A Delicious Read

[Barefootsies]

I came across this gem and it's dead on. Especially for the online world. Enjoy!

Let me ask you a question. When someone talks shit about Shoemoney, either to his face, or online, or wherever. Do you think he really gives a crap?

I?m betting no. In fact, I know I?m right.

So why is that?? Because people like Jeremy understand that with fame comes hate. With success, comes jealousy. When you are on the top, there?s always a certain amount of people who want to see you crash to the bottom. Human beings are sick in the head that way, right?

So I?m asking you again. Why do you give a crap about what people think about you?

Success is what matters, nothing else. We live in a results based economy. The winners, online or offline, are the ones who can consistently rise above the rest and get noticed in a unique and clever way, who then take that attention and craft it into revenue of some type. The losers? well, the losers are the ones who choose to sit back and not try to stand out. Not try to be different. Not try to think creatively.

I once worked with a company that was 6-months from going bankrupt. They called me as marketing help in as a last hope to help them make one big final push to stop their downward spiral. Their competition had been eating their lunch for years and years with creative and clever, and sometimes outrageous, marketing ideas and campaigns. They fully understood why they were losing, yet, when I responded with a litany of unique and outrageous ideas as a direct counter-punch, they flatly refused.

Good think I took my fee up front, because 8-months later they shut the doors and let everyone go and declared bankruptcy.

Why? Because they were more worried about what people thought of them than about making money and being successful. The executive team?s ego was standing directly in the way of success. The CEO was like the captain of the Titanic, refusing to believe that the ship was sinking and what he thought would work didn?t.

What a huge mistake.

It?s gut check time for your brand or your business. I don?t care if you?re a one-person team sitting in your underwear in your basement, or a small business with 50 employees, or a Fortune 100 company. It just doesn?t matter. It?s time to decide if you are in business to worry about what people think about you, or, if you?re in business to make sales, leads and publicity. Money!

Here?s a little exercise to get you started thinking in the right direction. I learned this from one of my favorite marketing books of all time called Marketing Outrageously by Jon Spolestra. Take out a piece of paper and write down the craziest, most messed-up, outrageous ideas you can think of. Remember, you don?t actually have to put them in action, or even tell anyone else about them. You just have to write them down.

Now, pick a few of them and float them to some of your friends or family and see what they say. As Jon says in his book, and I?m paraphrasing here, ?You know how I know when an idea is good? When I tell it to a room full of people, half the room laughs their asses off, and the other half cringes in horror. When I get no reaction, I throw it in the trash.?

Once you?ve found the idea to try, either give it a shot, or stick it back in your pocket for another day. But remember, it?s not what people think about you or your business. It?s really all about whether they buy or not. Or are you telling me you work all those hours just for the fun of it?

[Amputate Your Head]

Pretty much a one-sided view of things.

[pornstar2fag]

so how come you're still a broke sig whore?

[Barefootsies]

Originally Posted by Amputate Your Head

Pretty much a one-sided view of things.

True. However, it also comes from the sales and marketing point of view. Which is something I always enjoy reading about. Those who are making it in mainstream, and their success stories and tactics.

While not all of them fit my own approach, they are interesting all the same. I try and read up on many different ways people approach things, as well as how they handle their daily business. It gives me some fresh inspiration and ideas.

Like you've said AMP. It gets old doing that same routine, and need to keep moving in other directions, diversifying, and exploring. Have to keep motivated.

[Grapesoda]

I do this as a photographer... I shoot for the members, not for 'other photographers'