When you have the upper hand
What do you do when you’re in a position of advantage? You know, one of those times when someone wants something you have more than you want what they have. It sounds like the perfect time to do business, right? This happened to me yesterday.
I received a phone message from a woman named Nancy Solomon. She stated that we had not yet met and she left a number for me to call. She didn’t give a reason and she didn’t sound like she was trying to sell me anything. I decided to call her back.
When she answered she told me about her book titled: “Impact! – What every woman needs to know to go from Invisible to Invincible ”. So what, I’m not a woman. Did I sound feminine on my voice recording?
Nancy contacted me because she is starting her marketing campaign for her book. I happen to be the owner of the url www.FromInvisibletoInvincible.com and she wanted it. Even though I haven’t used it, my initial reaction was, “It’s mine. I got it first. You’re out of luck lady.” Of course I didn’t tell her that, but I was thinking it.
I’m not proud of my first thoughts when we got off the phone. It went something like this, “Her book’s on Amazon and it’s being published by Wiley. I wonder how much she’ll pay for the url. After all, I did spend 5 minutes and $8.99 to buy it.”
Then I started thinking about just giving it to her and I got mad at myself for being “too nice”. How will I achieve my goals without maximizing every position of advantage I have?
I resolved this conflict by sitting quietly to get in touch with who I really am and what I strive to represent in the world. Within 10 minutes my decision was clear. This url was not for sale and I wasn’t going to trade it. She’s getting it for free, with no strings attached.
I am transferring it to Nancy because I love what she’s doing and I want to participate in her success. Be sure to check out www.FromInvisibletoInvincible.com soon to see what she’s up to. Also, check back here to find out what’s happening with From Invisible to In Demand , where 12 business and marketing experts share their most powerful tools, strategies, and mindsets with you.
You don’t have to take advantage just because you can,
Jim
P.S. – Even though this was a small decision in many ways, it’s already changed how I see myself. In the end – that might be all that really matters.
Who’s really insane?
You’ve probably heard this hundreds of times – "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results." This is true if you’re ‘doing the same thing’ in a static or unchanging environment. However, the last time I checked that’s no longer the world we live in. Old rules and old methods are becoming obsolete at breakneck speed. How different are your business’ operating conditions than they were just one short year ago? Are you doing enough to keep up with those changes? Many people are not.
It might be time to adopt a new definition of insanity – "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, in a changing environment, expecting the same results." By this yardstick, what are you doing that’s insane? Are you marketing in an insane manner, trying harder with the same old methods, with continuously deteriorating results? The world of marketing, especially for small businesses, has changed. Trying to ‘get your name out there’ isn’t an effective strategy any more. This blog is dedicated to sharing what is effective.
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