May 2011

 

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was a movie – a musical – released in 1967. Here’s the quoted storyline according to the entry in the Internet Movie DataBase:

Twenty-seven year old New York window washer J. Pierpont Finch believes he can be a success in the corporate world after he impulsively picks up the book “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”. The book promises its reader that he can climb the corporate ladder simply and quickly.

Reality is much different. The fact is, business is hard. Success is hard.

Don’t let that deter you. But, don’t be fooled by the false notion that you can achieve success without really trying.

Let me begin a discussion about finding success online. Online because that’s what most of us care about. Even if we ship a physical product, most people are now focused on selling and marketing online because that’s where the prospects are.

For years now we’ve been fed advice, information and lies. Misinformation has never had a bigger platform than the Internet. Liars, con men and grifters need not ever leave their house in today’s world. Gypsies are domesticated. Home is where the broadband is.

Not all people are dishonest though. Some are simply selling the messages they know the market wants. In every age, the market has wanted easy!

McDonald’s proliferated the landscape of our country in the late 1960’s. Mere millions were being served then. Easy, fast and inexpensive burgers were unique then. People flocked to the concept, even if the menu was limited. We wanted fast and easy. Inexpensive was an added bonus. So what if it wasn’t the best burger? Look at how cheap they are – and how fast we get them!

Quality was average, but predictable. That has become the mantra of our country. It has affected our cities, our states, our businesses, our schools and our homes. Average and predictable. We love it. We wrap our arms around it. Extraordinary lost the battle because it was just too hard.

Unfortunately many people have been adversely affected by the idea of easy when it comes to business building. So many things in our lives are easy, convenient and cheap – we often are misled to think our own online success is also easy, convenient and cheap. When the truth hits us, we’re discouraged, depressed and many of us quit. It’s all smoke and mirrors designed to eliminate us from the game while others keep going.

The world scoffs at losers. Like a scene from a Monty Python movie, the world piles up the dead remains of one business after another. The biggest part of your success will demand that you refuse to throw your dreams onto the trash heap by stopping. Don’t stop taking action. Don’t stop trying things. Don’t stop to rest. Your success will demand relentless pursuit.

Time and attention are the currency of the day. Gone are the days when the things you value most are counted in dollars and cents. Make no mistake. They’re connected. If you cannot capture time and attention of prospects, you’ll never earn their business and turn them into a paying customer!

Strategies, tactics and techniques aren’t the holy grail. You may be urged to think they are, but it’s a lie. Sure, you should learn these things, but know going in – they won’t make you successful.

One factor determines success more than any other single element. Getting attention! That’s the subject of the today’s video show.

Speaking of time and attention, thank you for giving me yours.

Mentioned in today’s show:

• In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Bob Waterman
• Good To Great by Jim Collins
• Kevin Kelly of Wired is among the smartest people on the planet
• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

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You hate selling. It embarrasses you. You feel like a lowlife…like you’re wearing a polyester leisure suit.

You’re an idiot. Not because you’re selling, but because you feel like dog meat when you do.

If our founding fathers hadn’t shared their beliefs and convictions…our constitution would have never been written or adopted.

The cool stuff in your house – that stuff you really love – wouldn’t be there if somebody hadn’t sold it to you.

No, there’s no difference in the two sentences above. One is an idea. The other a product. But the fact is, if neither had been shared, then others wouldn’t have benefited. Neither would have spread. Or succeeded.

I love Field Notes. You can check out episode 87 and see a picture of 5 of them. I have dozens more. I’ve spent way yonder too much money with these cool kids in Chicago who market and sell Field Notes notebooks.

I bought my first 3-pack when they were first introduced. Since then, I’ve found them irreplaceable. Moleskines don’t replace them. Reporter’s Notebooks won’t either. Field Notes are unique. And I never knew I needed them until they told me I needed them. And until they shared with me why I needed them. Boy am I glad they shared the story – otherwise, I’d have never known about them.

Marcus Sheridan is known as The Sales Lion. He and some buddies started a swimming pool company, River Pools & Spas. Marcus started blogging about swimming pools. He wasn’t shouting, “Buy a pool from us!” He was simply sharing his insights and expertise on swimming pools. Every day his company encountered people who had questions about having a pool built, owning a pool and maintaining a pool. What to blog about? Marcus had a made-to-order content strategy  – he set about to blog the answers to all those questions. Selling was sharing. Sharing was selling.

On Tuesday, May 10th Seth Godin posted a blurb over at The Domino Project entitled, “The paradox of the paid PDF ebook.” It’s applicable to today’s show because it’s also about the power of sharing.

The world will never know the value of your offer if you refuse to share. The world needs more value. The world needs the benefits you bring. Start sharing. Freely.

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