I may have told this story before and due to my dodgy memory it probably changes each time, but here’s another version….
Some years back – quite a few years back actually – when I thought I knew everything about running a business and ‘portfolio working’ (that wonderful thing where you derive your income from a collection of businesses or jobs) I learned a lesson about how to sell.
I was part of a recording team working at The Royal Festival Hall in London, recording a three day classical music event. I was a freelance sound engineer and I’d never recorded a live orchestra before so I took the job although I do remember the money wasn’t very good.
(I actually forgot to turn on the main microphone and a the BBC Radio 3 announcer looked like a complete t*t as he started to speak and nothing came out, because I was busy chatting up a harpist but there you go).
We stayed in a nice hotel and were wined and dined by the company we were working for every evening, and everything went on the company bill so the grub and the booze flowed freely.
The comany was owned by a serial entrepreneur who I learned a lot from by just listening to, and especially during a car journey the two of us shared back up North after the event was over.
After the first day of recording, our entrepreneur boss took the whole recording crew – 5 of us I think – to an Indian Restaurant – a proper ‘curry house’ .
Because the food was on expenses some of the lads ordered crazy meals such as ‘lobster curry’ and farrr to much to eat, but the boss just watched with a smile on his face.
He watched as food was wasted, pints were ordered that just sat on the table becuase their owners were simply too p*ssed to drink any more.
Quite honestly the amount of food wasted in front of us was scandalous and while I’m no saint I’m proud to say that I only ordered what I wanted (and maybe a couple of beers too many!)
Nothing was said – the bill was settled, the recording finished and we went home.
A few months later I got an invitation for another job from the same company. It was a much better deal – much better paid, more fun and a lot of experience.
I’d expected to be working with the same team but found only one other bloke there that I knew from the Festival Hall job.
That night after a few beers I asked the boss why he hadn’t used the other engineers – they were good at what they did and were available.
He told me that he’d never forgotten the ones in the Indian Restauarant who’d taken the mickey and thoroughly abused the expenses.
He just leaned across the bar and said to me
….’In business, people remember’
And they do – they REALLY do.
If you help people out when they’re starting in business they remember. And what goes around comes around.
This is no mushy sentimental crap – it’s very true.
I know a lot of people in this business, some high fliers and some just starting out. The guys who ask your advice one day are the same guys who are earning millions years later, and they remember who’s been helpful and who’s not.
Even if you’ve got to tell someone ‘no I can’t JV with you’….
If you treat them with respect and explain your reasons they’ll remember your honesty.
Yet I’ve seen top marketers be so dismissive with newbies and people who have come to hear them speak even that it makes me cringe. It’s not hard to just say hello to someone even if you don’t have the time to speak to them.
And why am I blogging about this right now?
Because I’ve just looked at one of my Clickbank accounts and seen a shedload of sales come in from a new affiliate. I didn’t recognise the nickname so did a bit of digging.
Guess who it is –
Someone I helped out a while back.
It’s too good a chance to miss out on a blog post about it – so that’s why you’re reading this.
But remember the old adage – sh*t travels downwards.
It does.
And the time to remember that is BEFORE you’re snotty or offhand with a newbie because you’re making $5,000 a month.
Because chances are at some point – HE’S going to be making $50,000 a month and then you’re realise that the brown stuff does indeed travel downwards –
YOU’LL be on the bottom and HE’LL be pouring a large bucketload on the top of your head.
And it sticks.
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