In a recent interview with Oprah, actress Raven-Symoné said, “I’m tired of being labeled. I’m an American. I’m not an African American.” If you want to see Oprah look like she swallowed a porcupine and was attempting to pass it, go watch the video.
This is the problem with the never-ending, agonizing effort to never offend anyone – the effort itself offends. I’ve had several of my Black friends tell me to call them “Black,” NOT African American. Like Symoné, they hate that label. Others demand you use it or they’re HIGHLY offended.
At the end of the day, you just have to pick a lane and accept that you’re going to offend someone. This never-ending tiptoeing around is maddening and highly unproductive, particularly for entrepreneurs who are attempting to defy gravity and get to the other side of “done” as fast and efficiently as possible.
This is where a lot of small business owners falter – they’re too cautious, too fearful and too much in need of being liked, so they tolerate a LOT of poor performance, bad behavior and bullies.
Know this: the aggressive achievement of growth in business requires you to be offensive and will result in collateral damage. You cannot get from point A to point B as rapidly as possible without upsetting many and gathering enemies. That’s why you need to hire people who aren’t easily offended, don’t need a lot of coddling and have an agenda to succeed and work hard while at work, not people who make their social and political agendas the #1 goal in their life and in your office – crybabies with a giant entitlement chip on their shoulder who belong to the 4:59 p.m. club.
When you press your team to truly perform – whether that’s your sales team to make 150+ dials a day or your techs to be 75%+ utilized – some will quit. Others will cling to their job but dig in, fight back, attempt to create a movement against you, and they NEED to be fired before they do too much damage.
When you implement any type of “outrageous” marketing, sending out “sensationalized” or “hokey” Barnumesque letters, some people will smirk and say you’re being unprofessional.
If you articulate, in gory details, what’s going to happen to a CEO if they allow themselves to be ransomed because they won’t take your advice, listing out the consequences and costs they will incur, holding nothing back and NOT being timid about your recommendations, you’ll be accused of fearmongering, of being a pushy, aggressive salesperson who should be shamed for scaring everyone.
When you implement our marketing strategies to showcase how you are superior to your competition and point out their flaws and shortcomings, as well as highlighting your irrefutable strengths, you will be attacked by those peers who sneer and attempt to beat you by spreading rumors and lies or trashing you whenever possible – all while they also secretly steal your ideas and mimic what you do. Something I know very, very well.
When you implement our sales strategies for qualifying a client, closing a sale and overcoming objections, some of your salespeople may refuse to follow that protocol, suppressing your close rate, simply because they don’t feel “comfortable” being that “pushy.” Some prospects will be annoyed or outraged that you attempted to actually close them and overcome their ridiculous objections instead of being a “good little weakling” and just let them run roughshod over you, jerking you around like a dog on a leash.
When you implement my strategies for increasing your rates or requiring clients to be on some type of managed services agreement (not break-fix) or require them to sign a longer-term, no-cancel agreement, some clients will leave and insult you on the way out, calling you a greedy fool, a criminal or worse. Some will jump up and down like an enraged lunatic because you’re holding them to the contract that THEY signed and THEY agreed to, especially when you’ve done no wrong.
That’s why all high achievers have THICK skin. You simply CANNOT accomplish anything without offending many. It’s impossible. I would add that offending the right people is not only necessary but financially lucrative when done right – something Daymond John taught me years ago.
A while back, a member sent me a pair of shiny brass balls with a big red ribbon on them as a gift, with a note saying that as soon as he saw them he thought of me. I was pleased, to say the least. I used to position them on my desk so that anyone coming in to meet with me knew who they were dealing with. Today, my reputation precedes me.
If you want to give yourself a gift this year, let it be this: permission to not give a rip when the haters attack. Remember, growing a business is tough stuff, accomplished only by tough people. Either you can have your way with the world or it will have its way with YOU. The future holds no promises other than death, taxes and resistance. But like every new year, fortune favors the bold.
Speaking of embracing the bold, I invite you to join us at our annual IT Sales & Marketing Boot Camp in Nashville this April. It’s for those ready to conquer new frontiers in business. Don’t miss the chance to surround yourself with fellow bold entrepreneurs and gain insights that will shape your path to success. Claim your seat now.
