Be honest… when was the last time you used these words or others like them when talking about other advertising mediums or your competition? In return, when was the last time a client or prospect used these words, and you became defensive?
It’s common to hear comments from clients like:
“Nobody listens to radio anymore, do they? I never listen to radio anymore!”
“Isn’t everyone on Facebook?”, or…
“No one is on Facebook today, isn’t everyone on Instagram or Tic-Tok?”
“Everyone has a social media account.”
“Everyone gets their music from Pandora, Spotify, or SiriusXM.”
“Nobody reads the newspaper anymore!”
“No one listens to, watches, or reads commercials.”
In return, as media reps we say things like:
“No one uses Facebook anymore!”
“Nobody reads the newspaper today!”
“Everyone still listens to radio.”
“Nobody watches regular TV these days!”
If you are using these words in this context, Stop! Nobody, Never, and Everyone are overused, misleading, and dangerous words.
However, when they are spoken by a client, a prospect, or even by yourself, you can use them to your advantage. Knowing when you use them, catching yourself, and then correcting yourself can be immensely powerful.
Clients want to hear the truth. For example, if you catch yourself saying, “No one reads the newspaper anymore”, it’s an opportunity to say, “Pardon me, I misspoke. Actually, there are lots of people that still read the newspaper, just not nearly as many as a few years ago and unfortunately for the newspaper industry, that number continues to slide”. If your client says this, correct them. They’ll respect you for it and then ultimately trust you more because of it.
On the other hand, if a client makes a bold statement and says something like, “Nobody listens to radio anymore”, don’t immediately get defensive and refute what they said. Instead, say something like, “Why do you think that”, or, “What makes you say this?” Find out what they are thinking before you answer.
Knowing the statistic as to how many people consume the different mediums and platforms is especially important. After all, knowledge is power, but knowing the proper way to respond to our clients is even more powerful.
The old saying “Never say Never” is true, and so are, “Never say Nobody” and “Never say Everyone”! If and when they are spoken, use them to your advantage!
I stole the title and the majority of this article from one of my favorite authors and philosophers, Seth Godin. If you haven’t read his books or his daily writings, I highly recommend that you do.
Seth’s article that I am sharing with you today, I thought, fits perfectly into the philosophy of not allowing yourself, regardless of your success, to think that you’ve learned everything you could, and to not stop trying and working to get better every day!
Below is a copy of his post. I’ve added the lessons that I took from his words of wisdom.
I hope you enjoy it!
“You’re not that good”
“These are the three problems with creative work.”
“The first is that when we begin, we’re not that good. This is a fact. The breakthrough for anyone on this journey is adding the word “yet”.”
“It doesn’t pay to pretend that we’ve figured it out before we have. It’s counterproductive to adopt a brittle attitude in the face of criticism. In fact, during this stage, “you’re not that good,” is precisely what we need to hear, because it might be followed with insight on how to get better.”
Lesson: When media reps start out, they are not that good, and we shouldn’t expect them to be. The fact is that it can be dangerous if we think they know more than we do. However, if we train them, they will get there. We just aren’t there, “yet”!
“The second is that once we start to build skills and offer something of value, some people are going to persist in believing that we’re not that good. Fine. They’ve told us something about themselves and what they want and need. This is a clue to offer our leadership and contribution to someone else, someone who gets what we’re doing and wants it. The smallest viable audience isn’t a compromise, it’s a path forward. Find the folks who are enrolled and open and eager. Serve them instead.”
“The danger is that when you hear rejection during this stage, you might come to believe that you’ve accomplished nothing, as opposed to realizing that you might simply be talking to the wrong people.”
Lesson: Not everyone will buy into what we say or suggest. Patience really is a virtue in radio sales. Find the people that have the desire to grow their business and work with them.
“And the third comes full circle. Because it’s possible that in fact, we’re not that good yet, and there aren’t enough people who want what we’ve got. We’re simply not good enough for this part of the market. So, we embrace that truth and begin at the beginning. We’re not good enough yet. We haven’t practiced enough, found enough empathy, understood the genre well enough and figured out how to contribute. Yet. At least for this audience.”
“And then we get better.”
Lesson: Never get too big for your britches. Regardless of how good we think we are, we can always get better. Even when you have been doing this for years, you still have room for more knowledge. Never stop searching and learning different and better ways to help your customers.
“Sooner or later, these three problems become three milestones on the road to making a difference and doing work we are proud of.”
Lesson: NEVER Stop Learning – Get Better Every Day!
