Imagine a conversation is a location.
The first few words are rarely the destination.

You may need
to talk to a person for a while
just to figure out where they are.

A potential client may begin telling you
what's wrong with their business.

But is that really what's wrong?
Or just what they think is wrong?

Is the sales letter bad
or is it the wrong audience?

I've known lots of people
who spent years of their lives
trying to appeal to people
who don't appreciate them.

Have you ever spent a lot of money
on something you didn't appreciate?
You saw a commercial for something expensive
and you said "I have no interest in that at all,
I know - let me buy it anyway."
I'll bet that's never happened.
So if the phrase
"people who appreciate you"
gets you anxious,
("where's my actionable tips?")
you'll see I'm being practical.

Before you try to make a sale,
make sure they're truly a fit for you.

The greatest sales letter
is worthless
if it's sent to the wrong audience.

In direct mail, there's a service called NCOA.
It stands for National Change of Address.
You run your letters through
NCOA software or services
to update the address.

Some people don't use it.
They just send letter after letter after letter
to the same wrong address.

The right person could be a block away.
But they'll never get that letter.

Every day, people are spending
their money, time and effort
talking to the wrong people.
It's only a matter of the percentage.

Most of it is not because of bad addresses.

The right people are those who
"get you."

Look at any major cable channel with high ratings.
They know who they are and they focus on reaching people
who will get them.

Lots of people try to appeal to everyone.
So they reach no one.
And the efforts to reach everyone
ends up creating things that are
bland, watery and tasteless.

It's not hard at all
to narrow your focus.
It just means you say goodbye
to appealing to everyone.

Some people just care about making money.
It's just a nameless widget
to sell to a faceless group.

They can enjoy a lifetime
of screenshots to share
of the money coming in.

Some of my friends are millionaires.
They throw great parties.
Most of the people that attend
are very wealthy.

Some people they invite
are root canal painful to talk to
because all they talk about is their stuff.
Their eyes are glazed over
and they almost seem bored by their life.

Some people are
wealthy and madly in love
with their interests
and you end up mesmerized
by what they care deeply about.

They're not interested in everything.
They have a handful of passions that move their life.

There are things people
care about deeply.
Madly. Passionately.
Some are embarrassed to admit what they love.

Or because it's not something
that seems like a good "market",
they dismiss it altogether.
And they pursue something safer.

Think of something that excites you.

Let me give you some examples:
For me, I LOVE teaching.
I love it with every fiber of my being.
I can spend hours
trying to understand how people think.
How can I reach a person?

I love everything about music and audio.
I'll spend ridiculous amounts of time and money
so I can hear a song more clearly.
Or read endless books understanding
how a song was recorded, mixed and mastered.

It's not about "what" excites you.
It's about you being excited.
It's about what makes you passionate.

If you think of the times
when you were passionate about something,
I'm willing to bet you acted a certain way.

When you were passionate about something:
You spent a lot of time
trying to get better at it.
All night was nothing to you.
You didn't apologize for loving it.
You might have taken some heat for loving it.
What you loved a part of who you were.
Not everyone understood it.
There was a time when you didn't care if they did.

That passion
proved to you
how far you're willing to go
when something really matters to you.

Your passion is your ideal starting point.
It's a benchmark of you at your best.

Are you working on something
you care deeply about?
If someone tried to take it away
they'd have a fight on their hands?

It doesn't have to be something grand.
All I'm asking is - does it matter deeply to you?

You at your most passionate makes things happen.
You don't get stopped when there's an obstacle.
You keep pushing through.

Anything you care about has its boring parts.
But caring is your "A" game.

Bills - we all have to pay them.
I remember vividly when I was working 3 jobs 7 days a week.
But ONE of them was something I was madly in love with.
And the rest got a much better effort
because I knew what my best looked like.

Whoa, whoa, whoa....madly in love with?
Yes.

Someone on my list
is getting ready to unsubscribe! lol

I know some people say don't follow your passion.
I say bring your passions with you.
It's the best part of who you are.

From a competitive standpoint,
if you're heart isn't in what you're doing
and you're competing against someone
who is wildly passionate,
they're going to win.

The passionate person will lose sleep for what matters to her.
The passionate person will do everything she can to learn more.
The passionate person will keep getting up when she falls.

All the marketing today I see is how to make things faster and easier.
Some people love it because they can spend less time on marketing.
I love it - because it gives me more time to spend on marketing.

I live and breathe this.
Nothing makes me happier.

Don't try to compete with people
who love something more than you.

I have friends who love spreadsheets.
I don't try to compete with them.
I ask for their help and learn a ton from them.

If you're not passionate about something,
get someone who is and talk to them.
Immerse yourself in their mindset and show them respect.

It will soak into whatever you do.

You're at an intersection
with all the things you're working on.
Are any of them something
you're madly in love with?

If yes,
you could be desperately
trying to reach the right people
at the wrong address.

Are you sure
you're on the right street?
If you're not, there's still time.

Robert Gibson
www.RobertMarketingHelp.com