I was recently asked by a new member: “How do I convince my girlfriend that Robin’s system is a good investment? I sent her testimonials from wives of your members but she is still strongly opposed to Robin.”
Wow. Lots to unpack here. I think the first question I would have is this: is she opposed to my methods or opposed to me personally? If it’s the latter, there’s not much that can be done about that. I’ve given up on trying to be liked by everyone and intentionally do things now to annoy and use my haters – something I learned from Daymond John and Mike Rowe. Haters can be quite useful, so I’m not about to change what I’m doing. So far, it’s worked out pretty well.
Plus I think my true fans would be disappointed if I stopped being the opinionated, slightly pissed off, loudmouthed redhead they’ve come to know and love.
(For the record, it might do you some good to listen to and read my material a bit all the same. I don’t like broccoli much but I eat some because it’s good for me.)
Now, let me respond as if she is opposed to my methods. For that, darlin’, my track record speaks for itself. Anyone is well within their rights to have the opinion of not liking my approach, but you can’t make the argument that it “doesn’t work” any more than you can argue that the earth is flat.
My methods are steeped in proven direct response marketing, sales, persuasion and human-nature strategies that have been known and used for centuries.
If you were a serious student of these practices, you would instantly see that.
This next bit is harsh, but I’ll say it anyway because it needs to be said in the context of answering the question YOU asked me: Is your girlfriend qualified to judge my methods and/or provide advice on marketing? If she is not, why would you care if she likes it or not?
If her qualification is merely that she has a degree in marketing, sadly, that is insufficient. Universities are constantly pumping out students with degrees who can’t produce tangible results (meaning actual sales and new clients). While I’m certainly not opposed to education (we are a learning institution, after all), I would recommend you don’t take advice from people with opinions about marketing who have never been able to produce tangible results on a consistent basis. If she has those qualifications and knows a better strategy than we do for bringing clients in the door, I’ll gladly be a student to her – and I mean that sincerely.
I’ll also leave you with one final thought on the topic of allowing a significant other to drive your business decisions.
Kevin O’Leary told me a story about a young entrepreneur he was teaching in an after-hours business class. This kid had already started a SaaS company and was quite successful at it, running a multimillion-dollar business from his dorm room. One evening after class, the student approached Kevin, asking for personal advice. His fiancée had given him an ultimatum: “Give up the business or marry me, but you can’t do both.” She was very unhappy about the number of hours he was working and how it was preventing him from spending time with her and her family on Sundays. Attempting to help the man see this pragmatically, Kevin asked the student a simple question: “Which would be easier to replace, your business or your fiancée?”
Harsh? Perhaps. But a truly driven entrepreneur is a hard human to be in a relationship with IF you want a “normal” life. Real entrepreneurs don’t have a lot of free time – they work. They often miss baseball games and parties, never really taking a true vacation. Maybe your girlfriend is cool with that and her issue is 100% with me.
But before you dive into a longer-term relationship, you might want to make sure you are both aligned with your life goals and with money.
I had to have a very serious conversation about money, my business and kids with my husband before we got married. He had to understand what my goals were so later he wouldn’t be resentful that I was also “married” to the business I was running. I even went so far as to tell him I might not want to have kids, and he would have to accept that if we were going to get married. But he also knew he couldn’t give me ultimatums about being with him and starting a family or running a business.
In summary, I don’t know how to convince her if I don’t know what the actual objection is. If it’s a legitimate concern over why we do things a certain way, I would appreciate her questions offline where we can discuss her specific objections.
I’ve often said I don’t want “followers” but students, and I applaud a healthy skepticism where concerns are raised and discussed, but not an irrational cynicism where there is a hardened resolve to not like something simply because you don’t like it.
Hope this helps. Either way, like me or not, WE are dedicated to your success.
