You Can’t Help Some People

Last week I had a good lesson in remembering that you can’t help some people get out of their own way. I even had to wait a few days to write this blog because I was so upset by someone’s naivety.

I spoke to a prospect that had a unique business model. He matched investors with companies that needed capital to construct new warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and other buildings that would allow them to grow exponentially. To offset the risk of each investment, he pooled dozens of capital projects together with other investors. While talking about his company’s challenges, it was clear that he was a numbers guy, and he did not have a grasp on marketing his company. Luckily, he has a “sales guy” and that person was requesting he get a website to build credibility with the potential investors. Through the conversation, I found out that a typical investment is over $10 million.

All was good until we spoke about the budget. When I gave him the price of something small, he said he didn’t need something that sophisticated. I was floored and dumbfounded! He is asking people to spend millions of dollars, and he thinks he does not need something “sophisticated” – those were his words.

Why am I telling you this anyway? In life, some people get it, and others can learn while some just can’t get out of their own way to get help. We need to know when to cut our losses and move on.