True story.

Once upon a time, Kalia and her son wanted to get a bite to eat at an Atlanta staple, Waffle House. If you’re not familiar with this establishment, it’s a low-end diner type of place that serves very inexpensive food. This would not have been my first choice, but what the heck, I was outnumbered.

My two companions ordered waffles and hash browns, both of which Waffle House is famous for. Does your fearless leader follow suit? Of course not. He orders steak and eggs. Yep, steak and eggs at Waffle House. I was told this was a bad idea not only by Kalia and her son but by the waitress as well.  Do I listen? Of course not.

I then made the mistake of asking if the steak could be cooked in medium rare. Our waitress looks at me like I am a total idiot, which at this point is arguable, and says, “This ain’t no five-star restaurant. It’s Waffle House. You can have it medium well.” She said this half tongue in cheek and made my dining companions burst out in hysterical laughter.

I got the point, and it reminded me of a simple philosophy when it comes to selling stuff.

You need to make sure you have an air-tight message to market match if you expect to get the results you want. You can put together a dynamite pitch, but if you present it before the wrong audience, you’re going to struggle.

To put it another way, if you have a Waffle House audience, selling a gourmet filet is going to be tough and vice-versa.

Kick butt, make mucho DEEnero!

Dave “Scattered, Smothered & Covered” Dee

P.S. I might do one more speak to sell in-person small workshop in December. If you want to get on the early-bird list and get the details before anyone else (a maximum of six spots are available at the workshop), reply to this email and change the subject line to “December Workshop.”