“Okay, Stop Right There.”

by Little Miss Attila on August 13, 2011

I’m on the phone with my publications guru. (Why, you ask, would someone who’s been working on print publications since she was 14 years old, and has performed every job except ad sales need a guru? Because there are people who were in it longer, and have done every job.)

“What’s the problem?” I reply. “I’m sure that the advertiser will come on-board after I can just show them a better track record of decent hits per day. They said if they could just see stats that cover a few more weeks . . . ”

“That is not the reason they aren’t coming aboard, and you know it, deep down,” he replies.

“I don’t know it. What’s the real reason?”

“The real reason is ‘no.’ Just ‘no.’ It’s time to move on. The only way to make that job work is to keep going. You can’t waste time with potential clients who give you excuses for not buying ad space.”

Oh. Right.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Darrell August 15, 2011 at 10:13 pm

Why, you ask, would…someone need a Guru?

Something to ask your LifeCoach and Feng Shui advisor. . .
Like the old “Captains of Industry” used to do back in the day.

Reply

Joy McCann/Little Miss Attila August 15, 2011 at 10:22 pm

Thanks. You know, I was afraid you’d make fun of me, and I’m really relieved that you aren’t doing any such thing . . .

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Darrell August 15, 2011 at 11:50 pm

Anything I can do to help! 😉

Attributing failure to lack of skills or preparation or some such is like attributing success to having everything you’ll ever need to keep the
streak going indefinitely. Life is often drawing balls blindly out of a covered bag. The big winner in the first round often draws all duds in the second.
The secret is to just keep on playing. You got good advice to move on. But I’m sure you knew that yourself before you asked. It’s comforting to hear someone you respect say it, though.

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Ric Locke August 15, 2011 at 10:42 pm

Robert W. Townsend described one class of bad salesman, the ones who come back to the office and swear they could sell the product if it were upside down, or painted blue, or had this one teensy additional feature…

“Just no” is probably the hardest thing to learn in sales — certainly I never did. There are other fish in the pond, and you’re better off making another cast than jigging the bobber a few more times. Of course, some days they aren’t biting at all.

Regards,
Ric

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Little Miss Attila August 16, 2011 at 7:05 pm

I truly despise doing this. Just despise it. But I’m the least bad at it right now, so I have to do it until I can afford to get someone else to do it.

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