Would you like to know what can make the difference between success and failure?
Would you like to know what can make the difference between success and failure?
Recently I had the honour of MC’ing an Innovation Awards Night, where local inventors and creators were identified in the community and acknowledged for some pretty amazing inventions. These innovators really are quite extraordinary folk, who often toil away for years, usually with little or no financial resources, to pursue a dream or a passion and make it a commercial reality. But, I realised as I was doing my research for the event, that they all shared one very common trait – they backed themselves and their products 100%.
There is real passion with each and every inventor I meet and it manifests as a sense of pride in the product or service that they have painstakingly developed over a long period of time.
The Zippo Lighter Story
I made mention on the night of a great example of how backing yourself fully can be the real difference between success and failure, and that example is the world famous Zippo lighter. In 1933, the first Zippo lighters went on sale in the USA. They cost $1.95 and in many ways they were revolutionary. Mr George Blaisdell, a wealthy oil man owned the company and he was devastated as early sales of the lighter could only be described as dismal.
Looking for some way to get people’s attention and show just how good their Zippo lighters were, he offered a lifetime guarantee on every lighter, something that had never been done before. Sales went through the roof. Zippos were bought in bulk for the US army, one famously stopped a bullet of a Sergent Martinez, they were iconic in movies like Die Hard and James Bond and they have become highly sought after as collectables, with a solid gold Zippo likely to set you back about $10,000.
Today some $450 million Zippo’s have been sold around the world, all as a result of believing in their product enough to offer a lifetime guarantee.
We have to be the #1 fans and believers in our business
I believe that if we are not our own biggest fans and believers in what we do it shows. If you don’t believe in what you do how can you expect others to? We need to be passionate about our business, we need to be excited to tell people what we do and most importantly give them a solid reason to buy from us.
This might sound like a simple concept, yet when you ask the vast majority of people what they do, they tell you with very little spark, energy or enthusiasm – it is almost as if they are apologetic about it.
So if you are looking for that special “thing” that can be the difference between success and failure, it really is as simple as backing yourself. Be prepared to offer money back guarantees, use your own products wherever you can and get excited when you tell people what it is you do and why you do it so well. If you can’t back yourself, because you don’t believe in what you are doing – it’s time to have a long hard look at your business.
Till next time, remember success happens in the heart and the head, passion and attitude, embrace both and your life will be truly spectacular.
Cheers,
Andrew
PPS – Professional Presenters Bootcamp – Cairns and Townsville – a few spaces left in both. And likewise the Kickstart Your Business in Townsville – visit my home page for more information or to book in. MORE INFORMATION
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