I was once a stockbroker on Wall Street during the early 90’s and working the phones was 1,000 times harder for me compared to the others simply because I am deaf. I had to use a TTY and then go through a phone service to reach out. Many times if people answered the first time around, they’d hang up, thinking it was a prank call. If I left a message, I had to leave them with special telephone instructions, which were thought to be “too complicated.”

But with persistence, I eventually found people who wanted to invest with me. I am no longer in that business having become an inspirational speaker. Nowadays I rarely use the phone – instead they come to me!

Cheers,
Alex

You could rename it to why bloggers should persever even if they don’t get a lot comments.

We all know how frustanting it gets when you devote the best of your free(?) time to a post that nobody seems to care about.

The prospect of being told “I don’t want what you have to offer” or “I don’t want to be with you” brings up a lot of sensation for many people. When we experience this, or worry about experiencing it, it’s important to keep breathing, feel the pressure of our feet on the ground and remember that it’s just sensation — it can’t kill or hurt us.

However, a good “sales” pitch is none of those things. For example, it’s asking for a date from that person you have noticed seems to be interested in you, too. (See “How to Ask for a Date” at http://shanelyang.com/2008/01/14/how-to-ask-for-a-date/ ) It’s asking for something you’re entitled to at work. (See “Success in the Corporate World” at http://shanelyang.com/2008/02/23/success-in-the-corporate-world-how-to-play-the-game-part-5/ ) It’s also asking for a return favor when you’ve given one at work. (See http://shanelyang.com/2008/03/18/success-in-the-corporate-world-think-like-a-winner-part-3/ )

In short, it’s how to “communicate” better your needs and wants to those who should care about what you have to say. If you don’t have anything to say that they should care about, then you really shouldn’t be bothering them. But, think about it: if they are your boss and they owe you what they promised you, they should care about that. If they are a single person apparently interested in getting to know you better, they are probably interested in a date with you. And, so on. The best self help advice I ever found for how to become better at being more persuasive in all areas of our life is Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” summarized at http://shanelyang.com/2007/10/09/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people/ It is a classic bestseller for a reason: It is simply the best! : )