I’m Sorry

Before I start this blog post, I want to apologize. 

I really hope you’re all paying attention, because this is important to me. This is something that’s very near and dear to my heart, and I do want to apologize to all of you

For absolutely nothing. 

That’s right. I am apologizing for nothing, folks, and that’s exactly what this week’s blog is about. No apologies. 

When I say no apologies, let me make it abundantly clear: I’m talking about never apologizing for being you. 

You’ve heard me say it a thousand times: less than 3% of the country makes a six figure income, and I’ve pinned down one of the main reasons more people aren’t doing it. There’s no money in gray. And, what’s more, the dangerous thing is that from birth, we’re all brought up to be gray. 

Think about the standard outline of the “normal life”, if you will, that most of us are fed from day one.

“Go to school. Get good grades. Go to school again, only this time, put yourself in five-figure debt to do it. Get good grades again. Get a job that barely pays enough to live on. Buy a house, then spend half the money you make at that good job paying it off over 40 years. Retire. Good job, you did it! Now die.”

This is not the kind of life I want, and I’m assuming if you’re here, that’s not what you’re striving for either. The problem, or the trap if you will, is that the moment you start to resist that outline and start to realize that you can break the mould, the doubters show up, and the gray tries to pull you back to being gray. But let me tell you a secret: you can’t please everyone. And whether you’re a sales representative, an entrepreneur, or a business owner, you shouldn’t want to. 

One of the most important things you must understand is to be you. The uniqueness of whatever you are your brand is your point of view whatever you’re going to deliver to the marketplace. 

Authenticity is key, and I’m going to tell you why you see you might brand yourself a certain way as an automotive sales professional or perhaps your business. Let’s say you’re an entrepreneur, and you’re in the fitness business. You want to be a health coach. So you prep your business plan, and you come out into the marketplace, and you start to say: “Hey. Whether you need to lose a million pounds or just a couple, we’re here to help.”

When you come out with that message you get drowned out by the rest of the world who’s got a similar message to share as well. The grey, if you will.

Now, conversely, if you’re the one who comes out and says: “Your health is your own responsibility, and here at ABC Fitness, we don’t have room for excuses. Give us a call when you’re ready to work for it.”  

Imagine those reactions.

But most people – the gray – wouldn’t touch that marketing strategy with a ten-foot pole. They’d be up all night sweating about offending their audience. 

But the fact of the matter is that while some people will turn away, will avoid that, will feel offended and intimidated, those people are not your clients. The people you want to be working with, and who will become raving fan advocates of your approach are, and they will be drawn to the no-bullshit approach. That’s where your success lies – in authenticity.

I’m living proof of all of this.

When I was first putting myself out in the marketplace, first coming into social media, I was so ready to explode my business and go international. That was the time that I really started to get behind posting my video content. But as I posted this content, even though I was putting a lot of value out there and would constantly get people messaging me saying thanks, it didn’t take me long to realize that I was too broad. I was too gray.

You see, while I was providing value to the marketplace, I was doing it just so many others. Nothing was differentiating me from all of those other people. 

So I took the leap and started to let the real me shine through, and with that, I found that occasionally I’d make a point that might dent some feelings or cause some offense to certain viewers. And while I am never out to deliberately offend people, I am out to speak the truth without apology, and sometimes that truth can be uncomfortable.

However, as I said before – those people are not my clients. The ones who are are the people who see how convicted I am, and that’s when a relationship is born. 

When you want to become an elite six figure performer, your ability to be authentic is going to be key. You must create your identity. What makes you tick? What makes you so passionate about what you do? Why do you want to serve your space? Once you find the answer, get behind it, and commit to it regardless of what you do. The principles are all the same. There is no money in gray. 

If you’re looking for a live example, take a look at any of the videos that I put out into the marketplace. You’re going to see a variety of responses, and while the vast majority are going to be positive, but you’re also going to find some negativity. But the point of celebrating that negativity is this: those people would never do business with me. And frankly, even if they did, the mindsets they’ve shown me prove that they would never be able to take what I offer them and use it to create their lives and careers.

So, in conclusion, I want all of you to make a conscious effort to think about this moving forward in your career. Identify who you are, commit to being you, and go for it with everything you’ve got – your clients will come to you.

Remember: There is no money in gray.