May The Force NOT Be With You

I once had some trouble transferring email addresses to a new computer– which inspired this cartoon:

There is, of course, a procedure for doing an address file transfer to a given computer. All it takes is some online research and a little patience. OK, and maybe some aspirin… 😊

But it’s tempting to opt for muscle over research, patience, and finesse.

Marketing and sales strategist John Graham warns against trying too hard and being unprepared.

If prospects feel pressured to make a decision, they’ll say no in order to escape.

You have to be prepared in order to explain how your product or service will help the customer– which means researching prospects, talking to them, understanding their problems.

Mr. Graham cites another route to failure: refusing to learn new things. Barry Farber would call that having a poor work ethic.

And/or a poor homework ethic. He mentions an old truism: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

Entrepreneur Adam Honig makes this sobering statement: “Possibly the biggest reason why some people don’t last long in sales is that they never embrace their profession.”

The best marketers and salespeople love what they do– and that includes researching prospects and their problems.

Mr. Graham also mentions two ego problems that hamper success: being impervious to criticism, and believing you can do anything– no help required, thanks. Grant Cardone would see that as an unwillingness to deal with emotions.

Doing creative work means dealing with emotional discomfort. True for marketing, true for sales, true for transferring files to a new computer.

Here’s a little summary of the above cautions:

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About Mark: I’m an illustrator specializing in humor, branding, social media, and content marketing. I create images that get content seen and shared.

You can view my portfolio, and connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Questions? Send me an email.

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