Today’s question comes from Mr. Harry P. Hungwell (not necessarily his real name):
Matt,
How do you handle this situation? You are set to be interviewed for someone’s podcast or Zoom video, and the podcaster doesn’t show.
Would you give that person a second chance and reschedule?
H.P.H.
Dear Mr. Hungwell,
Se depende* as I heard it said in Spanish, from a 92-year old lady I trained back when I lived in Californigh-ay.
Her name was Minnie and she hailed from Austria, married an ‘merican and outlived him by a long shot.
Minnie spoke mucho languages, I believe eight altogether, and she frequently replied “yes” to my questions as follows:
Si Si Si. Oui Oui Oui. Ya Ya Ya. Dan Dan Dan. Egan, Egan, Egan.” and so on, going through all eight languages she was fluent in.
I used to add, “Shi de, shi de, shi de. Hai, hai, hai.” Which she would then repeat, with a laugh. Minnie was always in learning mode.
Well, as you can imagine, Minnie didn’t drive to her workouts with me. She walked. All the way from the elder care facility she lived in, that was about a mile away.
Sometimes she showed up a half-hour early. Sometimes she showed up on the wrong day. Sometimes she showed up a bit late.
Was this forgivable? For Minnie, yes it was. She was a client from age 88 to age 92, when I moved out of the area. It was tough to say goodbye to her.
Anyway, for podcasters, here’s the way I look at it: If he or she is a newbie, there are no second chances. If it’s someone with a small list, there are no chances. If it’s someone with a big list who has a kick-ass track record, se depende.
Last night, at 9 PM, I was primed and ready for the interview of a lifetime. I waited 12 minutes – which is 10 minutes longer than I normally would have – and the guy never showed.
That’s unlikely to happen with this gentleman as he’s a master of getting things done in a big way.
This morning I heard from him. A huge apology. What happened? What’s his excuse?
He lost track of time while “creating” a new product.
Forgivable? In my book, HELL YES.
Why? Because I am a creator as well… and I know how a few minutes can turn into several hours. I know how you lose track of time… unable to recall what day is what as they seem to blend into one another. I know what staying up til 5, 6, 7 AM, with no fatigue, is all about.
This means I applaud the reason this gentleman gave me… and I will gladly reschedule.
This is where you need to be mentally flexible. As I learned in my martial arts training, if you’re too rigid you’re going to get broken in half. This is why there’s an adage, “Bend with the wind to avoid the hurricane.”
Rigidity sucks. Fluidity rules the day.
In email copywriting, if you’re inflexible, if you write the same ole same ole way, all the time, if you never mix it up… you’re the same as a boxer who only has one punch, a left hook. Even if your left hook is a battering ram, you better set it up with good footwork, jabs, straight rights and other maneuvers.
Here endeth the lesson.
Matt Furey
By the way, boxers only have four legal punches in their arsenal. As a martial artist, I have many more than that… and I reveal all in my courses. Perhaps my all-time favorite is The Tao of Email Copywriting that Sells – but then again, a lot of people champion my Original Email Copywriting Course. Either way you go, after listening to them, you’ll be upping your game in a huge way, landing one knockout blow after another, with either hand. Click the above links and start landing more knockout blows than ever before. If you’re a beginner, so much the better.
* Se depende – it depends
