"Your current safe boundaries
were once unknown frontiers."
Anonymous

Hi!
It's late and I should be
getting to sleep.

Before I do, I wanted
to share what happened
today. First, thank you for all
the great feedback
on the last email.
Some of you shared it
with others and they subscribed.
That means the world to me.

It was a crazy day of meetings
and the usual insanity.

At lunch time, I usually get outside
and take a 2 mile walk.

When the day is over, I walk 3 miles.
It's a great way to clear my head
and get perspective on the day.

I do my walking around a warehouse
with an iPhone app called Map My Run.
It keeps me walking until I hit my miles.

This place is perfect for my walks.
One lap is just about a quarter mile.
No runners huffing, no bikes, just me
and trucks bringing equipment to and fro.
They leave me alone and I leave them alone.

Walking there every day,
you get to know people there.
And tonight, I ran into one of the guys
who works the in the warehouse.

His ride home was delayed so he asked to walk with me.
He just started talking so I listened.
He's 20 years old, dropped out of college.
Not on speaking terms with his family.
He loves science and anthropology but
feels like not having a diploma is holding him back.

So we went through options.
Some involved contacting scientists.
Others involved contacting
big pharma companies.
We went through them all.
I think I rattled off 50 ideas one after the other.
None of them are clicking.
Then we talk about the company he works for.
He works in the warehouse but they have a sales division.

I can't tell you how many times I've walked
past their sales people
loitering outside on a smoke break.
I'd ask how sales were and they all said the same thing:
"waiting for more sales to come in."
Like it's the weather - just wait
and the sales will fall from the sky.

"Man who stand on hill
with mouth open
will wait long time
for roast duck to drop in.”
Confucius

So I know that these guys won't be much competition
if this kid decides to do some selling.
I explain how he'll make more in sales
than working in the warehouse.
But he can't just sit there and wait for sales to come to him.
I suggest he contact someone who is good at selling the stuff his company sells.

It just so happens his dad
sells the exact same items
for another company.
And he's one of the best
sales people in his field.

Hmmm, let me see
if I have this right:
learn from the best
reunite with your dad
and make more money
all in one shot.

I look over and ask - do you like that idea?
His eyes are lit up like a slot machine.
He's ready to call his dad and get going.
We have a winner.

Here's the thing...
He might pick up the phone
and in the first 5 minutes
get into a fight with his dad
and all that great stuff is gone.

But it's not gone at all.

I gave him tons of ideas he can think about.
But is that what I really gave him?
Go here, call here, do this, then do that?
Who cares?

One of the first people in marketing
I ever came across
was Jay Abraham in the early 90's.

I learned lots from him.
I sure spent a lot. :)
And it was worth every single penny.
But the best things he gave me
weren't a handful of lines to write or say.

In fact, I cherished
one thing he gave me above all else.

And I gave the same thing
to the guy from the warehouse:

Hope and the ability
to help others find it in themselves.

Not some snake oil version.
Hope that comes from having options.
Real options you yourself can't deny
that are right in your hands.
Pick up the phone
and so much can change.
That goes beyond a few ideas.
Do it right and you can create options
on demand. Just by expecting them.

The options start with you.
The options are not "out there."

There's a saying:
"The greatest hurdle
is convincing yourself
that what you want is possible."

If you don't believe something exists,
you won't see it.

That idea works in negotiations with banks
and it works with people.

Once you believe
something you want
can really be yours,
everything changes.

Look at the best bands, writers, leaders and teachers.
There was what was possible before they arrived.
And then there was after.

Once someone opens your mind,
you can stall, you can procrastinate...
but you can't go back.

Some say alchemy is creating gold from nothing.
To me alchemy is seeing the gold wasting away
in people...and helping someone see it in themselves. The gold is everywhere.

"I saw the angel in the marble
and carved until I set him free."
Michelangelo

That's what's behind a big idea in copy.
It's not the idea - it's having the eyes
to see it hiding in plain sight.

The gold is waiting for you to see it:
in a meeting with a client
writing a sales letter
or taking a walk
around a warehouse.

I didn't solve anything for the guy.
And I didn't need to.
I just had to show him it was solvable.
The rest is up to him.

1 AM already?

OK - I better get going.
I'll send this to you in the morning.

If this was helpful to you,
please let me know.

There's always a way,
Robert Gibson
www.RobertMarketingHelp.com