Author: Mitch Plys

How is it that someone we’ve never met can leave such a huge impact on us?

I have been pondering this a lot lately, especially with the news of Avicii’s (Tim Bergling’s) death, who was one of my favorite artists/DJs.

I never met him. He didn’t even know that I existed. Yet, I can look back on the past years and still recite exact moments with his music that had an impact on me.

Its the same way with Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. When I heard the news that he died, it felt like part of my childhood/teenage years died too.

I think it is what Avicii/Chester stood for. Their music was able to bring out something larger than themselves, something that millions of people could hold onto.

Something that could not only help us through the hard times, but also bring out the best us and others.

Avicii/Chester/everyone else like you,

You will be dearly missed, but not forgotten.

I think everyone initially has a bad taste in their mouth when they hear the word “sales.” The world seems to associate “salesmen” with door to door salesmen. With cold calling. With spam emailing. With the mentality of this “pushing” or “forceful” behavior. Almost like a parent forcefully shoving food down their kid’s throat in order for them to eat their vegetables. And even if we agree that kids should eat their vegetables, we know that this behavior by the parents is not acceptable. The airplane method always works better. So how can we create this shift of mentality with sales? How can salesmen help us recognize the benefits of their vegetables (products/services) without it seeming forced?

As someone marketing for a new company, trying to build an audience for the first time, I have been struggling with this. I have all these ideas, but I have no way of knowing what will work or what will not. What I should focus on and what I should disregard. There are days where I just say, “screw it, lets do it” and waste money on advertising that never yields any sales. Then there are other (the majority) days where I get stuck into the paralysis by analysis, ordering one more ebook, watching more more webinar, reading one more article…

Taking a step back, I can see both sides, for there needs to be a preperation and understanding of the material before dropping money, yet there needs to be action too. For the timing will never be perfect. I will never have everything just right. This ratio of “risk and going for it” vs “analysis and protection” is something that we all need to find for ourselves.

Attention is simply having listeners. People who hear what we are saying/advertising/announcing. It’s the way we communicate and spread our messages to the world.

There are two ways to do this.

The first way: We can spread our messages to people by shouting at the top of our lungs, holding signs in front of everyone we pass, tapping others on their shoulders. We can push our ideas, thoughts, products, services on everyone. They may hear us, see our signs, understand what we say…for we have gained their attention..but this will not convince them. They will not be won over to our cause.

The second way: We can spread our messages by listening to what others say, asking them questions, and providing value to help them accomplish their goals, dreams, aspirations. Then, when we speak, even if its just a whisper, they will hear us, see our signs, understand what we say…for we have gained their attention…and they will trust us. For they know we will have their best interest in mind.

One of my recent projects for the past 2 months has been creating an E-commerce store, Crazy Men’s Dress Socks. (www.crazymensdresssocks.com) I started this project to learn more about all aspects of business, from Finance to Marketing, and how they all connect together.

Some of my biggest takeaways so far:

– Starting a business is essentially solving a million problems, one after the other (or several at once!)

– In a world that is changing so quickly, the biggest risk is not taking any

– Bottom line for companies: Nothing happens until something is sold. If you cannot sell your product or services, you cannot continue to run your business

I can’t stop thinking about it. I wish I could go back. I would do things so much differently. It would be better. I would know what to say. When to say it. Know what things to avoid. What to do more of. Less of. What to keep on going. I would know what mattered. What things, in the overall picture, did not matter.

I could do all of it so much better. I could change the past to improve my future.

By the past, I mean 10 years ago. I mean when I was born. I mean a 1 year ago. I mean highschool. I mean college. In every year of my life, every month, every day, there has always been a second of, “Man, I wish I could take that back,” “I wish this was different,” “I wish this worked out.”

But I can’t change it. None of it. It will forever be with me. All my faults, actions, and inactions.

So? Where do I go from here?

Maybe the C-F students got it right. (Well, probably not F students) As an A student my entire life, with over a 4.0 GPA in high school and a 3.74 in college, I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately. How much have I really learned? So what, I put a couple extra hours in studying for tests. I did the work, and that gave me the ability to gain scholarships and be more “eligible” in the job application process. At the end of the day though, I think the bottom line is: Did I learn more? This is a difficult question, for its hard to compare yourself to others. So I guess the better question would be: If I went the “route” of a C-D student, would I have learned more than my current path? The answer: Yes and No. If I was not driven and did not pursue my passions, then the answer would be no. But if I did puruse them, then I think the answer would be a hell yes. My main reason for this: Specialization. School is similar to a kid training for sports. The average high schooler is taking 6-7 classes a day, in all different subjects. In college you pick a major to focus on, yet you still have all these “core classes” that you are mandated to take. This is like telling a pro athelete to train for 6-7 different sports, when in reality, all that matters is that they hone their particular skills in one. Do you think anyone cares if Jonathan Toews can throw a baseball?

We all know the importance of providing value. This is how business works. The business provides a service/product/something of worth to the consumer (or other business), who usually returns the favor with some type of currency. But why does there have to be a trade-off? There is the famous line by the Joker, “If you are good at something, never do it for free.” But, what if we did? We should be willing to provide value for the sake of providing value. To help each other out. To always give without the expectation of return. For I guarantee you, someone in your life has already done it for you.

I think that it would be extremely beneficial if someone were to convince me that I was dying. But I would have to believe it and feel like it was actually happening. Imagine if your parents have you go for a checkup, the doctor comes out and tells you that you have this certain disease, giving you 30 days to live. You look up the disease, its real and it all checks out. There is nothing you can do to prevent it. And no one lives more than the 30 days. Your parents are crying. You completely believe that this is happening. So what now? Honestly, I don’t know what I would do. Probably become as religious as possible with my faith. Try to leave my family, friends, and the world on good terms. But as for how I would view the little details, what I might deem important now, which then, I might not care for, is so hard to determine. How would I behave? Interact? After pondering this, I think I would definitely trying to soak in every moment. To feel every second. So why am I not doing all these things now?