A case for brutal public executions
"Hey James."
"How is the business going?"
"Hey James, I'd love to hear back from you sometime soon."
Recently, I received the above cold DMs from a non-follower. Now, I don't know whether I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, or whether the third, needy little follow-up just rubbed me the wrong way... But I found them offensive enough to mock them on the timeline for all to witness:
"Sure thing, random stranger. I'd love to take time out of my day to answer your vague question with absolutely zero benefit to me!"
Now, before you whine at me... I never include the names of those sentenced to public beheading. I've not had to... yet.
Not yet indoctrinated into the ways I run my kingdom, one of my newer followers was a little confused, possibly scared, when I put the offender on blast on the timeline while I was feeling extra sarcastic. He commented on the post (perhaps with a guilty conscience for his own cold DM sins, perhaps with an innocent mind less jaded than mine) that it seemed like the offender was just saying hi, and that he knows people don't want spam, but asked why I wouldn't want people saying hi.
He continued that if he were starting a conversation with someone, he'd probably ask genuinely about how their business is going, because he likes having conversations about business with other people. He then asked what I suggest when someone has no interest in selling someone something, but just wants to learn from them.
So here you have it - my response to the question: What do I suggest for someone who just wants to talk about business with you?
"Among equals (friends, business partners, clients, etc.), sure - go right ahead. But the brutally honest answer is: if you want to learn from someone, you're not equals. So you'd better be offering something for them to take you seriously. Ask publicly? They might answer because they get to show their expertise to their audience. Privately? Pay their hourly rate."
One of the most egregious elements of the cold DM is the entitled demand for your one-on-one attention. Now, before you get scared to ask me another question ever again... notice the difference between public and private.
Private demands are selfish. Like waiting until after the lesson to ask a question that would have benefited the whole class. Which is why when a snivelling little cold DM dork asks needy little questions...
You mock them publicly. There are numerous benefits to this that I won't go into now.
"But James, I prefer private tuition!"
Then you're in luck. There's a time-tested and proven system for getting one-on-one advice tailored to you and your business. But like anything tailor-made... It'll cost ya.
If that doesn't put you off?
Go here:
James Perkins
