Sloths are lazy. Like really lazy. The sloth vice refers to laziness in its entirety. Human beings are naturally lazy. We hate doing things that are hard, that is why so few people succeed. Most of us know what it would take for us to achieve our goals, yet we keep procrastinating and finding reasons why we can’t go for it.
Numerous studies have been done to explain why it is hard for us to do hard things and why we default to our lazy state. Sloth as a vice is relatively easy to get a grasp of since we have all experienced instances of laziness. Ironically, I was feeling particularly lazy to write this article so I’ll keep it brief. Most of the sentiments with regard to laziness can be easily summarized with build or do stuff that allows people to be lazy and you will probably succeed.
Businesses that profit from sloth
Apple
Apple focuses on making the highest quality products that are the easiest to use. Compared to Android-based phones, iPhones are remarkably simpler to use. Apple themselves have a common slogan “It just works”. Couple that with their appeal to multiple sins (envy, pride and sloth) and you can see why their products would appeal to plenty of people. I should also at this point mention that these statements are based on my observations and there are numerous other factors or perspectives that could be taken to deduce the success of Apple and any other company.
Any machine
The definition of a machine is “something that makes work easier”. Making work easier means allowing people to be lazier. Computers, vacuum cleaners, tractors and any other machine has been built with making work easier in mind.
Marketing using sloth
You really only need to focus on one thing when you are using laziness as a marketing tool. How can I show the customers that whatever product/service I am selling will make their life easier? In other words, how can I promote their laziness or open up their time for them to do better things with it?
The frame of mind you might want to be thinking in is one where you find a way to show the customer just how simple your product/service is to use or how it would save them time.
Possible strategies you can use to market using slot/laziness are:
- Start a subscription business – People are lazy, and you’d best believe that if they have the option to not have to actually go through the hassle of paying for something they use frequently, they would pay.
- Start any type of delivery service – People don’t want to leave the house. Give them a reason to not leave the house by bringing what they want to them.
- Build easy to use intuitive products – Reduce steps, save people time and make it easier for them to use you over the alternative. This applies to both digital and physical products.
Conclusion
For the most part, monetizing laziness is relatively straight forward. I hope this at the very least provided you with the spark that would light the kindle of your ideas. If you do have any thoughts or suggestions, I’d love to hear them. Do leave a comment and have a great rest of the day/night!
