The Shortcut
I wish I wrote the following ... but Quinn McDonald said it better. I get a call like this every day.
The voice on the phone could have been any business call I get in the course of a day.
“I’m an artist, and a coach, and I teach business communications.”
“Great,” I say, and almost always, I know what’s coming.
“I’ve noticed on your website that you teach journaling classes, even incorporate them in business seminars,” the eager voice says.
“You are right,” I say waiting for the next question.
“Well, I’m having trouble getting a lot of people in my class. And you’ve had this up on your site for a while. So you must be doing something right. Can you give me some tips and shortcuts so I can be successful?”
It’s seldom that I am at a loss for words, but this is a sure way to make me speechless. Lacking understanding, I aim for clarity.
“I’m not sure what you want me to tell you,” I ask, although I’m beginning to think I do.
“I want you to give me shortcuts and tips to be successful,” the voice says.
“What are you doing now that works?” I ask.
“Well, I’ve been a coach for about six months and word of mouth isn’t working,” she says.
“Word of mouth is a method that comes after there are enough happy mouths to talk about your work. Word of mouth takes about four years to work,” I say.
“What? That can’t be. Look at all those people on the internet, and their sites, and all the ones that get thousands of orders overnight,” she says, what about them?
“I don’t know about them,” I answer honestly, “Here’s what I can tell you about my success. I work 120 hours a week, divided over 7 days. I make mistakes, I fail, I figure out what went wrong. I do something else. I advertise, I use every opportunity I can find, some work better than others. I don’t have a secret, and I don’t know any shortcuts.”
The voice at the other end of the phone is quiet.
“You won’t help me. Women are supposed to help each other,” she says.
“I am helping you. I’m telling you from my experience that there is no shortcut. I can give you tips, though.”
“OK, she says, GO.”
“Keep track of what works.
Listen more than talk.
Ask questions.
Go “huh?” a lot and wonder why.
Advertising takes longer to work than you think it should.
Run ads at least 7 times before you expect them to work.
Have a clear idea of what your business is about.
Know why what you do is different from what other people in the same line of work do.
Know what your features and benefits are, be ready to explain them.
Most people know features really well, but explaining the benefits of your service is the key to success.
Don’t ever undervalue yourself, but understand that value is a relative thing.
Don’t think everyone in your audience is rich, and don’t plan on having just rich people for an audience.”Those are the best tips I know.
“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “So you won’t share shortcuts.”
“I can’t,” I say, wishing I had some myself. I’m not pushing 50, I’m dragging it, and I wish I had discovered some shortcuts.
“Can I ask you another question?” the voice asks.
“Sure, go ahead. If I know the answer, I’ll tell you.”
“Do you know someone else, maybe someone famous, who’ll share their shortcuts with me?”
Nicely said, Quinn.
These are the shortcuts I know:
- Work your ass off
- Try everything. You never know.
- Repeat what works. Stop doing what doesn't work.
- Make lots and lots of friends. You never know who can help you someday, so help them first.
- Read everything you can get your hands on, from people who aren't like you.
As long as I'm at it, here is the secret shortcut to losing weight:
- Eat less crap
- Exercise more
Digg it!
Reddit
Bookmark it!
78 Comments:
First, I'm stunned that this is on blogger- nice work. Secondly, that tip about eating less crap is so much more important than most people think and is rarely shared - work 16 hour days every day for a year and add takout? It equals fatasitis. I should know, lol... luckily treatment saved my poor tushy. I would only add that if you think you can't eat less crap, eat more fresh or frozen vegetables every meal, (not canned. they add a lot of sugar/preservatives).
QCW2nu Very good blog! Thanks!
XwJ08j Please write anything else!
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
Good job!
Thanks to author.
Magnific!
Hello all!
Thanks to author.
Nice Article.
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
Hello all!
XfMNJW write more, thanks.
Thanks to author.
Please write anything else!
Thanks to author.
Good job!
Magnific!
Nice Article.
Nice Article.
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
Good job!
Good job!
Wonderful blog.
Good job!
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!
Calvin, we will not have an anatomically correct snowman!
Good job!
I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!
Hello all!
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
Please write anything else!
Thanks to author.
What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?
Nice Article.
Wonderful blog.
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
Build a watch in 179 easy steps - by C. Forsberg.
Beam me aboard, Scotty..... Sure. Will a 2x10 do?
Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
Energizer Bunny Arrested! Charged with battery.
Build a watch in 179 easy steps - by C. Forsberg.
Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
Save the whales, collect the whole set
Ever notice how fast Windows runs? Neither did I.
Wonderful blog.
Beam me aboard, Scotty..... Sure. Will a 2x10 do?
Build a watch in 179 easy steps - by C. Forsberg.
Oops. My brain just hit a bad sector.
640K ought to be enough for anybody. - Bill Gates 81
Energizer Bunny Arrested! Charged with battery.
All generalizations are false, including this one.
Ever notice how fast Windows runs? Neither did I.
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.
Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
Build a watch in 179 easy steps - by C. Forsberg.
All generalizations are false, including this one.
Ever notice how fast Windows runs? Neither did I.
What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?
Oops. My brain just hit a bad sector.
I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.
Please write anything else!
Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.
Energizer Bunny Arrested! Charged with battery.
Nice Article.
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