Why does someone choose to go see Furious 7 over Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2? They’re both movies. They’re both sequels. They’re selling* the same thing, right?

Wrong.

Furious 7 is selling fast cars and ridiculous(ly awesome) action sequences. Paul Blart is selling laughter and Kevin James hurting himself.

A movie producer is not selling movies. They are selling the emotions and experiences that movies elicits.
Starbucks doesn’t sell coffee. They sell a little piece of joy and comfort on your daily commute to work.
Apple doesn’t sell technology. They sell a way of thinking.
The NFL isn’t selling football. They’re selling a weekend escape.
Uber isn’t selling car rides. They’re selling time.
Dave and Busters isn’t selling food and arcades games, they selling and easy way to entertain your children.
Nordstrom Rack doesn’t sell discounted clothes, they sell the feeling of luxury.
Netflix isn’t selling movies and TV shows, they’re selling complete viewer control.
Macy’s on 34th street isn’t selling products, they’re selling an iconic experience.
Amazon doesn’t sell “everything”, they sell convenience.

A writer who is selling books is a shallow writer.
A fashion designer who is selling clothes is a walking generality.
A restaurant that is selling food is on the fast track to mediocrity.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time I was really craving a shallow, general, and all around mediocre experience as a customer.
So what are you really selling?

In the end, it comes down to a question of value. Does the value you bring go deeper than the product, project, or service itself? This is yet another one of the many ways that the artist separates herself from the bum.