Donny Deutsch is the captivating host of “The Big Idea” — an interview show with provocative guests that’s on television nightly, here in the states.
Before he landed this television show, Donny was the CEO of Deutsch, Inc. — a small advertising firm Donny took over from his father, and grew it into a multi-billion dollar powerhouse — eventually selling it in 2000 for a rumored $300 Million dollars.
Anyway, I recently read Donny’s autobiography, “Often Wrong, Never In Doubt” and it’s got a number of valuable lessons in it. Donny shares a story about how he was behind on his bills in his early days, and one of his vendors (whom he valued) came to him and let him know this was unacceptable. That if he didn’t bring his account current, the vendor was going to stop providing services.
Donny learned a valuable lesson here: That if you don’t value your own business… if you don’t value the quality of your services and what you’re providing, that no one else will either. And from that time on, Donny was NEVER embarrassed to ask for money from his own clients.
You see, if you THINK you are a commodity, you’ll be treated like one, and shopped around like one — with low prices being your barometer of success. If you THINK you’re ordinary, you’ll be treated and regarded very ordinarily.
But if you KNOW you’re special, and if you place a premium on the value of what you’re doing, then guess what? You’ll be treated as if you were special, and your prospects will regard you as something very special.
Desperation and neediness are for the weak, and in business, the weak get exploited worse than a third-world country gets exploited by the government of a super-power.
If you’ve been too submissive, sit down and ask yourself the question, “why”? The answer, for most people, is fear, and either desire, or want of more money. (By the way, to completely eliminate any fears about money or success, read The Science of Getting Rich: http://www.kingofcopy.com/science )
But one of the things you must realize is that only YOU are aware of your fears and needs — your prospects and customers will only be aware of the things you make them aware of, and even then, you’re going to have to work at it.
If you really believe you are special, then treat yourself like someone who’s special — and demand your customers and clients treat you the same way. Set up boundaries and stick to them. Make people pre-qualify before working with you, and stick to those guidelines.
And even if you’re unsure of yourself, fake it until you make it. The only downside to this is the one you create in your mind because of fear. Reality is actually much nicer than you think.
Finally, I want to wish my oldest son Nick, a very happy birthday. He deserves it.
Now go sell something, Craig Garber
P.S. ONLY 6 days left to get this month’s Seductive Selling Offline Newsletter! Test-drive it for fre.e, get TWO fre.e marketing critiques, and discover the sneaky way to use vanity and humiliation to create your next compelling sale message! Get it here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl
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