both online and offline) since 1999.
===> If you would like to see ways that we could work together, then please click here to learn more.
