The guy who sold rubber monkeys

There certainly is a guy who sales rubber monkeys. There would have to be! Right?

Have you met him? I haven't met him (or her) and I have been around the world twice. Never ever heard one soul utter the words "I sell rubber monkeys."

Yet I have seen rubber, vinyl and even plastic monkeys. I saw one the other day in an acupuncturists office! Of course she knows me well enough to know the story. So it was, to me, a joke. Damn good one too IMHO.

So it seems safe to assume there is a rubber monkey maker and a rubber monkey buyer. But where is the rubber monkey seller?

I doubt he exists. Rather, if one is so inclined to buy a rubber monkey then he seeks out the rubber monkey. In other words, the rubber monkey wanter must find the rubber monkey without the aide of a salesman. Hence no rubber monkey salesman likely called the rubber monkey wanter and said "Hey! I sell rubber monkeys do you want one?"

Before we go further here is a good place to admit I may be wrong. Please prove me wrong....go sell rubber monkeys. Then get back to me.

Or... understand that what we are trying to do is sell but not by selling. Yes we have to sell to get sells profits but not by selling. Rather we sell by not selling, We let them buy.

This either does or does not make good sense to you. Either way, it is right. So since it is right then the issue may be you do not get it. Not that 'it' is wrong. YOU might be though.

When was the last time you got a call and the caller wanted to sell you something? How did that go? That's what I thought.

When was the last time you had junk mail where suddenly you stop dead in your shoes and scream "HEEEELLLLLLL YEAH I want one! This morning I had no idea these things even existed but now...NOW I got this card and see the photo of the thing and life is never going the be the same without one of these....things! I am calling right now!"

Yet your box was full of those very cards. Less then .5% of folks who get this crap respond. One half of one person per hundred. Wow..be still my beating heart. Let me be clear, I gotta send out thousands and I gotta do it 7 times before you respond? Stellar idea. When we are done can you ignite my head please?

I have a limited amount of time, energy and even less money. I had rather put what I have left to good use.

My time means as much to me as your does to you. In fact, more.

If you are selling in any manner such as this YOU are selling rubber monkeys. And it pisses people off. It serves neither of us well enough for you to keep doing it. There is a better way.....

Let me know who wants your rubber monkey and I will gladly look for them for you.

This, my friend, is networking.

Or do you suck?

In networking meeting/groups/events, the ones who tell about rather than tell how suck. They are vampires ONLY involved to try and sell everyone in the group.