“We won’t convince him or anyone.”
— Roland of Gilead (aka the gunslinger), Wolves of the Calla
Let’s head back into the zany world Stephen King created in his Dark Tower series.
In the fifth book, Wolves of the Calla, the gunslinger and his ka-tet stumble into a town in need.
Wolf-like creatures haunt this particular town, stealing children from their parents. Not much different from modern day Hollywood (or creepy YouTubers).
These “wolves” come at random. And they’re only interested in children, so once your kids reach a certain age, they’re safe.
Without getting into too many spoilers, here’s the sitch the gunslinger and his ka-tet find themselves in:
Since they’re bonafide gunslingers from the line of Eld, their number one job is to help mfs along their path.
And once the town gets wind that they’re bonafide gunslingers, many of the townsfolk want the gunslingers’ help.
But there’s a problem:
Some townsfolk’s children are already too old to interest the “wolves.” And they’re reluctant.
Not to mention, the reluctant townsfolk are also the most powerful businessmen in the town.
Which is to say:
They have the most non-children things to lose if’n the gunslingers try to help and fail.
Which brings me to the powerful biz lesson:
Roland utters the quote I started this diddy off with when talking to Callahan, one of the townspeople.
Callahan knows they aim true. (Gunslinger lingo for they’re the real deal.)
But the powerful businessfolk ain’t convinced.
To which Roland says:
It ain’t their job to convince the townsfolk. They can either accept help or deny it. Either way, the gunslingers’ journey continues on.
There are many and many-a lessons here you can apply to your business which will make a swift and noticeable impact.
Let’s look:
1. Your reputation precedes you.
Which is to say: Your positioning matters more than your skill set.
The fact that Roland and his crew are bonafide gunslingers descended from the line of Eld persuaded more townsfolk to their cause than any other persuasion tactic they could’ve used.
In fact, the more Roland and his ka-tet tried to persuade the townsfolk, the more resistance they would’ve been met with.
2. It ain’t your job to convince other mfs to become your client or customer.
A wee bit counterintuitive, eh?
But it’s the truth:
The more you have to convince, the more resistance you’ll face from your adversary.
Let your offer do the convincing instead of you.
Roland’s offer was simple:
He would help the townsfolk if they asked for it. But he wouldn’t go out of his way to persuade them. It was their job to convince themselves, not the other way around.
This illustrates how the gunslinger's nature is the exact opposite of neediness.
And, if you implement this in your sales process, you’ll find yourself closing more deals with less frustration.
Speaking of anti-neediness…
3. Roland and his ka-tet didn’t care one way or the other.
You should only care about things you control.
Why?
Because otherwise you’ll drown yourself in a misery and anxiety cocktail.
The gunslingers couldn’t control the townsfolk’s decision. And their journey led them through—and beyond—this town whether they helped them or not.
When it comes to sales…
You’re in control of how the sales call goes. You’re in control of the offer you put forward. You’re in control of pre-qualifying them before the sales call, so you don’t waste your time.
You’re not in control of how the adversary responds. (And yes, this also includes positive responses.)
This is a trained response that you can get better at with time.
When I first opened my “doors” to my copywriting bidness, I felt defeated if a sales call went bad. It’s natural.
But today?
I don’t care one way or the other.
I can help your business make more money with email, yes.
But I don’t need your business to keep my lights on.
Subtle, yet powerful distinction there.
4. Having the most to lose puts you in a dangerous situation.
Almost everyone in the town had children to lose. But they were ready to fight for them.
The powerful businessfolk in town without children actually had more to lose:
If thangs turned bad, their whole town—and by extension, business empire—would be destroyed. Whereas if they let the “wolves” steal some children, all would be good.
This has more real life applications than you probably think.
Marinate on it for a while. And figure out how to implement this fact into your bidness.
5. There’ll be water if God wills it.
Translation:
If you focus on you, whether that means switching up your offer… improving your skills… learning a complementary skill… switching up your sales script… only focusing on stuff you can control and letting the chips fall where they may…
…God’ll will water your way.
Like the previous point, there are many and many-a real world applications for this last one.
Let me mention one real world application here before we wrap:
There’s a good chance focusing on stuff you can control means hiring help where you need it.
Case in point:
If you have a proven offer and a list, but can’t make your email marketing strategy work...
That’s where I come in.
No, I won’t convince or persuade you.
No, I won’t be butthurt if we don’t work together.
But yes, I will make a dramatic difference in your…
* Daily workload
* Monthly revenue
* Peace of mind
The choice is yours.
Book a time if’n you’re interested. And let’s chat to see if we’re a good fit.
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