LETTER FROM THE CEO
Facts Vs . Feelings
I
’ ve been told by a few members who exit that the reason they ’ re canceling is that they don ’ t “ like ” my style of marketing . They think it ’ s too pushy , too direct , or “ unprofessional .”
I once had the owner of a small MSP storm out of one of our events , indignant over the fact that I quoted Zig ’ s famous line , “ Timid salespeople have skinny kids .” He told my staff upon leaving that he would “ rather be broke than use that approach to marketing and selling .” Given he was only doing about $ 200K in sales at the time means he ’ s at least fulfilling his personal mission .
As Napoleon Hill pointed out in Think and Grow Rich , “ accurate thinking ” is one of the critical components to success because it forces you to set your emotions aside , separating what is true and relevant from what you ’ d like to believe is true and relevant . The former client who stormed out of our event madder than a mule chewing bumblebees can be as indignant as he likes over the FACT that effectively winning clients from competitors requires a bold , determined , dare I say “ aggressive ” sales outreach IF you want to grow beyond the occasional referral . But then he must also accept the fact he ’ ll likely end up like the majority of MSPs who never break the million-dollar mark , never have a successful exit , and never achieve any level of financial freedom . THAT ’ S accurate thinking .
“ Accurate thinking ” is at the core of Billy Beane ’ s hugely successful approach to winning games , known as “ Moneyball .” You have to respond to what the FACTS and DATA are telling you , not your FEELINGS and OPINIONS .
Great marketing should be measured the same way . Not by gut feel , opinions , popularity , or what you and your employees like . You and your employees are not your customers , and the only “ votes ” that count are by paying clients who vote with their checkbooks .
You might prefer sending spam emails as your way of marketing because it ’ s cheaper and easier than attending networking events , sponsoring events , hiring an SDR and sales team , and / or building real marketing assets that bolster your C . A . T . factor ( celebrity , authority and trust ). But if you ’ re being honest with yourself and looking at performance , you ’ re likely
Billy Beane , the mastermind and inspiration behind the movie Moneyball , reveals his formula for sustained success with Robin Robins at TMT ’ s Q1 Producers Club — turning undervalued assets into big wins .
doing more damage than good to your brand , confusing activity with accomplishment , getting nowhere fast as the years tick over . At what point are you courageous enough to face the facts ?
As Billy said in our interview , “ Everybody likes data and facts when it supports their point of view .”
It takes guts to step back and really look at what you ’ re doing , accurately correlating success to the things that are truly producing the “ wins ” and positive outcomes you want instead of the things you like to do or WANT TO BELIEVE are the reasons for your success .
Accurate thought , not popular thought .
Here ’ s a useful exercise : Define what WINNING is . Silly ? I don ’ t think so . Most people just want “ more ” clients . Is that truly what you want ? Is it possible to get more clients and still not achieve your goals ? To be MORE miserable ? You better believe it . So get clear on what winning is .
Next : What are the specific things that drive wins in your organization ? Filter out the static and look for the music . It ’ s in there , hidden in the chaos . Find it and exploit it .
Sincerely ,
Robin Robins Founder and CEO , MSP Success
Robin Robins is the CEO and Founder of TMT . TMT is the parent company of MSP Success .