THE BEST THING YOU GOT IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW, IS REJECTION
"To some people there is nothing scarier than getting rejected -- from relationships, business, friends and life itself. But rejection is where its at baby!"
Ted Cantu, WCCC, June 2010
I am amazed at people who wince at rejection. Seriously, you want to be rejected in just about every area of your life. Its where it is at! Only then can you cut out the crap in your life that is not working and move ahead. This is what I talked about recently at a college in Metro Detroit -- WCCC to be exact.
Facing up to your own failure is going to save you a fortune in lost profits. It is also going to paint you a realistic picture of what to expect from your public. Face it, you want people to like you and to buy your stuff. But that is not going to happen if you are living in a false bubble.
ELVIS, 1987, AND SAGGING SALES
In the 80's a small record shop opened up in Ypsilanti Michigan where I went to college. This woman only sold what she liked - Elvis 45's. The store was lacking in modern music. It was all stuff she liked and to some extent that is respectable. But lets throw respect out the window and talk about the consumer. It is the consumer that is going to be paying your bills. My suggestion is to switch tracks - literally - and start cashing in on your customer!
She didn't last long.
Meanwhile another record store down the street, Manchester, got it. They sold hip, underground club sounds from the UK. Keep in mind that back in 87' it was almost impossible to get bands like The Smiths, The Charlatans and Buzzcocks on the radio. MTV did a pretty good job but the radios weren't up to speed yet. Still, kids in the clubs were grooving out to this stuff and this indy shop was cashing in on UK pop band t shirts and other collectibles. He made money.
Who knows if he liked the bands he was promoting. My guess is that he probobly did not. It was all about making a sale. And thats the important thing here.
Facing your own rejection is important. So is confrontation. Its my other best friend. Without it you are stuck in a rut and susceptible to the worlds worst offerings. You need to confront the thing you want and face the possiblity of getting rejected.
REJECTION LEADS TO PROFITS
Face it, there are some things in this life you will never do again. Because you know it either sucks, won't work, or its just not worth it. Thats money in your pocket if you plant your strategy right. I like to know what I am up against especially when it comes to marketing my product.
If your sales copy is bombing you will want to know about it. If people are
not reading past the headline you will want to be notified. Google Analytics is
good for that sort of thing because it allows you to see how long people are
sticking around. You need to know this stuff especially if you are selling something.
FORGET THE LAVISH LIFESTYLE
I hear a lot about - lifestyle - from guys who cant afford to put gas in their tank.
Don't tell me about your lifestyle if you are taking public transportation. I don't
need to follow your examples of success. Same thing goes for guys who cannot pay
their web site hosting bills.
If I am going to follow you for advice you had better keep your website up. If you
are giving me financial advice you better have a decent automobile and a
wonderful house that you live in. I dont want to hear about your lifestyle if you
living with a roomate in a dilapidated apartment.
A lot of guys do this sort of thing... and hide out with their "business"
on the Internet. I don't need advice from you.
I want to hear about your confrontation. Because you can grow from that and
get closer to your goal. I talk a lot about rejection, confrontation and control because its important. There is too much marketing pollution on the web, in print, on the radio and in your mailbox. But there is very little conversion going on and this has become a very dear subject to me because like millions of Americans I am working outside the corporate arena.
I have to know what I am doing....
Here is a sample of what we talked about.....
Cantu sells http://www.powersedge.com, http://www.powersyamahaparts.com, http://www.powerskawasakiparts.com
