Recently I offered an open, hop on the phone line, Q&A session. It was on a Saturday and I made myself available for two hours to answer as many questions about building your business as possible during that time.
To encourage people to get on the line I announced the call would not be recorded. I also let it be known no opt in was required. Just show up and ask questions. Simple.
A few things happened that I didn’t expect. One, the number of people who showed up was beyond what I thought the call would attract. Awesome!
Two; the questions were fabulous. Three; the appreciation people expressed to me was more than anticipated. Men and women from around the globe were really appreciative of me taking time on a Saturday to avail myself to them in this capacity.
This is the first time I’ve done an open call like this where no opt in was required, no replay would be made available and I took time out of my weekend to make myself completely available to anyone who had questions.
From the response, I knew I had hit the target.
What I didn’t expect were the few people (and yes it was very few) who were upset because I wasn’t recording the call nor was the time convenient for them.
A couple of people were downright rude. “How dare you do this at a time I can’t make it!” one woman wrote me.
One person on the call let me know I was interrupting her dinner by having the call at 10 a.m. Pacific. Obviously, she is in a part of the world where it was evening.
To those who showed up, asked great questions and expressed appreciation, THANK YOU!
To those who bitched me out, wake up! Success is not always convenient.
One man asked me why I didn’t record the call. It’s very simple, I didn’t want to.
The fact is there will be times we need to show up to an opportunity even if we think it’s not the best time to do so.
Far too many people have gotten really lazy around their success and many others have developed a sense of entitlement when it comes to learning online.
99% of the time, those who feel others need to cater to them and their schedule are the ones who are not making money, have never offered much of anything to their market, don’t know who their market is and still believe the BS that you don’t have to work for success.
Then there are those who are ALWAYS trying to get something for nothing. If you invest nothing in your business that’s what you will get out of your business; nothing!
Here are a few basics of turning a profit in your business.
- There are times when you need to do something that’s not convenient.
- You have to treat your business like a business which means you have to invest money.
- No one owes you anything.
- If you are constantly looking to get something for nothing, that’s what your business will likely be; nothing.
- Those who have a sense of entitlement need to take look at why you believe this.
Ask yourself this, “Am I the type of person I would want to attract in my business?” In other words, if you have a sense of entitlement, are always looking for the freebies, never invest in yourself or your business, is this what you want from your clients and customers?
Here’s the deal; there are plenty of us who share a lot of great information at no cost to the end user. We love doing so because we know we are serving others, but we are not obligated to give information away. We do it because we want to and know this is a smart business practice.
Along with the complimentary information we provide, we do have paid products and services. And most people appreciate this and are willing to pay for the information.
I’m no stranger to accessing free information. Equally, I’m no stranger to paying, and paying well, for great information from experts I want to learn from.
Consider this, if you are not yet making money in your business it could be for a few simple reasons. One, you never invest in your business. Two, you have a sense of entitlement that energetically attracts others who have that same sense of entitlement. Three, you’ve never taken the time to package your knowledge into money making products and services.
If you’re ready to get off the hamster wheel and start making money in your business, create products and services that will serve your market, build a responsive subscriber list and put you in the game of business, check out the newest version of Six Figure Product Creation.
Go to www.sixfigureproductcreation.com to read all about the program.
And you likely have gathered that this is not for the faint of heart. Actually, my motto is, “No wimps allowed.”
See you on the other side of success.
What are your thoughts about those who feel entitled, should experts try to accommodate absolutely everyone and has the “freebie” mindset worked against or for people? Your comments and insights welcome.
Kathleen, I know that we all exist on different levels of consciousness and perception, but still I’m shocked that anyone could be self-absorbed to the degree of venting like that on you. I consider you to be one of the most generous, supportive and encouraging leaders in the Internet marketing/teaching sphere! Thank you for being who you so graciously are! Forgive them; they know not what they do!
99% of the people are professional, appreciative and reasonable. But that 1% – wow! Thanks so much for your comments Joseph.
There’s something going on “out there” around this topic. I read an article in “Entrepreneur” about ‘entitlement’ and the cold hard fact that you must work to succeed. I told my audience last week they needed to start “thinking like CEO’s” and that meant letting go of excuses and taking responsibility. (Most loved it but there was also that tiny percentage…)
You ask whether we should accommodate and I say NOT A CHANCE. One of the top 10 reasons businesses fail is “mediocrity” – which is what happens when any entity caters to the lowest common denominator. We are doing our clients a disservice as coaches and consultants when we don’t expect more from them. The great Jim Rohn said “The real value of goals lies in who we must become to achieve them.”
But people must be willing to do the “becoming”. And sometimes that’s not very comfortable…or convenient.
Thanks for a thought-provoking post.
Thanks for your comments and insights Aprille. And for referencing the article in Entrepreneur Magazine. Yes, success is definitely about getting rid of the excuses.
I was on the call and loved all the content you delivered. I also attended your PUFP tour in Salt Lake, read your book AND enjoy assessing situations and asking “is this expanding my circle of success and/or growing my circle of influence.
And so it is. Thanks for all you do. No whimps allowed.
Thanks for your comments Amy. And great that you are evaluating your circle of influence. Way to go.
Some people are unbelievable and really seriously need to get over themselves. I’m constantly amazed why people do that. Why do they even bother opening their mouths? They’d serve everyone much better by keeping them shut, and getting out of the way of wonderful, well-intentioned people, with the highest integrity, who genuinely want to make a difference in people’s lives.
Kathleen, you have always been one of the most generous, enlightening and caring experts I regard very highly. It’s a privilege to know you, to have worked with you, and keep learning from you…
Thanks for your comments Kathy and your kind words. It never ceases to amaze me what some people think achieving success is about. But the beauty is there are plenty of serious entrepreneurs who are willing to do what it takes to become successful – even when it’s inconvenient. 🙂
Wow – Talk about lacking gratitude. It’s hard to believe anyone would complain about receiving a freebie from a pro. Oh well. That just leaves more room for the serious people.
Thanks for your comments on this. Much appreciated. As Suzanne has said on more than one occasion, “This shit is hard. That’s why it works.” Success is hard, but it can be fun at the same time.