Effort in the face of near-certain rejection
Every day, we shoot for unlikely outcomes. We send out our resume, pitch our book, ask for a donation, swipe right on a social network…
There are two ways you can go:
ONE: Realize that the odds are against you, and go for volume. This means that you should spray and pray, putting as little effort into each interaction as possible, giving you the resources to have as many interactions as you can. This is hiring a virtual assistant to spam your contacts, or sending out 200 resumes, or pounding your email list again and again for orders. This is your reaction to an unfair world, in which you deal with the noise by making more noise.
TWO: Invest far more in each interaction than any rational human would advise. Do your homework. Invest more time in creating your offer than you expect the recipient will spend in replying to it. Don't personalize, be personal. Create an imbalance of effort and care. Show up. Don't spam, in any form.
The thing is, people can tell. And they're significantly more likely to give you an interview, make a donation, answer your question or do that other thing you're hoping for if you've signalled that you're actually a caring, focused, generous human.
[PS Today's the last day to sign up for The Marketing Seminar. More than a hundred days of peer-to-peer interaction designed to help you spread your ideas and make an impact.]