“Don’t give your services away for free.” That’s what I’ve heard many marketers say in their high-end programs. It certainly makes sense if you’ve ready established yourself. Social
Media mogul, Gary Vee, and marketer extraordinaire, Brendon Burchard, don’t have enough time in the day to help everyone who wants their time.
But that’s them. The cream of the crop. They paid their dues early on.
We all have to start somewhere. Sure, you may just be a 17-year-old kid about to release the next big thing, but those are the exception to the rule. Most young people I talk to are just as lost as I was when I was at that age.
Listening to them talk about their dreams, the more I realize how erroneous the no-pay-no work advice can be. Think about it for a second.
A Different World
How would movies have changed if Steven Spielberg not taken an unpaid intern at Universal Studios? Imagine if Steve Jobs never took on an internship at Hewlett-Packard. No Jaws. No iPhone.
What about Tony Robbins, the guy who single-handedly transformed the personal development business? As a young 17-year-old kid, after listening to Jim Rohn speak, he approached him and asked if he could attend his weekend event for free. Jim’s answer and I’m paraphrasing here, went something like this, “If you really want to come, you’ll find a way.”
Somehow Tony was able to get the money together and ended up working for Mr. Rohn for a few years. He had such a passion for what he did, that he offered to do other people’s sales presentations and give them 100% of the proceeds. He went on to transform the personal development space and today helps thousands of people all over the world each year with both his live events and audio programs.
The fact is people who really want something will find a way to make it happen.
We live in a society that gives us access to knowledge on what seems limitless topics. We can learn anything our heart desires.
However, there is one thing our smartphones can’t do and that give us experience. Internships and volunteering our services help fill that void.
The Amazon Effect
You’ve got to love Amazon. Click, click and the next day it’s sitting on your doorstep when you come home. The selection is out of this world. But it comes at a price.
With so much choice, people have a tendency to hesitate. Are they making the right decision? What if something better comes along later?
Our minds are under assault from so many different directions that our ability to focus on one task is severely hampered thanks to our uber-connected world.
I see too far many people bouncing around from one idea to the next without ever giving any a real shot at success. As the famous Chinese philosopher, Lao Tsu says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” One step at a time. It may sound silly, but refusing to give up will take you far in life.
Where’s A Good Place To Start?
A great place to start is by simply making a list of the people you’d love to work with. Then go and do your due diligence. Head over to their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts and find out what they’re passionate about or interested in recently. Once you know that, all you need to do is find a way you can bring value to them in any of those areas.
The Power
You’re bound to get some no’s, but so what. It’s not the no’s you’re after. What is surprising is how many people actually say yes.I know people who with very little experience were able to secure work with some of the top marketers and publications simply because they kept trying.
That’s the power of volunteering.
So if you’re sitting by your computer waiting for a response from all the resumes you’ve sent out, stop. Don’t wait, act.