Thanks, Vince… You’ve Allowed Me To Clarify Some Things

A couple of months ago, one of the people who attended our new consultant’s workshop posted the following comment to one of the blog articles I had written.
===================

Martin,

I can’t say it enough, I took your course a year ago or more now and up until now, I’ve done nothing as I got caught up in the “other” career that paid the bills. Now I’m jumping headlong into this as my “new” career and every time I read your articles, the more sense it makes! I am going to focus on 3-specific niches and stick with them and get very, very good at them.

Your information is by and large well above that of other products out there, believe you me!

Thanks again,

Steve
===================

One of the readers of my blog article and the comment Steve made – a man named Vince – wrote the following:

“Something’s wrong here. Steven invested well over $10,000 in this business – yet he never took action? I would call this a failure. Regarding this article – I gave it a 3 – that is 60.%. Marginal. Good stuff, but nothing new here. Some value yes. Would a business client pay me $1,000 or $500 a month for that. I don’t think so. . .”
===================

I read what Vince wrote with great interest, because I’m always concerned when I see or hear statements that are made with no background, history, or factual understanding for the basis of their comments.

Let me explain. Since we don’t publish what people paid for their training, travel, or other business expenses, I’m not sure how Vince determined that Steve invested “well over $10,000 in this business.”

Second, Vince says that because Steve “never took action,” he “would call this a failure.” I’m not sure I would be so quick to make that judgment. Steve very clearly said he “got caught up in the ‘other’ career that paid the bills.” This happens with some people for a variety of reasons.

For some, the timing to make the jump to a new career isn’t right when they come to our training. For instance, a couple of years ago, two national sales managers for two different pharmaceutical companies happened to attend the same training session. They didn’t know each other, but their situations and stories were identical. Both said that they could see the handwriting on the wall that their jobs would eventually be phased out and they wanted to get some training in while they could, and they wanted to take advantage of a special offer we were presenting at the time.

Two years went by and neither of these people did anything with their TopLine training. Would that be considered a “failure”? I hardly think so. Both of these guys were working for very large companies, making mid 6-figure incomes, had great benefits, good retirement plans, and they didn’t want to jeopardize those.

Eventually, one of the two contacted me and said that his job had ended and he was ready to begin his consulting business. We talked about how he could leverage his previous experience and get up and running very quickly. In a very short time, he landed a client that paid him $5,000 a month plus 15% of the gross revenue he generated for them. The way he positioned himself saved the company around $100,000 a year from what they were currently spending, eliminated the need for a support staff, office space, office furniture, telephone, computer, car expenses and expense account. They were thrilled to pay him what he asked.

What’s the big deal about that? Well, I’d say that $60,000 plus 15%of a revenue from just ONE client isn’t too bad. Especially when it’s the first client. If this consultant can’t pull $100,000 out of this client in his first year, something is terribly wrong.

My point in relating this is that for Vince to make such a blanket statement about Steve’s not taking action being a “failure” – especially with no more information than he “got caught up in the ‘other’ career that paid the bills,” is pretty short-sighted. Everyone comes to the business with a different mindset, different personal situations, and their own unique circumstances. For some, it’s like the two pharmaceutical reps. For others, it may be that they wanted in on a special pricing offer we had at the time. We’ve had business owners who were in the process of selling their businesses and couldn’t do anything until their business sold. But I don’t think it’s fair to say that Steve is a “failure” because he didn’t (or perhaps, wasn’t able to for whatever reason) jump in with both feet at the conclusion of his training.

Vince went on to say about the article, I gave it a 3 – that is 60.%. Marginal. Good stuff, but nothing new here. Some value yes. Would a business client pay me $1,000 or $500 a month for that. I don’t think so. . .”

No argument with Vince’s opinion. If he thought the article was only worth a “3” and that it was “marginal” and there was “nothing new”, great. Not everything you read will resonate 100%. And certainly, not every thing or every idea that you write, say, or propose will resonate with everyone you meet.

To expect or even suggest that a “business client pay [you] $1,000 or $500 a month for that,” is totally unrealistic. I’ll agree with Vince on that. But no one even suggested that. You don’t charge a client $1,000 or $500 for one article. The way you work with a client is to determine what their problems, challenges, and areas of opportunity are, then develop a plan, a strategy, or a solution that will realistically and cost-effectively solve, satisfy, minimize, or eliminate those problems. It’s not a one-idea thing. And it’s certainly not a one-article thing.

That’s why we have developed a complete, turn-key, connect-the-dots SYSTEM that if followed, will identify the problems a business has, and give you the tools, resources, and abilities to correct them. And when you can provide those kinds of solutions for a business owner who is (and has been) struggling to keep his or her business afloat, and has spent countless dollars and hours with little if any results to show, you can easily capture all the business you can handle and charge prices that will afford you the lifestyle you want for your family.

I don’t mean to pick on Vince. Not at all. In fact, I really appreciate what he said because if he was thinking those things, perhaps there may be someone else with the same thought, but who didn’t verbalize them. So my thanks go to you, Vince, to allow me to clarify a couple of points and give a little more insight as to how our consultants work and the potential they have for making some very serious money in this business.
=================

Here’s a response I just received from Steve…

I’m the “Steve” mentioned here and I want to say that I am now working in the business I went to Tempe and took training with Martin and Chad so many years ago.

Now, it needs to be said that I’m not a big risk taker (employee mindset), but… one thing that has stood out over the last 3-years is the fact no matter what, I will always remember the training with Martin and Chad at TopLine as being not only the best but the most ethical and the most down to earth, business minded people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.

Understand that even if you don’t act on the material and training (you really should), you will learn about ethics, family, taking care of business properly, meeting some of the best people in the business, etc…), but you leave with material that can’t be duplicated and why would you want to! 

It’s incredibly comprehensive, it’s taken Martin years to create this, take my word, you can’t get this by striking out on your own!

To Martin and Chad, thank you for life’s lessons explained, thank you to those I met at the training for having the same problems as I did, and for your new insight, isn’t that what it’s really all about, learning to be a better person?  Was for me.
===============

Thank you very much, Steve…

No comment I could make here could possibly add to this post. It’s nice to see you back in the saddle and as always, am available anytime you need me. Let’s definitely keep in touch so you can maximize your investment in TopLine and gain the financial, time, and lifestyle rewards this incredible business has to offer!

Martin Howey
Founder and CEO
TopLine Business Solutions