What do you think about: many small business owners are stupid?

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Stupid defined as: not sensible or logical, showing a lack of ability to learn and understand things, or lack of common sense.

YOU are not in this, what I believe to be the majority group, but many of you call upon small business owners.

My opinion; too many have just created, purchased or acquired a job for themselves, and are ill equipped to actually run a business. Stats of failure aside, what is your experience?

IF you offer a B to B service, have you eliminated certain types of small business owners, or does it matter?

We see so much prospecting here, those who try to get business by calling on small business owners, which seems to be a numbers grind, (the old saw; see the people, see the people, see the people), and the so-called modern REMOTE methods, where you let your website, or Internet presence pull your ideal prospects to you.

Do you think I'm being harsh when I say many small business owners are stupid? Or Dumb? Or shouldn't even be in business? (A situation which usually rectifies itself with time, and there is where you see the high failure rate).

GordonJ
#business #owners #small #stupid
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

    Stupid defined as: not sensible or logical, showing a lack of ability to learn and understand things, or lack of common sense.

    YOU are not in this, what I believe to be the majority group, but many of you call upon small business owners.

    My opinion; too many have just created, purchased or acquired a job for themselves, and are ill equipped to actually run a business. Stats of failure aside, what is your experience?

    IF you offer a B to B service, have you eliminated certain types of small business owners, or does it matter?

    We see so much prospecting here, those who try to get business by calling on small business owners, which seems to be a numbers grind, (the old saw; see the people, see the people, see the people), and the so-called modern REMOTE methods, where you let your website, or Internet presence pull your ideal prospects to you.

    Do you think I'm being harsh when I say many small business owners are stupid? Or Dumb? Or shouldn't even be in business? (A situation which usually rectifies itself with time, and there is where you see the high failure rate).

    GordonJ
    I always preferred small business owners because they at least had something on the ball.

    When you say "stupid" my guess is that you really mean "cannot see the value in your proposition". Am I right?

    Maybe the problem is that you are expecting them to be bright or knowledgeable...in the way that helps sales.

    I never expected anything of the sort. Superstition plays a bigger role in people's lives than education. And we are all irrational the vast majority of the time. It's why advertising works...and why hypnosis works. And the majority of laws are there to keep us from doing something stupid.

    The vast majority of people that bought from me, bought for reasons that made no sense to me. Just as the majority that didn't buy, gave ridiculous reasons for that as well.

    A few decades ago, I adjusted my selling to allow for customer's mistakes, lies, false information about my product (industry), and more.

    I always assume my prospect is prejudiced, ignorant, uneducated, and knows nothing about what I sell. That way, I'm always surprised...upward.

    If they were already bright, intelligent, and serious business people...they wouldn't need you.

    Added later; This may be a tad off subject. One thing I heard from lots of salespeople was "That idiot. He couldn't understand what I was showing him" or "He was too stupid to get it". That never made sense to me. Explaining it to them so that they got it...seemed to be our job.

    And if they didn't buy, my thought was always "What did I do wrong?", never "Why are they so dumb?" Why? Because I can fix things like my appeal, my presentation, who I chose to see....I cannot fix the customer.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alex Gramm
      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      I cannot fix the customer.
      I totally disagree. 100 years ago many people didn't use toilet bowl. 50 years ago phone+photo was a stupid idea.

      I think the key problem is misunderstanding. We're talking a lot about our proposal (product, service, ideas) and people want to hear about themself, about their pain.
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      • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
        Originally Posted by Alex Gramm View Post

        and people want to hear about themself, about their pain.
        They should see a therapist.
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      • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
        Originally Posted by Alex Gramm View Post

        I totally disagree. 100 years ago many people didn't use toilet bowl. 50 years ago phone+photo was a stupid idea.

        I think the key problem is misunderstanding. We're talking a lot about our proposal (product, service, ideas) and people want to hear about themself, about their pain.
        Read my post again. You completely misunderstood what I said.
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        • Profile picture of the author Alex Gramm
          Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

          Read my post again. You completely misunderstood what I said.
          I understood you. In your point of view the toilet bowl is emotional thing. And you prefer to fix your sales presentation not customer, aren't you.

          But my opinion isn't about your post, only this quote.
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          • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
            Originally Posted by Alex Gramm View Post

            I understood you. In your point of view the toilet bowl is emotional thing.
            Yes, you seem to know Claude well.
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          • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
            Originally Posted by Alex Gramm View Post

            I understood you. In your point of view the toilet bowl is emotional thing. And you prefer to fix your sales presentation not customer, aren't you.

            But my opinion isn't about your post, only this quote.
            Toilet bowl? We were talking about toilet bowls?
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    • Profile picture of the author wordpixel
      I concur, Claude.

      A confused mind will always reject you.

      It's up to us to educate them. Sometimes, that means better communicating our value to them. It may mean sending the prospect-client some free literature -- on and off-line and then follow a second time.

      My natural disposition comes off as a calming influence. So I rarely get the brusque "we're not interested," response.

      By remembering our reaching out to them (business owners) is just one business owner reaching out to another. They don't know what they don't know. That your service/product/idea can help them.

      Remain calm. Explain what you do in a way that will put them at ease. The goal is to quickly establish a natural rapport with the caller.

      End-game? It's just business.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    My opinion; too many have just created, purchased or acquired a job for themselves, and are ill equipped to actually run a business. Stats of failure aside, what is your experience?
    How can you say 'stats of failure aside'? The same could be said of marketers on this and other forums, couldn't it? Small businesses, to me, fall into two categories - "new" and "sustainable".

    What I've seen on this forum many times are marketers talking about small business owners as if they are idiots - too dumb to run a business - don't know much at all. If someone has owned and operated a small business for several years - he's probably more savvy than the marketer targeting him.

    I think many marketers who post here about targeting small businesses - have little understanding of realities of small business owners.

    They don't survive by buying everything shown to them- cash flow regulates their daily business life. They have people constantly wanting to sell to them - advertise for them - set up displays - push new products. They have merchandisers who want more floor space, employee schedules, and on and on and on.

    They don't stay in business by spending their time listening to sales presentations or talking to marketers over the phone. They have to run a 'lean ship' - know where every dollar goes...and why...and support their family at the same time they stay in business. I think those small business owners are better at managing their time/work/business than most marketers are at selling to them.

    The easiest small businesses to sell to, in my opinion...are the new ones with new owners. They are more likely to buy, to be impressed with their "I own my own business" status....but they are not likely to be long term customers.

    If you want to sell to long established small businesses - you need to do your research and know the business and have a compelling reason for the owner to buy - or try - your product.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post


      They don't survive by buying everything shown to them-



      They don't stay in business by spending their time listening to sales presentations or talking to marketers over the phone.

      Smart, smart, smart. I sometimes tell reps "If I bought every program, advertising offer, or product guaranteed to increase my profits...I'd go bankrupt."

      An if I listened to every cold call, talked to every rep...and heard their whole story, it's no exaggeration to say that I'd spend most of my day doing just that.

      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      The easiest small businesses to sell to, in my opinion...are the new ones with new owners. They are more likely to buy, to be impressed with their "I own my own business" status....but they are not likely to be long term customers.
      Yup. New business owners are buyers of "every shiny object". All advertising offers sound great to them. If you sell advertising, credit card processing, installment financing, or advertising specialty items...they are the easiest to sell.

      But many of these sales will be one time sales, because they will tend to learn from their mistakes.

      How do I know? That's what I did when I was brand new.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Fear.

    4 letter F word.

    Most small business owners are starting a small business with some excitement but also, because they are afraid. Meaning they vibe predominantly from an energy of fear. They fear working a job to pay bills for the rest of their life, and instead of feeling the fear, and releasing it, they bring this fear with them to their small business. Or they are vibing with all other types of fear.

    So.....when you are kinda afraid....not in terror or panic save rare moments....but in the lack and limits and scarcity mode most of us are conditioned to vibe at....you do silly things, because you cannot see things clearly.

    Some say silly seems stupid, others just see a scared person doing stuff mainly from fear. Always an inside-out thing because how you act is based on how you choose to feel.

    I have genuine compassion for folks doing silly stuff. Sometimes I tough love the crowd but always know they do as they do because they are largely driven by fear, deep down.

    Ryan
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
    Obviously, many are ill-equipped to run a business, but I give huge kudos to those who try. Unlike the mere opportunists who are attracted by the prospect of easy money and flit from one project to another, starting a business at least shows an intention to take responsibility for your own welfare. It takes guts - not fear. Fear is what keeps people in dead-end jobs all their lives, lamenting their lot.

    Successful small business owners are canny - when it's your money and livelihood on the line, you need to be. That's why it's easier, in general, to sell to some middle-management bod with no skin in the game.
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  • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
    Well, I have two vastly different opinions on whether or not "stupid" is the term I would use for many small business owners.

    I do know some that could be called stupid, when it comes to running a business, but manage to succeed in spite of themselves, simply because the are so incredibly good at their craft that in spite of their ignorance on many common business strategies, they do very well. I guess I would refer to them as ignorant, as opposed to stupid.

    When I used to sell advertising, I would encounter business owners that would tell me, "Business is slowing down. I'm cutting my advertising budget to the bone." One word - STUPID!!! None liked hearing that their ad budget was the absolute last thing that should be trimmed. They acted offended to hear it.

    Call it what you want. :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by OptedIn View Post

      Well, I have two vastly different opinions on whether or not "stupid" is the term I would use for many small business owners.

      I do know some that could be called stupid, when it comes to running a business, but manage to succeed in spite of themselves, simply because the are so incredibly good at their craft that in spite of their ignorance on many common business strategies, they do very well. I guess I would refer to them as ignorant, as opposed to stupid.

      When I used to sell advertising, I would encounter business owners that would tell me, "Business is slowing down. I'm cutting my advertising budget to the bone." One word - STUPID!!! None liked hearing that their ad budget was the absolute last thing that should be trimmed. They acted offended to hear it.

      Call it what you want. :-)
      Maybe we should define what we mean by Stupid.

      I think of "stupid" as...They have a very low IQ and cannot understand, no matter their education or environment.

      In my experience, most business owners aren't stupid, and they aren't afraid. Meaning they have at least an average IQ and have at least a tad more than average amount of courage.

      But, like everyone else of the planet, their knowledge isn't spread evenly across all subjects.

      One of the reasons we ask qualifying questions is to ferret out prejudices, beliefs in old wives tales, bad advice they have received, and what their current understanding (of our offer) is.

      I know lots of smart people that say things like "Advertising won't work in our business"...or "Advertising won't work in our town"...or "You have to run an ad 7 times before you can expect a result".

      Of course, you can say "You're an idiot!", but what does that get you?

      These people have these beliefs because they heard something different than what you heard. They have different (probably worse) sources of information than you...and

      They are not trained in your business.

      Sometimes you can ask the right questions, and let them figure out that you really have a great idea for them.....and sometimes you can't.

      I'm about as good as you can get at selling. But.....

      Once you take me out of the fields of Selling, psychology, reasoning....I'm like a fat little baby.

      I'm fairly certain that the guys at the auto shop think I'm a moron. As do the neighbors when they bring up lawn care, or the relatives that bring up sports.

      I know that when I go into Best Buy to look at something ...electronic....I don't even know what questions to ask...To them, I'm a tottering senile old man.

      Am I stupid? No.
      Am I woefully uninformed? Yes.

      But that can be easily fixed by a talented salesperson.

      Originally Posted by OptedIn View Post


      When I used to sell advertising, I would encounter business owners that would tell me, "Business is slowing down. I'm cutting my advertising budget to the bone." One word - STUPID!!! None liked hearing that their ad budget was the absolute last thing that should be trimmed. They acted offended to hear it.
      I can never imagine you offending a person by calling them stupid. In fact...even now...it sounds like sweet music to my flabby little ears.

      Every time I hear you yell, it's like the gently flutter of angel wings.




      added later; I said earlier in this post "They are trained in your business". I meant to say "They are not trained in your business.". Sorry, all.
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      • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        Maybe we should define what we mean by Stupid.

        I think of "stupid" as...They have a very low IQ and cannot understand, no matter their education or environment.
        That would be the common definition.

        In my experience, most business owners aren't stupid, and they aren't afraid. Meaning they have at least an average IQ and have at least a tad more than average amount of courage.

        But, like everyone else of the planet, their knowledge isn't spread evenly across all subjects.
        I can agree with all of that, while acknowledging that as in anything else, there are exceptions that run the gamut in where they fall.

        One of the reasons we ask qualifying questions is to ferret out prejudices, beliefs in old wives tales, bad advice they have received, and what their current understanding (of our offer) is.

        I know lots of smart people that say things like "Advertising won't work in our business"...or "Advertising won't work in our town"...or "You have to run an ad 7 times before you can expect a result".
        I've heard all of those. Who hasn't.

        Of course, you can say "You're an idiot!", but what does that get you?
        Of course you would never say it . . . . . well, almost never!

        These people have these beliefs because they heard something different than what you heard.
        Not from what I've heard, but from what I know to be demonstrably true.

        They have different (probably worse) sources of information than you...and

        They are trained in your business.
        They don't need to be trained in my business. If they are even the least bit trained in business, generally - and their own business specifically, we'd both be ahead of the game.

        Sometimes you can ask the right questions, and let them figure out that you really have a great idea for them.....and sometimes you can't.

        I'm about as good as you can get at selling. But.....

        Once you take me out of the fields of Selling, psychology, reasoning....I'm like a fat little baby.
        I get that.

        I'm fairly certain that the guys at the auto shop think I'm a moron. As do the neighbors when they bring up lawn care, or the relatives that bring up sports.

        I know that when I go into Best Buy to look at something ...electronic....I don't even know what questions to ask...To them, I'm a tottering senile old man.

        Am I stupid? No.
        Am I woefully uninformed? Yes.

        But that can be easily fixed by a talented salesperson.
        Agreed.

        I can never imagine you offending a person by calling them stupid.
        I have a big mouth, but it doesn't project to Wooster.

        In fact...even now...it sounds like sweet music to my flabby little ears.
        I hear that a lot.

        Every time I hear you yell, it's like the gently flutter of angel wings.
        That simply proves that you are beyond woefully misinformed. You're just plain, run-of-the-mill, plain as day, stupid.

        Regardless of how good a salesman I may be, even I can't help you with that.
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  • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
    One day during the week I was downtown Auckland
    and noticed a line up of people out on the footpath.

    They were waiting to get inside a Thai restaurant, my client.

    If you hung around Facebook forums for Internet marketers
    that restuarant owner would be stupid, dumb, crazy
    and certain to be another biz failure waiting to happen.

    Why?

    Because he never did have...

    website
    social media accounts
    paid advertising media

    What he knew and mattered more than any of the above was
    where the office workers were.

    So he sent lunch menues to the offices.

    That's it.
    No discounts or new customer incentives.
    No come-back programs.

    Being ignorant to all the incoming marketing and sales noise
    was good for him.

    He also owned another restaurant.

    Best,
    Ewen
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by ewenmack View Post

      One day during the week I was downtown Auckland
      and noticed a line up of people out on the footpath.

      They were waiting to get inside a Thai restaurant, my client.

      If you hung around Facebook forums for Internet marketers
      that restuarant owner would be stupid, dumb, crazy
      and certain to be another biz failure waiting to happen.

      Why?

      Because he never did have...

      website
      social media accounts
      paid advertising media

      What he knew and mattered more than any of the above was
      where the office workers were.

      So he sent lunch menues to the offices.

      That's it.
      No discounts or new customer incentives.
      No come-back programs.

      Being ignorant to all the incoming marketing and sales noise
      was good for him.

      He also owned another restaurant.

      Best,
      Ewen
      Same vertical ( restaurant ) exact opposite results.. a Food Truck is parked down the street with a line of people a mile deep.. Ironically a customer of mine... and not a single tree is killed in their marketting efforts.

      It works both ways.. one is not better than the other.. it comes down to matching the advertising efforts to the client.
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  • Profile picture of the author eccj
    What a lot of marketers and consultant types don't consider is the operational level.

    It's important in war and business.

    The reality "on the ground" often neutralizes gains made at the tactical level.

    I believe good business owners develope an instinct that identifies coming failure. Again it's an instinct that they can't articulate and if they could they wouldn't want to.

    Chet Holmes is one of my heroes and he understood the operational level and the amount of will power it took to make strategy work in reality.

    It takes an absolute maniac for a leader to hammer his advantage into the market place successfully OR it takes highly incentivized individuals working for you, not people being paid crap.

    So are most business owners stupid? No. They have good instincts but never take the time to figure out how to overcome the obstacles but rather say "that doesn't work." They'll never get anywhere beyond owning a job. But certainly not stupid.

    Few are enlightened.

    And yes a few are morons.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sid Owsley
    I prefer to look at business owners who may be struggling with their business as an opportunity to help them and educate them on how they can improve their business. As long as they're opened and willing to receive help or advise I may be able to help them. If they're someone who thinks they know it all and don't like to take advise or help from someone then there is nothing I or anyone else can do to help them and they will continue to fail, unfortunately.
    There are so many small business owners who need help with marketing their business. They may do some dumb things like open their business and think people will just magically find them. This our opportunity to help them understand that they have to market their business to make some money.
    I'm working with a couple of business owners now who have websites but SEO on the sites. They keep wondering why their company doesn't show up on the first few pages in Google search when they put in their geo location and industry. Heck, even a brand name search doesn't yield page one results for some of these businesses.
    One business owner has 176 errors on his website that he had no idea about. He thought that Godaddy was doing everything for him. When I showed him that I couldn't even find him in the first twenty pages of Google search he finally understood he needed some help.
    Ignorant of some things is a better word to use for many small business owners. Yeah, there are some stupid owners too. I try to avoid the stupid owners and work with the owners who are ignorant of some aspects of their business and want help.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    They don't need to understand the online stuff - they can hire you to do it. Marketers love to put business owners down for some reason - and the generalizations are widespread. For many small local businesses, the 'online site' is far less important than you might think.



    My guess is that those complaining that small business owners are dumb - probably earn a lot less than the business owners they want to feel superior to. New small businesses often go out of business - but I doubt it's more often than those offering "SEO services"...isn't that a small business in itself?
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Just about everybody is good (and knows a lot about) at least one thing.

    Calling a person stupid because he or she doesn't know very much about your area of expertise is short-sighted, don't you think?

    Alex
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  • Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

    My opinion; too many have just created, purchased or acquired a job for themselves, and are ill equipped to actually run a business. Stats of failure aside, what is your experience?

    IF you offer a B to B service, have you eliminated certain types of small business owners, or does it matter?

    ...

    Do you think I'm being harsh when I say many small business owners are stupid? Or Dumb? Or shouldn't even be in business? (A situation which usually rectifies itself with time, and there is where you see the high failure rate).

    GordonJ
    I agree that there are a lot of business owners who buy into a business unprepared. But I don't think they're stupid. I think they went into business so focused on just one aspect, they forget that they have to consider the other aspects of a business as well.

    That's why you see a lot of businesses where there's usually a technical/operations guy and a business guy. Because knowing how to create a great product doesn't necessarily mean you know how to create a great business.

    And I think this is where your frustration stems from. You're looking at it from the perspective of a business owner and the actual business owner still looks at it from the perspective of a product creator. His actions seems "stupid". And I am willing to bet that from his side, your actions would also seem "stupid".

    Is it a good idea to eliminate this type of business owner when offering a B2B service? I don't think so. I think business owners like this are a great opportunity because it allows you to educate potential customers from a position of authority. You don't have any competition at this point. If you have the time and patience to educate and guide these business owners, you could a have a potential goldmine.
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  • Profile picture of the author affmarketer101
    You can consult them, but you cannot say they are stupid. They have their own reason. You are not in the same situation as them to judge them.
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    • Profile picture of the author chuckholmes
      Originally Posted by affmarketer101 View Post

      You can consult them, but you cannot say they are stupid. They have their own reason. You are not in the same situation as them to judge them.
      Exactly. Everyone sees things from a different paradigm. In today's world, many people are accustomed to calling people stupid because they disagree with them politically, business wise, or something else. Everyone is different. That's what keeps the world interesting. The real key to success in business or sales in INFLUENCE: getting others to see your point of view and "buy in" to your ideas.
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  • Profile picture of the author JChilds
    Sound to me like you are in the wrong line of work as sales is not your bag.

    For you to call a small businessman stupid just because he did not jump on whatever you were selling just shows me how poor of a salesman you are.

    I am 82 years old and have been in outside for over 55 years until I retired a few years ago. It was a brick and mortar business and I had inside and out side sales people.

    I think you are running into small business owners that see thru your line real quick and just want to get you out or off the phone as they are trying to make sales to meet payroll and do not have the time to waste on someone that think they are stupid, it probably come across in your remarks.

    Maybe you dropped in without an appointment and they had customers to take care of so they just brushed you off.

    I am sorry but you do not come across ,to me anyway, as someone that is very well trained to do sales work.

    Just my opinion I could be wrong

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author misterme
    In a Facebook group some guy gives unsolicited advice to an old timer who claimed to be doing well. The advice was a crtisism of the guy's website such as copy was too long.

    Watching The Profit the other night and Lemonis is stunned that the struggling business owner dismisses advice from the 22 year veteran Lemonis has brought in to consult, the younger business owner equating her opinion as being just as valid as the business veteran's.

    When people think the other person is being stupid these days, often all we're really seeing is where the Critic is along their still early learning curve. And how they don't know what they don't know.

    Kind of like how teenagers view their parents who don't get it.
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    • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
      Originally Posted by misterme View Post

      When people think the other person is being stupid these days, often all we're really seeing is where the Critic is along their still early learning curve. And how they don't know what they don't know.

      Kind of like how teenagers view their parents who don't get it.
      That may be true when you are referring to young people. I'm old (and I've been told, "crotchety"), so trust me when I tell you that I have seen my fair share of hard-core, indisputable, rank stupidity, from people of all ages.

      For a long time, now - when I see stupid, I no longer say a word. (Except on this forum, of course! Trust me - I do let the majority of it go right by.) I love to see people revel in their stupidity, all the while believing they're some sort of gifted brain-trust.

      To deny that there aren't a certain number of stupid individuals, in any delineated group of people, is just plain, well you know . . . . . . . . . stupid.

      Is it nice to say? I guess not. Isn't this what is meant by, "The truth hurts?" You tell me.
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      • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
        Originally Posted by OptedIn View Post

        That may be true when you are referring to young people. I'm old (and I've been told, "crotchety"), so trust me when I tell you that I have seen my fair share of hard-core, indisputable, rank stupidity, from people of all ages.

        For a long time, now - when I see stupid, I no longer say a word. (Except on this forum, of course! Trust me - I do let the majority of it go right by.) I love to see people revel in their stupidity, all the while believing they're some sort of gifted brain-trust.

        To deny that there aren't a certain number of stupid individuals, in any delineated group of people, is just plain, well you know . . . . . . . . . stupid.

        Is it nice to say? I guess not. Isn't this what is meant by, "The truth hurts?" You tell me.
        I think there is a disconnect here.

        Intelligence isn't shared evenly with all people.

        But aren't you talking about situational stupidity? Stupidity in not seeing something that is obvious to you?

        Sure, there are slow people. Even people that own their own business aren't always brilliant. But what I was mostly talking about is thinking of them as stupid...because they aren't buying what we are selling.

        You are a masterful salesperson. I know you know that this is true...

        It's to your advantage, when selling, to be the one responsible for them buying. You can't depend on them having the insight or awareness to instantly "get" what you are proposing. You have to be clear...concise...thorough in your explanations. I know you know these things.


        Of course, no matter what you say or do, there are those that are just not going to go along with your idea. ....no matter how obvious the benefits are.

        But when they don't buy...if your default position is "They are too stupid to buy from me", you never get better at selling. I've seen that in the field enough to know what I'm talking about...and so have you.

        I think maybe you are others are talking about a different thing.
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        • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
          Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

          Intelligence isn't shared evenly with all people.
          Which you demonstrate, on a daily basis.

          But aren't you talking about situational stupidity? Stupidity in not seeing something that is obvious to you?

          Sure, there are slow people. Even people that own their own business aren't always brilliant. But what I was mostly talking about is thinking of them as stupid...because they aren't buying what we are selling.
          Yes - a bit of a disconnect. I'm speaking more of 'generic' stupidity, which will spill into the sales scenario.

          You are a masterful salesperson. I know you know that this is true...
          Thank you. It nice that you know this is true, too. :-)

          It's to your advantage, when selling, to be the one responsible for them buying. You can't depend on them having the insight or awareness to instantly "get" what you are proposing. You have to be clear...concise...thorough in your explanations. I know you know these things.
          And agree with all of them.

          Of course, no matter what you say or do, there are those that are just not going to go along with your idea. ....no matter how obvious the benefits are.

          But when they don't buy...if your default position is "They are too stupid to buy from me", you never get better at selling. I've seen that in the field enough to know what I'm talking about...and so have you.
          Correct. All of that is spot on. The prospect stupid would never be my first thought. I'd be looking at what I was doing wrong.

          I think maybe you are others are talking about a different thing.
          Yes. That would appear to be the case.
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  • Profile picture of the author JoeStalin
    IF you offer a B to B service, have you eliminated certain types of small business owners, or does it matter?
    I eliminate:

    - Anyone who gives bad vibes or is "prickly" or is otherwise too aggressive given the circumstances. Being "challenged" by a prospect is bullsh*t. Some people just like to argue, and someone else can deal with 'em. You don't grow with this kind of attitude - it just beats you down.

    - The dreamer/aspirational type with a wad of cash to invest but no current business and no clear concept of the business they want to start.

    - Most one person businesses and everyone who claims poverty.

    The good thing about selling to small businesses is that they're easy to get into, generally... you don't need to go through a purchasing department or know anyone with inside connections. That in my opinion is the only reason to preferentially deal with small businesses or to create products or services that are targeted to them.

    Small business owners indubitably have problems with limited mental bandwidth, often poor or inadequate education (they may have started the business because they couldn't find a "good" job,) over-focus, excessive cheapness, and lack of general industry or formal knowledge.

    Above all, I've found that the ones with any kind of supposed success are over-focused. They're almost paranoid about being knocked off track by an "outsider" and they're ultra-defensive about what they know and what they lack knowledge of.

    Also the small business is influenced by the unbuffered ego and pride of the owner. When a small business fails it's often because the owner never got out of his own way when biz conditions changed.

    A book that I highly value which I bought a few years ago called "Outfoxing the Small Business Owner" by Gene Marks pretty well walks through how small business owners reason, their blind spots, and their general lack of long term (or much of any) vision. To anyone considering the SMB and solopreneur markets I recommend it, but it's out of print.

    I don't know, I think as far as small business owners go, it is what it is. They're approachable but selling to most of 'em and dealing with them are like dealing with the general public: they're short termist to the max, their pride takes center stage, every penny comes out of their personal wallet, and they don't want to delegate any decision making.

    One can say "yeah, but there's opportunity there" but I assure you that if you have a steady diet of the small biz owner mentality over several years it will burn you out.
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    • Originally Posted by JoeStalin View Post

      I eliminate:

      - Anyone who gives bad vibes or is "prickly" or is otherwise too aggressive given the circumstances. Being "challenged" by a prospect is bullsh*t. Some people just like to argue, and someone else can deal with 'em. You don't grow with this kind of attitude - it just beats you down.

      - The dreamer/aspirational type with a wad of cash to invest but no current business and no clear concept of the business they want to start.

      - Most one person businesses and everyone who claims poverty.

      The good thing about selling to small businesses is that they're easy to get into, generally... you don't need to go through a purchasing department or know anyone with inside connections. That in my opinion is the only reason to preferentially deal with small businesses or to create products or services that are targeted to them.

      Small business owners indubitably have problems with limited mental bandwidth, often poor or inadequate education (they may have started the business because they couldn't find a "good" job,) over-focus, excessive cheapness, and lack of general industry or formal knowledge.

      Above all, I've found that the ones with any kind of supposed success are over-focused. They're almost paranoid about being knocked off track by an "outsider" and they're ultra-defensive about what they know and what they lack knowledge of.

      Also the small business is influenced by the unbuffered ego and pride of the owner. When a small business fails it's often because the owner never got out of his own way when biz conditions changed.

      A book that I highly value which I bought a few years ago called "Outfoxing the Small Business Owner" by Gene Marks pretty well walks through how small business owners reason, their blind spots, and their general lack of long term (or much of any) vision. To anyone considering the SMB and solopreneur markets I recommend it, but it's out of print.

      I don't know, I think as far as small business owners go, it is what it is. They're approachable but selling to most of 'em and dealing with them are like dealing with the general public: they're short termist to the max, their pride takes center stage, every penny comes out of their personal wallet, and they don't want to delegate any decision making.

      One can say "yeah, but there's opportunity there" but I assure you that if you have a steady diet of the small biz owner mentality over several years it will burn you out.
      That is exactly the same when dealing with Joe Public....Different mentality. You start dealing with UHNW people and it's like chalk and cheese. Different mind set. They understand risk, they understand markets, and will pay for the best.

      Joe blogs it is all about saving money...clipping coupons. Screw that!
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  • Profile picture of the author jokerkilo
    I think the word would be ignorant, not stupid
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    • Profile picture of the author chuckholmes
      Originally Posted by jokerkilo View Post

      I think the word would be ignorant, not stupid
      Most people just don't know what they don't know. Myself included. The key is to seek knowledge, keep learning, and ask the right questions. You need to have an open mind and have good advisers if you want a successful business of any type.
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  • Profile picture of the author KyeM
    depends on the person doesn't it?
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  • Profile picture of the author rihuan
    small business owners raise me up
    I guess a quiet of people are accustom to buying DVD or BD and then play them on TV. Well, don't you curious how to create a disc yourself? I once tried to convert MP4 to DVD, I think it is fun and interesting.
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    • Profile picture of the author eccj
      Originally Posted by rihuan View Post

      small business owners raise me up
      Hmmm Sounds like you're selling something.... uh....different.
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  • I do not agree fully. Every person might be as stupid and as ignorant. Take any statistically random person in the word and give him the business - big chance he will act the same.
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  • successful small business owners are different to unsuccessful one and newbies.
    It's nothing to do with business owners. But people

    You are correct. 90%+ of people have no business in business. Lack of education, Closed minds, poor emotional intelligence and lack of common sense.

    I have just described about 90% on here....People hate the truth.
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    • Profile picture of the author chuckholmes
      Originally Posted by offmarketinvestor View Post

      successful small business owners are different to unsuccessful one and newbies.
      It's nothing to do with business owners. But people

      You are correct. 90%+ of people have no business in business. Lack of education, Closed minds, poor emotional intelligence and lack of common sense.

      I have just described about 90% on here....People hate the truth.
      The truth will set you free. Most business owners aren't entrepreneurs, but instead dissatisfied employees who decided to create a job doing the technical work of something they know how to do. The skills to cut hair are one thing, but the skill to create a successful barbershop or salon business are entirely different.
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  • Profile picture of the author chuckholmes
    I would argue that most small business owners simply do not understand their real business. They think their product or service is their business, whereas selling and marketing that product should be their real business.

    For example, if you own a restaurant, your job isn't to make good food. Of course, you need good food to succeed in the long-term, but your most important responsibility is filling the seats. If you can do that, everything else will fall into place.

    Most small business owners spend way too much time working in their business when they should be working on their business.
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    • Profile picture of the author anwar001
      This is a very faulty logic that you have presented here.

      This is not how most successful businesses thrive. They don't thrive by focusing on the best ways to market their business and bring in new clients/customers. They thrive and succeed and grow b focusing on making their product/service the best they can make! That is the secret of most successful businesses.

      In the restaurant industry as per your example, it is important for the business owner to focus on providing the best quality food, maintain superb taste, provide high quality service, provide the right ambience for people to enjoy the food, maintain hygiene etc. If they do all this better than their competitors they will have a thriving business very soon.

      On the other hand if their primary focus is just on marketing and trying to fill the seats and they ignore the other important aspects of why they are there in the first place, they may soon go out of business. They may be able to come up with clever marketing strategies to bring in customers and fill their restaurant, but if their food is not up to the mark or their service is not good, they won't last long.

      Any business primarily needs to focus on their product and service. They have to focus on providing best possible customer experience and absolutely making their customers thrilled. If they manage to do that, they won't need much marketing. That does not mean marketing/advertising is not needed but it should never be the primary focus of a business.
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      • Profile picture of the author animal44
        Originally Posted by anwar001 View Post

        This is not how most successful businesses thrive. They don't thrive by focusing on the best ways to market their business and bring in new clients/customers. They thrive and succeed and grow b focusing on making their product/service the best they can make! That is the secret of most successful businesses.
        Rubbish.
        There are numerous examples of businesses that have thrived despite not having the best product or being the best.

        MS Dos vs CPM
        VHS vs Betamax
        Windows vs OS/2
        IBM vs just about any of their mainframe competitors.

        It's a given that your product or service has to be up to the job, but without good marketing, you're dead in the water...
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  • Profile picture of the author my Bestself
    What experience do you have in business? I'd appreciate if you could share wisdom about business so I can learn. I would much rather that than some whiney post about people making the wrong decisions, instead of complaining, how about you actually help people where you see they lack instead of ranting. Entrepreneurs are problem solvers not jerks
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    • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
      Originally Posted by my Bestself View Post

      Entrepreneurs are problem solvers not jerks
      Why would you think those are mutually exclusive?

      Thousands of posts are made every week, in an effort to help people. You're here one day and have determined that you know the best way to run things.

      If you want answers, develop good questions and learn to effectively use the search function. Everything you you seek is there.

      Funny that you would tell everyone else to, "stop complaining." If nothing else, I can teach you what irony, is.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
      Banned
      Originally Posted by my Bestself View Post

      Entrepreneurs are problem solvers ...
      Exactly. Well said. And the more problems you "solve" the greater your success.
      : )
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  • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
    Banned
    I'm not an "Offline Marketer" ... However if I were I would treat my Prospects/Customers/etc. like gold.

    Something I have always remembered is Joe Girad's (who is in the Guinness Book Of World Records for the seller of the most cars in a year) ... Sending his Prospects greeting cards on their Birthdays and Holidays.

    Just thought that was a nice thing to do.

    2C
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    • Profile picture of the author chuckholmes
      Originally Posted by Jonathan 2.0 View Post

      I'm not an "Offline Marketer" ... However if I were I would treat my Prospects/Customers/etc. like gold.

      Something I have always remembered is Joe Girad's (who is in the Guinness Book Of World Records for the seller of the most cars in a year) ... Sending his Prospects greeting cards on their Birthdays and Holidays.

      Just thought that was a nice thing to do.

      2C
      Great points. The little things do make the difference. When was the last time you got a handwritten thank you card from the restaurant you ate at, your barber, dry cleaner, babysitter, grocery store, credit card company, bank, or just about any other business? Of all the things I do for marketing in my businesses, the most important thing I do is mail out just five handwritten thank you notes each day.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
        Banned
        Originally Posted by chuckholmes View Post

        Great points. The little things do make the difference. When was the last time you got a handwritten thank you card from the restaurant you ate at, your barber, dry cleaner, babysitter, grocery store, credit card company, bank, or just about any other business? Of all the things I do for marketing in my businesses, the most important thing I do is mail out just five handwritten thank you notes each day.
        Thanks Chuck: Nice to meet a like-minded Marketer/Entrepreneur.
        : )
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  • Profile picture of the author BacklinkzTopper
    First of all one should not use the word stupid for anybody..
    And second thing is small business owners are also working hard for thier business. Do not judge everybody.
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    • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
      Originally Posted by BacklinkzTopper View Post

      First of all one should not use the word stupid for anybody
      Not sure how many people you've met in life. Surely your're not implying there are not any stupid people in the world? Perhaps your calling for better manners by simply not using the word. :-)

      Please refer to my avatar!
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    "Entrepreneur" is a word viewed so differently from one group to the next...and it's only a word.

    To a new IMer it often represents a dream of lifestyle and riches and 'doing what I want to do' and 'not workin' for the man'....they view the word as an impressive title.

    To potential lenders, 'entrepreneur' listed as occupation means 'broke'. A lender told me successful applicants will list 'own my own business' as occupation. Interesting that he also said those who put "CEO of my own business" are usually on the entrepreneur level...and broke.

    Labels don't work - seems to me those most willing to put down 'employees' or dismiss 'small business owners' as ignorant....are usually not as financially successful as those they love to criticize.
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    • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      To potential lenders, 'entrepreneur' listed as occupation means 'broke'.
      Always a joy to start the day with a hearty laugh. Thank you!
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      Interesting that he also said those who put "CEO of my own business" are usually on the entrepreneur level...and broke.
      This is how poor people think rich people talk. And...people in MLM talk that way.

      When I signed a lease for office space, I asked the leasing agent if she could tell if someone is going to fail or succeed in their business...meaning if they are going to leave in the cover of darkness, because they can't pay the rent.


      She said that the people that aren't going to do well are the ones that are really excited. She said that being overly enthusiastic about office space usually means they are just starting out...and getting office space is a big deal to them.
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      • Profile picture of the author anwar001
        Awesome! In most cased, being overly excited is a dead giveaway of a person's inexperience. The over-excited or easily-excitable folks are people who wear rose colored glasses and indulge in wishful thinking. They think/assume that everything is too easy and they can achieve success without much effort. On the other hand, people who have experienced ups and downs of business and were still able to survive to tell the tale, will be more careful and analyse in detail before they jump the ship.
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  • Profile picture of the author BradYoung04
    In any role there are people who are better equipped to handle it than others, who have more nous, savvy or just more luck to succeed. But calling a business owner stupid - or having that mentality - is just arrogant and likely to cause you problems.

    Any business owner has already got a lot of guts and drive to turn nothing into something. If they're doing at least alright and hiring other people, that's one person who's probably wearing a lot of hats - strategy, finance, HR, customer service, product development etc. as well as marketing. When you're that busy, it can be hard to be an expert on everything.

    A little humility and understanding of your client or prospect's strengths as well as pain points are going to make your relationship a lot stronger.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Duchesne
    I don't think it's stupid. I believe it takes guts, intuition and good decision-making.
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  • Profile picture of the author TheBigBee
    I've had the privilege of poring over the bank statements of probably thousands of business owners in my lifetime.

    When you are able to look at 6 months to a year worth of bank statements for landscape companies, restaurant owners, construction companies, and so on you come away seeing things for what they are. The vast majority of business owners are ill equipped to be business owners. It doesn't make them stupid. It doesn't make them bad people. It just means they're bad at managing and mitigating risk.

    Billions upon billions upon billions of dollars is generated by the not so savvy business owner.

    Examples...
    1. UBER EATS charges restaurant owners up to 30% of each order. How many restaurants operate at a +30% profit margin to make this a solid business move. They're biting the "exposure" carrot being peddled to them. You run $20,000 in sales through Uber eats you better be able to show how the $7k you gave them produced ROI.
    2. GROUPON - need I say more. Same thing. Groupon charges the crap out of them for a thin value prop. There's a reason why you don't see the creme de la creme of restaurants on Groupon. They got hip real fast.
    3. UCC Filings - A UCC lien is filed when a small business owner takes a high interest, short term merchant cash advance. Filings are EXPLODING. Business owners are lining up around the block to pay $14,000 for every $10,000 advanced and they're signing up to do it in 3-12 months. My experience tells me that very few of them "invest" that money. They're in a jam and they're bailing themselves out.


    Regarding point #3, there are many players in the small business high interest loan industry that would swear to you that 90% of applicants are of low character. On the flip side, I left the industry because 90% of the guys inside the industry are of low character.
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    • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
      Originally Posted by TheBigBee View Post

      [*]GROUPON - need I say more. Same thing. Groupon charges the crap out of them for a thin value prop. There's a reason why you don't see the creme de la creme of restaurants on Groupon. They got hip real fast.
      If there's a more rapacious business model, I've yet to see it. Well - maybe, Pay Day Loans.

      It's a toss-up. :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    A related statement to "Buyers are stupid" is "Buyers are liars".

    To me, it's a statement that limits your effectiveness. Just saying "Buyers are liars" lets you off the hook. It blames the buyer.

    When I hear this from a rep that woes for me..or in rare cases, at a seminar I am giving.... I say ...

    "Buyers are liars. But not any more than the rest of us. My question is, what did you do to cause them to lie to you? Why do they find it necessary to lie? What questions do you ask that makes them feel the need to lie to you?

    And at what point in your sales call do you notice people starting to lie? That's where you need to fix what you are saying or asking.

    Do buyers lie to me? Sure. About the same amount as we all lie to each other. But I arrange my questions in a way where lying doesn't pop into their mind as often. And ....you presentation shouldn't depend on them telling you the absolute truth all the time.

    And I like to ask questions that, if they lie, I know they are lying. And it doesn't matter if they lie. I can see the direction of their lie. Are they lying to derail the sale, or are they lying to speed it up? I've experienced both.

    And who do you normally lie to? People you want to avoid, situations you want to escape, in conversations you want to avoid. The lie from the customer is a way to tell you that they are no longer in rapport. The lie didn't derail the sale, the customer feeling they had to lie did. And that's almost entirely in your control".

    This little talk is never...never...what they wanted to hear.

    When someone says "Buyers are liars", they are positioning the buyers as the enemy. And they are not.
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  • %90 can't use Google. %70 do not want to move past the "simple life". %50 can't. People have the "idgaf" mindset. They just "live". I am hungry for knowledge and power. It's an addiction.

    "you can't fix stupid".
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by LikesandPlaysDotCom View Post

      %90 can't use Google. %70 do not want to move past the "simple life". %50 can't. People have the "idgaf" mindset. They just "live". I am hungry for knowledge and power. It's an addiction.

      "you can't fix stupid".
      Can you fix spelling?
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  • There is a moment in evry story when sumone says THE MAGIC WORD an' a GENIE appears.

    So hey, what is the deal with STOOPID, evrywan?

    tbh this is kinda BAT SIGNAL territory for Moi -- only when the alarm went off THIS TIME, I was burnin' pizza for a hot guy subsequently ran off with my laptop, an' for mosta the past week I been scramblin' around on Mind Warriors tryin' to figure HEY WHERE THEY WANT MY DINKY LI'L ASS TO MANIFEST?

    Anyways, least I frickin' SHOWED UP.

    Gotta figure plenty people HEARD THE CALL an' bummed out bcs they GENIUS ENTREPRENOORS in their own brains.

    Yeah, like we need those guys.

    Thing is, I poofed in so fulla enthoosiasm I ignited my bra.

    I would love to play all exotic at this point an' quip hey hey, it is a genie thing, but actshwlly ... yanno ... I jus' STOOPID ....
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    • Profile picture of the author eccj
      Originally Posted by Princess Balestra View Post



      There is a moment in evry story when sumone says THE MAGIC WORD an' a GENIE appears.

      So hey, what is the deal with STOOPID, evrywan?

      tbh this is kinda BAT SIGNAL territory for Moi -- only when the alarm went off THIS TIME, I was burnin' pizza for a hot guy subsequently ran off with my laptop, an' for mosta the past week I been scramblin' around on Mind Warriors tryin' to figure HEY WHERE THEY WANT MY DINKY LI'L ASS TO MANIFEST?

      Anyways, least I frickin' SHOWED UP.

      Gotta figure plenty people HEARD THE CALL an' bummed out bcs they GENIUS ENTREPRENOORS in their own brains.

      Yeah, like we need those guys.

      Thing is, I poofed in so fulla enthoosiasm I ignited my bra.

      I would love to play all exotic at this point an' quip hey hey, it is a genie thing, but actshwlly ... yanno ... I jus' STOOPID ....
      Princess found the offline forum.

      The implications are thought provoking.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      There are stupids among them. And then there are the confused and harried ones... Confusion and pressure produce illogical thoughts quite often.


      To those who divide into new and sustaining... Sustainability is often the results of people other than the owner, the one who marketers meet....


      One such case, a mortgage broker who had 2 partners... For years, he was the HOT shot... though clueless... Eventually, the other 2, one of them his wife, kick him out from supreme leadership.... put him in charge of networking....


      He is the one who told me he tried internet marketing and internet marketing does not work. That was 4 years ago, 2 years before wifey took over...
      Wonder of wonders, internet marketing works for his company now that the wife's in charge of running the company and its marketing efforts.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
        Banned
        I believe in the rule of "Reciprocity". (See "Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion") ...

        Essentially you get back what you give ... Treat your Prospects/Customers like gold and they will reward you with even more.
        : )
        Personally I think this is a better approach than looking down on your Prospects etc. and thinking of them as "stupid"

        2C
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        "Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity."―Joseph Sugarman
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        • Profile picture of the author chuckholmes
          Originally Posted by Jonathan 2.0 View Post

          I believe in the rule of "Reciprocity". (See "Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion") ...

          Essentially you get back what you give ... Treat your Prospects/Customers like gold and they will reward you with even more.
          : )
          Personally I think this is a better approach than looking down on your Prospects etc. and thinking of them as "stupid"

          2C
          Customers write our paychecks, whether you are a business owner or employee. Without customers or clients there is no business. Customers are smart. They know when they are appreciated. They know when they are getting a good deal. And they know if they have been treated fairly. If you can take care of those three things, your customers will reward you with repeat business and plenty of referrals.
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  • you think the guys right at the very top (hhmmmm...you know who i mean) are much better?

    I've seen "stupid" at all levels....some hedge Fund managers i wonder how the hell they ever got there...

    At big corperate banking level it's much more about "who you know" than what you know.

    I am sure it is the same at the very top...Power trumps brains.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mat Odysseus
    Well, not stupid per se. Just unlucky.

    What is smart? It's probably taking as few risks as possible. Smart people would never start a business in the first place - too much risk, right?

    But sometimes "stupid" ideas make people rich. I'm sure people thought Google was a stupid idea when there was Yahoo already. There are plenty of examples like this, basically everyone is a general after the battle, but nobody thought of actually taking action at the right time. That's why the world is full of smart people making decent living but never becoming rich, often even judging entrepreneurs who risk and fail.

    Sometimes you probably have to risk looking or sounding stupid. If you were smart, you would have never started a business in the first place.
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    • Profile picture of the author chuckholmes
      Originally Posted by Mat Odysseus View Post

      Well, not stupid per se. Just unlucky.

      What is smart? It's probably taking as few risks as possible. Smart people would never start a business in the first place - too much risk, right?

      But sometimes "stupid" ideas make people rich. I'm sure people thought Google was a stupid idea when there was Yahoo already. There are plenty of examples like this, basically everyone is a general after the battle, but nobody thought of actually taking action at the right time. That's why the world is full of smart people making decent living but never becoming rich, often even judging entrepreneurs who risk and fail.

      Sometimes you probably have to risk looking or sounding stupid. If you were smart, you would have never started a business in the first place.
      I'd argue that most businesses ideas are considered stupid by the masses. That's why no one else has filled that needed. First you have haters, then fans, and then people ask if you are hiring. The one thing that sets entrepreneurs apart is their vision. They see a need, or create a need in the marketplace, and fill it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Hunsons
    That's why they are owners, but ideas come from other ones, who are imployed by them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stacey Cee
    Hi Gordon,

    I believe there are some people that are not cut out for business. They may not have the discipline, the drive etc. that is need to become a successful entrepreneur. However, I would not say a lot of small business owners are stupid, they may not be as knowledgeable as you think they should be, but no one was born knowing everything. It is a process, it takes time to learn, so hopefully these small business owners are becoming more knowledgeable as time goes by.
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  • Profile picture of the author max5ty
    As someone that owns several businesses I can tell you all business owners are not stupid...

    plus adding that I invest in several tech startups that bring new things to marketing, I'm way ahead of most.

    I recently bought a company that will bring a new idea to mobile sign ups. I guarantee you that within a week or two of the idea going viral on the internet I'll get a load of people calling some of my companies pitching
    the idea.

    What I've always been amused by is that once I see a guru pitching an idea, small business phone lines are bombarded with sales calls.

    There are business owners that are unaware of new technology...which is why most of it is suspect.

    My belief if that most business owners just don't have time to do all the internet stuff so are willing to hire someone to do it. But they're not looking for someone that comes in and just immediately starts pitching new age stuff.

    Another turn off is someone calling from 4 states away or another country that wants to handle your local marketing.

    I've always said, there's a gold mine right outside the door in your own hometown.

    There's a ton of money to be made locally.

    ADDED: Get off the phone and walk in to your local businesses and offer your services.
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  • Profile picture of the author sarahboyer
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by sarahboyer View Post

      Hello friend,
      I like to take a have a check at enterprise proprietors who might be fighting their own business because of a chance to simply help them educate them about the way they are able to boost their enterprise. Provided that they've been started and ready to obtain assistance or counsel I might be in a position to aid them. Should they truly are somebody who believes that they understand that it and do not prefer to accept counsel or assistance from a person afterward you'll find nothing else I or somebody else could do in order to aid them plus so they are going to keep on to neglect, regrettably.
      Have a nice time
      Sooo..people still use article spinners, eh?
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      What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
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      • Profile picture of the author savidge4
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        Sooo..people still use article spinners, eh?
        a drunk attorney maybe?
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        Success is an ACT not an idea
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Rise
    I know many small buisness owners and they are not stupid!
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  • Profile picture of the author moneynetwork
    You need to understand the dynamics of business management before you begin to make your statement that has not been empirically proofed.Owner of small businesses should be credit for their willingness to take risk.Let us do everything to encourage them.
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  • Profile picture of the author MrFume
    Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

    Stupid defined as: not sensible or logical, showing a lack of ability to learn and understand things, or lack of common sense.

    YOU are not in this, what I believe to be the majority group, but many of you call upon small business owners.

    My opinion; too many have just created, purchased or acquired a job for themselves, and are ill equipped to actually run a business. Stats of failure aside, what is your experience?

    IF you offer a B to B service, have you eliminated certain types of small business owners, or does it matter?

    We see so much prospecting here, those who try to get business by calling on small business owners, which seems to be a numbers grind, (the old saw; see the people, see the people, see the people), and the so-called modern REMOTE methods, where you let your website, or Internet presence pull your ideal prospects to you.

    Do you think I'm being harsh when I say many small business owners are stupid? Or Dumb? Or shouldn't even be in business? (A situation which usually rectifies itself with time, and there is where you see the high failure rate).

    GordonJ
    I completely understand your point, because I have been in the trenches and trying to sell effective digital services to many different small business people. However, we have to accept that many people out there simply do not understand that having a website does not assure them of participating in the digital economy!
    For a great many folks, the world of the internet, of building funnels, of setting up social media campaigns, of communicating on the WWW is a very confronting, obscure practice!

    Many of these people listen to their friends, colleagues, customers and read blogs-and they gain a certain picture. We are confronted by such a range of understanding. For each business area the outcomes are achieved in different ways.
    This is why it is valuable to focus on one, specific business type and become the 'go to guy' in your area; there are too many of us trying to be generalists.

    The digital divide continues to be the differentiation point of success, there is no absolute solution!
    We have to speak the language of our chosen community, and commit to helping them, we need to explain our benefits, the value of what we offer, and make them understand.
    Best of luck
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  • Profile picture of the author electricguitar
    Banned
    Wow! this was really a great post. There are so many useful information in a single thread. Really i appreciate this post.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Gramm
    Also, we should bear in mind the money. People don't like losing money. The fear of losing money greater than profit expectations.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ian5
    I don't think like you.
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    • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
      Originally Posted by Ian5 View Post

      I don't think like you.
      No one thinks like me. That's what makes me so special.
      Signature

      "He not busy being born, is busy dying." - Bob Dylan • "I vibe with the light-dark point. Heavy." - Words that Bob Dylan wishes he had written.

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      • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
        Originally Posted by OptedIn View Post

        No one thinks like me. That's what makes me so special.
        The closest anyone comes to thinking like you....is when they fart.
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        • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
          Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

          The closest anyone comes to thinking like you....is when they fart.
          Definition of Fart: Everything Clod Whitacre knows about sales and marketing, dispersed in it's entirety, all at once.
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          "He not busy being born, is busy dying." - Bob Dylan • "I vibe with the light-dark point. Heavy." - Words that Bob Dylan wishes he had written.

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          • Profile picture of the author savidge4
            Originally Posted by OptedIn View Post

            Definition of Fart: Everything Clod Whitacre knows about sales and marketing, dispersed in it's entirety, all at once.
            Yeah.... the ever present stench that lingers... that tickles your nose hairs and melds into your brain. There is no denying it was indeed a fart... kinda like there is no denying Claudes knowledge of sales and marketing. or is that KFC?
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  • My prediction for Warrior Forum 2022 ...


    Prolly this post gonna be bumped without appearin' to be bumped.
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    Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.

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  • Profile picture of the author Nico Mallo
    I don't agree with that, we must salute them for being positive, having the courage to do the business, they might start from crafts but what important is the goal they have for the long run. It is normal to start from nothing because as time goes by if the owner is dedicated and committed for sure, success will come. There are so many things that we should compliment., in my opinion, we should not underestimate them, they might be an asset, who knows. I myself have plans to build a business, small business to start with because I still need to work on my funds.
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  • Profile picture of the author Renatas Budrys
    They probably stupid because they don't know how to put their business on the internet and scale it.
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    • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
      Originally Posted by Renatas Budrys View Post

      They probably stupid because they don't know how to put their business on the internet and scale it.
      So, we now equate, 'stupid,' with 'don't know how?'

      Do you know how to arc weld? No? What, are you stupid or something???

      Ridiculous.
      Signature

      "He not busy being born, is busy dying." - Bob Dylan • "I vibe with the light-dark point. Heavy." - Words that Bob Dylan wishes he had written.

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  • Profile picture of the author jobdollarr
    If you speak of failure you will fail.

    If you talk a lot of money.
    You will get a lot of money.

    Antony Robbin
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    • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
      Originally Posted by jobdollarr View Post

      If you speak of failure you will fail.
      If you speak of failure you are simply aware of it's existence.

      If you talk a lot of money.
      You will get a lot of money.
      If you talk a lot of bullshit you will be regarded as a bullshitter.

      Antony Robbin
      Did someone say, "bullshitter?'
      Signature

      "He not busy being born, is busy dying." - Bob Dylan • "I vibe with the light-dark point. Heavy." - Words that Bob Dylan wishes he had written.

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  • Profile picture of the author erikrefuerzo
    Nope, I don't think they are stupid. I rather admired them, a lot of well known businessman started from scratch.
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  • Profile picture of the author jsc420
    Success is subjective. Just because an SMB owner is not focusing on maximizing profits doesn't mean he's stupid. It means he has other priorities. Some people prefer a higher quality of life and more free time over a bigger bank balance.
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