The One Mistake That Gets Guys Flaked On
One of my friends had a girl flake on him once…
He was so mad.
“That’s so rude! SO disrespectful!”
He wanted me to jump on the rage train with him…
But I didn’t.
“It’s your fault,” I told him.
“How is it MY fault? She’s the one who flaked on ME! We had plans!”
I had to lay it out there for him:
“Girls have tons of options. You guys met once for like ten minutes at a party…
You talked, had nice conversation, and exchanged numbers…
But frankly, you’re a commodity. You failed to stand out, intrigue her, and leave her curious…
To her you were probably just another ‘nice guy.'”
Anything that can be categorized can be ignored
If you want to stand out. If you want to be “sticky” in people’s memory…
You cannot allow yourself to be categorized.
It’s the same thing with your sales copy and marketing.
Just because a lead took the bait, clicked your ad…
Made it to your landing page, and gave you their email…
They still don’t owe you jack.
And it’s still your job to make them follow through by getting them so intrigued, excited, and curious that they simply can’t help themselves.
Is it easy? …Debatable!
That’s why people pay for our skills.
Remember: “new and novel.”
It’s the Eninen show in here.
It applies to all things. Your relationships. Your ads. Your ideas.
Need help making yourself or your ideas more unique and stickier?
Try reading the book: “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die”
And rolling off the flaking conversation…
I’d like you to copy and paste this quote. Then print it out.
And put it somewhere you can always see it.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
This is referred to as “The Man in the Arena Speech”
Delivered (reportedly, I didn’t verify) on April 23, 1910 by Theodore Roosevelt
The other day I got one of the nicest texts ever:
“Dude, I’m only a few chapters in but please tell me you still write novels, you’re an awesome writer.”
I used to be just an author not too long ago…
A fellow copywriter checked out the first thing I ever wrote… a dating novel called, Hang-Ups and Hangovers.
Excited by his kind words, I shared them with a buddy.
My buddy quipped something like: “Oh yeah, he’s the pinnacle of literary genius.”
All of a sudden the compliment that just excited me felt a little less meaningful.
But then I remembered ‘ol Teddy Roosevelt…
That I am in the arena, creating, daring greatly…
And I remembered the value of critics.
There is merit in criticisms (especially blind ones)…
Because a criticism means I had created something to criticize.
No Hang-Ups and Hangovers, no criticisms.
No creation, no vulnerability.
So I’m safe… from…
Making my mark?
Leaving a legacy?
Knowing neither victory nor defeat?
If people aren’t criticizing your work, you simply aren’t creating any.
If the most common question I get is: “How do you come up with the big idea?”
Then the most common comment I get is: “first I’m going to do this, then I’m going to do that… then I’m going to call this 1-800 number, then I’m going to buy this course…”
Just create something, dammit.
And at the worst: If you fail, at least fail while daring greatly.
And if you are so inclined, check out my first book, Hang-Ups and Hangovers, and feel free to tell me how much you think it sucks.
While I hope you enjoy it, it won’t crush me if you don’t.
I’m still the dude who wrote a novel.