I went to the deli at a local supermarket with what I thought was a simple order.
“I’d like 1/4 pound of Havarti cheese and 3/4 pound of London Broil roast beef,” I said.
“I’m sorry. Can you repeat your order?” the woman behind the counter asked.
Sure,” I replied. “I’d like 1/4 pound of Havarti cheese and 3/4 pound of London Broil roast beef.”
“Wait a minute, sir. I better write this down. Can you repeat your order one more time,” she inquired.
“Um, okay. I want 1/4 pound of Havarti cheese and 3/4 pound of London Broil roast beef.”
The deli woman proceeded to write down my “complex” order on a yellow post-it note using, get this, a yellow highlighter. (You can’t make this kind of stuff up.)
“You can do the rest of your shopping while I prepare your order,” she cheerfully replied.
Keep in mind there was no one else in line, and no other orders backed up. So I thought, “How long can this possibly take?”
Like a good little shopper, I went around the store and bought some more stuff.
What did my wondering eyes see when I returned to the deli counter? A package of Harvarti cheese and another one with roast beef.
Victory!
Not so fast.
I held 3/4 pounds of Havarti cheese and 1/4 pound of roast beef in my hungry little hands.
Sigh.
The lesson of the deli saga is never to underestimate the ability of people to mess things up. That’s why when working with someone on an important project, leave as little to chance as possible. Instead, if it’s something they’ve never done, give them detailed instructions, preferably in writing, ask if they understand what they’re supposed to do, and then check back with them to ensure they do it correctly.
For example, when I do webinars with someone endorsing me, I don’t just give them the emails to send. I include written instructions, go over the plan with them, and then follow up before they send the emails to make sure everything is in place. Even though the email marketing plan is simple, I don’t leave anything to chance.
Included in February’s Inner Sanctum “Sales Arcana” newsletter are the emails I send to my joint venture partners to promote my webinar and the instructions about what they’re supposed to do. You’ll want to model both. Plus, I share how to find joint venture partners and approach them so they enthusiastically say “yes” to endorsing you, the three main joint venture webinar frameworks, and how to choose the one that’s right for you.
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Kick butt, make mucho DEEnero!
Dave “Too Much Cheese” Dee