Sterling And Me
Most of you have heard of Sterling Valentine. He’s the whiz “kid” (he’s actually a little older than you might think) that went from zero to $100,000 in sales in 93 days last year. That’s no product, no list and no partners on day one to $100,000 in sales on day 93!
Since then Sterling has grown into a full-fledged entrepreneur and business coach. But, more importantly, he is one of the nicest and most honest guys I have ever had the opportunity to meet.
During the JV Alert Live conference that I attended this past weekend, Sterling gave a presentation. At the end of his presentation, he made a sales pitch for his coaching program. The program was limited to people who already had a product but needed some help launching the product and setting up joint venture partnerships.
I was interested and asked if he would talk with me about the program a bit more after his presentation and he agreed. I showed him my product and he said he was very interested in the project and would like to get started right away. Then he asked, “Are you ready to get started?” I answered, “Yeah…I…I guess so,” and handed him the order form for the $3000 program, complete with my credit card information and signature.
But Sterling just looked at me for a little while and then asked, “Why the hesitation? What’s holding you back?” That started a half-hour conversation at the end of which Sterling and I agreed that there was something going on inside me that needed to be addressed before he and I could ever begin work on launching my product. He turned down $3000 to work with me, not because my product was no good–he loved the product!–but because he saw that I wasn’t mentally ready to complete the project.
Here was his advice to me and I will pass it along to you because I think everyone should take it to heart:
“Dan, whatever you have to offer, regardless of what you think of it yourself, someone needs. It is your duty and your obligation to get it out there so that the people who need it can get it. It’s also your duty and obligation to get it out there so that you can make the money you need to take care of your family and contribute to your community. You need to overcome whatever it is that’s holding you back so that you can fulfill these obligations.”
- Sterling Valentine, 2007
WOW! His words hit me like a sledge hammer, right between the eyes. What a wake up call!
If you’ve ever had thoughts like “My product is no good” or “I don’t know anything that other people would want to know” or “I don’t have what it takes to create a good product,” just give it a rest. EVERYONE knows something that would benefit others. EVERYONE can create a valuable product or service.
So, I’ll make a deal with you. You put those destructive thoughts behind you and I’ll do the same. I’ll check back with you from time to time to let you know how I’m doing with my product launch after I get my head in the right place.
- Daniel Joseph Moran
