they don't know what they're talking about — failing sucks raw eggs
In today's edition of Burke's Bits:
1. That's right – phooey on them!
2. Copy Tip
3. Social Selling Tip
4. From the Research Files
5. Pun of the Day
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When your confidence takes a nose dive
Okay. To those who say “failure isn’t hard” — I say Phooey!
If you write blog posts that tell us to look at failure as a learning lesson, to relax because everyone fails, to not get ‘caught up' in the negative…
Phooey!
I bet you never launched a product and had it bring in $10 when it was forecasted to bring in $15,000.
Fluff advice doesn't work in the real world, does it?
I just finished writing a reply to someone who's really down.
They had sent me an email saying they feel like a failure because they didn't hit their revenue goal. Now they're questioning why they're even in this business…why they ever thought it was possible to sell their own program.
They took a hit to their confidence – now what?
Well, if this is you – I want to share a few things that might help.
It's not the end of the world.
Yeah, it feels like it.
You had a lot of hope in that new product, in the joint venture, in the program you released. I get it. You put a lot of work into it and you did all the “right” things – you expected it to work.
Give yourself a little time to get angry. One of my favorite ways to release that anger is to get physical. Stomp around the house. Slam the fists on the bed. Get a foam tube and beat up an oak tree. Wear myself out. Hey, it works – try it.
Once the anger has passed it's time to look at that confidence. It took a hit. Hey, you were confident it was going to work. You were wrong. Your confidence is now 3 feet deep in the ground. Let's get it back up!
How? Here are a few things I've done that really help.
Take a break. Get out and do something you enjoy. You need to de-stress after a major setback.
Remember your past successes. Whether they were in business or not! You finished something. You won something. You achieved a goal. Remember those times. You see, you haven't always been a failure, right? You did some things right, right? You need to remember that…to know that…to feel that.
Forgive yourself for not getting it right this time. Here's a secret: Truly successful people learn and move on precisely because they know how to forgive themselves first. It’s just as bad to be mean to yourself as it is to be mean to others. The moment you realize this and learn to forgive yourself is the moment you give yourself permission to rise again and make things happen.
Now, take a look at what went wrong. Really look at it with fresh eyes. If you can get someone else to look over your project and all that happened…even better! Look for what went right and what went wrong. Just because it didn't work this time, doesn't mean it can't work the next time.
Recreate your approach and deploy a new way to do things based on what you've learned.
When I did all of the above I found myself excited again. Excited about the potential to meet or exceed my revenue goal. I stood up straighter and taller, I felt good, I was able to contact a few people to see if they wanted to joint venture on this new project. I got my confidence back.
You can feel that way, too.
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Copy Tip
How Crazy Can You Be?
Go look at your Spam folder. I know, you try to avoid it…because it's Spam, right? I don't want you to read the emails, I want you to read the subject lines. How crazy are they? Here are some samples of subject lines in my Spam folder right now:
- Japanese Farmers Secrets That Naturally Lower High Blood Pressure
- 7-sec “anal pressure point” instantly relieves your inflamed prostate
- Quick “Pinch” HERE Resets Blood Sugar
- Mysterious ‘Mountain Blood’ boosts prostate power
- Odd ‘miracle nutrient’ heals prostate + boosts libido
- The Holy Grail of blood sugar balancers
- 3 steps that turn your cold girlfriend into a loyal girlfriend
- The Kinksters in Camilla's Closet
- Sex creep admits to incest killing!
- Cher's brain – trauma drama
- Monster Putin's Mad Secrets – Revealed!
Before you judge me and think “oh crap! she subscribes to this stuff?” — LOL yeah, I kinda do.
What I do is subscribe to 1 single click-baity crazy online magazine at a time. I do this knowing my email address will be sold to similar publications. Why? So I can see what is working in different markets.
What works? Crazy subject lines and headlines.
What qualifies as crazy?
A claim that seems outrageous yet makes you want to know more. Note I said seems outrageous. For the email or campaign to be successful … the claim better be true and better be backed up by facts.
You've seen the click-bait on social media…right? The statement gets people to click the link. It's only called click-bait because when you click the link you're taken to a page that has nothing to do with the ad you clicked on. Classic “bait and switch” technique there. But, it proves this simple fact: people will click on a link or open an email that catches their attention and makes them want to know more.
Keep this in mind as you're creating a headline or subject line.
Now for the tip:
Write at least 10 headlines. 50 would be better. 100 would be great.
Make them as specific as possible. As you write each one ask yourself “Can I get a bit crazier with the benefit?” “Can I get higher eyebrow raising with a statistic?”
Read the headline out loud. Now have someone else read it out loud. Does it make them want to know more? Great! You've got a headline you can use. Does it make them say “so what?” it's not good enough.
The world – your market – responds to crazy. Give it to them.
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Social Selling Tip
This tip is more for relationship building and social networking. Both are the foundation for long term success with social selling.
Focus on connections and community.
People join social networks to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
Do you really think that “something bigger” is you (personally) or even your product or service? Sorry to burst your bubble – it’s not. It’s about the idea – the why – the values the connect the community members. It’s also about individuals being heard and feeling like they belong.
One thing people seek online is to be heard…especially by others who are passionate about a product, issue, or topic. Enable that. Support their desire to be heard, to be valued, and to connect.
What you say is important; what they say is essential.
The other thing people seek online is to belong. Everyone is looking for a group that accepts them for who they are. Your role is to foster that acceptance by giving them the tools, the space, and the permission to become a cohesive, self-sustaining group. That’s the Holy Grail.
Finally, people want relationships that translate into the real world, not just online. Nobody spends all their time online. Many people look to make their online time and relationships meaningful in The Real World. There are many ways you can encourage these offline connections:
- Have real-world meetups where virtual friends can shake hands.
- Share evidence of how your customers love your products or services with testimonials — written and video and audio — from satisfied and enthusiastic customers.
- Encourage your followers to share details from their own lives, and how your business has helped them.
Make your followers feel like they belong and their voices are heard and you will quickly have a reputation as a leader worth doing business with.
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From The Research Files
aka random bits of info you may or may not be able to use in your life
It seems that most of us don't know how to breathe properly.
More often than not we take short, shallow breaths. Pay attention to your breathing now – in a resting state – and see if I'm right.
As you breathe in pay attention to where the air goes. To your lungs? To your belly? Both? You want to shoot for both.
Why? Because proper breathing techniques help
- Reduce stress
- Improve your concentration
- Release tension throughout the body
- Regulate heating and cooling of the body, warming the core from the inside
Pranayama is the ancient practice of controlling your breath. You control the timing, duration, and frequency of every breath and hold.
One of the four known techniques is called ujjayi breathing.
Want to try it?
As you inhale and exhale:
- Keep your mouth closed.
- Constrict your throat to the point that your breathing makes a rushing noise, almost like snoring.
- Control your breath with your diaphragm.
- Keep your inhalations and exhalations equal in duration.
This can be calming and balancing.
At first it may feel like you’re not getting enough air, but the technique should become easier with practice.
You can learn more about the different ways to breathe on pretty much any Yoga related site.
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Pun of the Day
I did a performance about puns.
Really it was just a play on words.
With Gratitude —
Charlene Burke
Let's Connect: https://linktr.ee/CharleneBurke
“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
– Albert Einstein
