This message is going to fall on deaf ears for the people who need it most.  For everyone else, enjoy the laughter.

Back in 2003, when I worked with Gary Halbert — once I realized I wanted to pursue marketing and (at the time) writing copy full time, he told me something I’ll never forget.  He told me, “Craig, remember, the people who need you the most are going to want you the least.”

(I say “at the time,” because I rarely take on copywriting clients any more.)

I didn’t understand what he meant back then, but over the last almost 8 years now, this has become very clear.

See, the reality of life is that most people don’t want to invest in anything that involves either work, or a benefit that takes more than a half-hour to return.  And what Gary meant when he told me this was if people knew they needed better marketing or better sales copy… they’d already have it in place.

The resistance to making long-term investments and to doing virtually anything unconventional or or out of the norm, is huge.  Which is precisely why so few people are successful.

In “How To Make Maximum Money With Minimum Customers,” I discuss this, briefly.  What this is, is simply part of life’s filtering process that determines who does, and who doesn’t become successful.

Anyway, check this out because it’s a perfect example of what I’m talking about.  Yesterday, a receptionist for some dentist leaves a message on my voice mail that went like this: “Hi Craig, this is your dentist, Dr. Lennon.  Back in 2007 you came into my office to discuss getting veneers.  We just wanted to see if you were ready to move forward with this and if so, let’s set up an appointment.”

And “No,” I didn’t make this up — I couldn’t be that absurd to think like this.  Plus, I don’t even remember what I did last week, let alone almost four years ago.

Let’s look at what’s really going on here:  This guy has probably been making good money by nothing more than random luck.  The economy’s been feeding him steadily.  He’s NEVER done a stitch of marketing at all, and quite literally, this is the first time I’ve had any kind of follow up from his office since my appointment back in 2007.  It was early in the year, as well, because I remember I met a woman who gave me his name at a 2006 Christmas party.

And now, because he never worked at getting fresh new leads, things have probably come to a grinding halt.  So someone probably told him to work his old leads.

But this doesn’t work unless you work them regularly, and unless they’re fresh leads.  When it comes to marketing, waiting four years to follow up with someone is like waiting 40 years to follow up with them.  This is a 100% complete waste of time, and frankly, deservedly so.

Second — and this is what’s really funny.  In spite of what his secretary said, this guy isn’t even my dentist!  I literally came into his office that one time, for 15 minutes.  And he told me they don’t do very many veneers, so I crossed him off my list right there and then.

And lastly, the most important thing to do when you’re trying to re-activate old leads, is to make them an irresistible offer!  “Hey, we’re running a special now — come in today and we’ll give you $250 off each veneer you put in.”

I’m no longer interested in veneers, but if I was, at least that would be compelling enough to get me back into his office (let’s forget about the fact that he doesn’t do these for a moment).  But making the same non-offer he made four years ago – all that does is get me aggravated they wasted my time forcing me to listen to a stupid, inane voice mail message.  Those are five minutes I wasted, and I’ll never be able to get them back!

How dare they rob me of this time?

So here’s the bottom line on all this: VERY few people really make the kind of investment they need to make, into their business, and into their marketing… to the point where it’s going to pay off and make them successful.  Most people think if they go on someone’s blog and read something… or if they speak to another broke friend at some dumb networking meeting, that they’ve got all the info they need.  NOW they can finally change their situation, right?

Of course, they never implement these ideas anyway, and so even if they had a life-changing strategy… no one would ever know.

It’s funny how people resist virtually anything that’s slightly out of their comfort zone — and yet… they embrace the idea of cold-calling four year old prospects.

Go figure?

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S.  “How to make a LOT more money with NO extra marketing costs” — Chapter 12 in “Max Money” (LIFETIME Guarantee included)

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