We were discussing a minor procedure that may be in my future.

So I asked what I always ask: “What’s the risk?”

He said, “Zero, in my hands.”

That’s a problem.

First, telling me that a medical procedure, even if routine and non-invasive, has ZERO risk, is simply not true. I could have an adverse reaction to a medication or to the procedure itself.

Second, putting a cherry on top by suggesting he has superpowers above other medical professionals – “in my hands” – is likewise a red flag. I don’t want someone who thinks he’s Batman.

A much better response – one that would have given me confidence in both him and the procedure, instead of leaving me with second thoughts – would have been to say something like, “The risk is extremely low; I’ve done this procedure hundreds of times. Still, with any medical procedure, there is always some risk, such as …”

In any selling situation, it may feel as if promising perfection is the best way to close the deal. But in my experience, that doesn’t put people at ease – it makes them wonder what you’re not saying.

When hiring a professional, whether a doctor or whatever it is you do, people aren’t looking for ironclad guarantees. They are looking for someone they can trust.

Pointing out the potential pitfalls of what you offer – especially ones they may have never even considered – is the surest way to demonstrate you are the real thing.

Not a lot. Just a teeny-tiny bit outside my kitchen window as I was drinking my morning coffee.

It shouldn’t be a surprise. Snow, along with unreasonably high rents and incessant traffic, is among Massachusetts’ main selling points.

But every year, when that first snow falls, people talk about it as if such a thing has never before occurred.

The next time it happens, you won’t hear a peep.

If you want people to notice you (let alone talk about you), you need to keep coming up with original stuff.

Doing what’s trendy – relying on a popular app, laying out your website in a particular way, marketing with an accepted approach – won’t bring you any criticism.

But like the second snowfall of the season, you will remain largely invisible.

P.S. The more things you let AI write for you, the more you’ll blend in with everyone else who is doing the same thing.

They were my keys. 

When picking up a new car at CarMax this past weekend and leaving the rental car I had been driving, I forgot that all my keys were on that rental key ring.

I called CarMax once I got home and realized what I had done.

I figured I had two options:

#1. Drive the 45 minutes back to CarMax to get the keys.
#2. Take it as a loss, since I either had or could make copies.

But the person at CarMax said: “No problem, it actually happens a lot. I’ll FedEx them to you in the morning.” And no, they didn’t ask me to pay for the shipping.

Here’s the thing…

I just paid several thousand dollars to CarMax for a pretty significant purchase.

And while it all went smoothly, the thing I’m going to remember is how they took the extra step to quickly and easily send me my keys.

Unexpected gestures, even when small, are what your clients (and others) notice.

They purchased my (fabulous) Penguin Program, which is on sale for 50% off through next Thursday.

But… they forgot to include the discount code (cutepenguins), so they were charged full price. So I gave them a $98.50 credit to even things up.

I hadn’t heard from them, and maybe I never would have had they not noticed, been too embarrassed to get in touch, or whatever.

As you might expect, they were happily surprised to hear from me.

Yes, it cost me $98.50, today. But that paid for a lot of goodwill tomorrow and beyond.

Solo professional marketing often has a long-term payoff.

And you’re in it for the long term, aren’t you?

What’s that you say … you mean a client didn’t hire you, right?

No, I mean I didn’t hire them.

I just didn’t feel a good connection. So even though they were sounding interested, I gently moved out of the way and suggested some alternatives.

We are not employees – we get to choose clients just as much as they get to choose us. 

And in case you’re thinking, “easy for you to say,” you’re right. It would have been a lot harder 15 or 20 years ago when I really needed the work.

But I did the same thing then.

“Having great clients” doesn’t just happen. If you want nothing but those, you need to turn down anyone who doesn’t fit that description.

And don’t worry, the “wrong” ones are never worth the cost.