SANK, I tell you.

Because there in my LinkedIN feed were two almost identical images of a woman (the only difference being the colour of her jacket), followed by the question: “Which one’s best? Answer in the comments, please!!!” (sic).

Man, my eyes rolled so far and fast back into my head the momentum almost threw me backwards off my chair.

Cuz it’s monumentally Stupid, even though at first blush it seems like a great idea. I mean, what could be better than getting the opinions of a bunch of business owners on LinkedIN, especially when some of them might be creative types with an eye for this shit.

Well… I can think of three reasons right off the top of my head:

1. You’re asking the wrong people. Notwithstanding your best efforts, your LinkedIN connections rarely form a representative cross-section of your target market. Why? Because your incoming requests are from people who have you in their target market. More to the point, the ones who typically interact with your stuff are those targeting younot the ones you are targeting yourself (think about it).
2. They won’t tell you the truth. They’re likely be supportive and “nice” and tell you what they think you want to hear. Either that or they just want to say something to stoke their own egos.
3. Their opinions are just that… opinions. There are two sides to the “opinion” question: objective and subjective. What you want is the objective; but what you’ll typically get is the subjective. For example, ask opinions about, say, a web-page of sales copy and you’ll get subjective opinions from unqualified people not in your target market who’ll tell you whether they “like” it or not; those who could give you a worthwhile objective opinion — like me, for instance — will say nothing or suggest you pay for a critique.

Worst of all… even if you do get a professional opinion, it’s still only that: an opinion. I can tell you if a sales letter or an ad is shit and accurately predict it’ll bomb. 

But what I can’t do is tell you if an objectively good sales letter or ad will succeed. Even if you’ve got everything right and followed best-practice, it can still bomb, and I can’t predict that for you. And when it comes to purely subjective stuff like your jacket and hairstyle, and things I know nothing about my opinion is as worthless as everyone else’s.

So, how to get the right answer, one not a single soul, not even God herself can dispute or argue with?

Pay for a professional opinion, make the suggested changes, and then test it.

Because testing always gives you the objectively correct answer.

Of course, most people don’t want this.

What they want is approval, so they’ll take the easy, painless route and ask the advice and of opinions of unqualified people who’ll say nice things to and about them.

Feels good, I’m sure, but as a business strategy is sucks a turd from Satan’s hairy arse.

The good news?

Join us for Ground Zero and you’ll get a thorough grounding in all this shit PLUS the chance to get my and Connor’s eyes on it for that all-important sanity-check before you throw it out to the market for the ultimate test.

O’ course, if you don’t want to swallow that generally bitter pill, do nowt. Your insolvency agent will thank you.

S’up to you. 

Click here for Ground Zero details.

Witheringly,

P.S. While we do have capacity for one more private client (reply to this if you’re interested, but we’re not cheap so don’t waste my time unless you’re serious and have time and money to invest in your life, business, and future), if you’re a local bricks ’n’ mortar business and you want to steal a march on your competitors and spank the bottom of the predatory online low-price retailers, I STRONGLY urge you to get your arse into gear and join us for Ground Zero.

It’s not some cookie-cut one-size-fits all solution to everyone’s problems. It’s gonna take effort: actual thinking and a fuckton of hard work — so much so, I expect to put most people off.

And that’s a good thing.

Why?

Because the greater part of your success in this (and anything and everything else) will rely on you doing what others won’t — not can’t — but won’t do.

Click here for Ground Zero details.