I received this question from a new seller:
“First off I just wanna say I love the podcast and your confidence! I’m on episode 12 of the podcast and I’m loving it! I listen while driving to and from work, while cleaning, and while sitting at my desk messaging buyers on PantyDeal. I’ve been making notes in my phone on what to do and not to do, but I’m starting to feel a little discouraged.
I’ve been on PD for almost 2 weeks now and I haven’t made a sale yet. I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight but I’m starting to feel like it might now happen. My shop is fully up and running, stocked with panty/sock options, I’ve past all my fake checks, and I reach out to someone every time they visit my profile! I check out their bio, and start up a conversation with them. I’ve made some friends but so far no sales.
One Buyer was super nice to gift me 6 stickers and that really made my night but I’d die to make a sale. I started reading the blogs yesterday but I’m in this weird funk. I guess I’m starting to feel like nothing’s going to happen but I don’t want to quit!
If you could give me some feedback and a tip, I’d be so grateful”
This is a question I get a lot. I mean, A LOT.
Most of the time it’s not even a question, it’s a seller saying they’re discouraged, thinking everyone else is making sales and they aren’t.
Maybe they’re not cut out for this work etc. Etc.
So first of all, thinking of quitting is common. It’s natural. It’s completely NORMAL for you to think about quitting and this won’t be the last time so get used to it.
I’ve spoken on the podcast before about the number of times I’ve thought about quitting and that’s WHILST MAKING ALL THE SALES.
So there’s that.
Get used to wanting to quit. It doesn’t just apply to you. It applies to every person out there working for themselves and not getting instantaneous feedback that what they’re doing is good, useful, lucrative or anything else they apply to it.
You will want to quit one hundred and fifty thosand times…a day! 😊
Now that we know that it takes the pressure off. Next time it happens you can say “Oh, there’s the me wanting to quit feeling again!”
I’ll let you in on a secret. I wanted to quit yesterday. YES-TER-DAY.
Fuck this, I’m quitting. <—— Me
It happens a lot and it’s normal.
The trick is not quitting when the going gets tough.
The trick is not quitting when it’s EASY to quit and just pretend it was all a bad dream or the industry was fucked or the platform was fucked or anything else you decide to attribute it to.
And there may be truth in those things. But the more you can get over the hurdles of wanting to quit ANYTHING in life, the more you demonstrate tenacity and worthiness because you stayed in the game even though it sucked and it was hard.
And let me tell you a secret, life fucking rewards that behaviour.
YES. Life/the Universe/God/Leprechauns reward your efforts. No amount of hard work goes unrewarded.
Now, I’m going to tell you what I tell every person who comes to me with this problem – and like I said, you may very well be the 900th person.
You haven’t given it long enough
You haven’t given it long enough.
You haven’t given it long enough.
It sounds like you’re doing all the right things.
The next thing you have to do is show up and do it all over again today, tomorrow and the next.
On repeat.
FOR AT LEAST 90 DAYS.
Come back to me in 90 days.
THEN, we’ll have a conversation.
For a few reasons.
Firstly, any new business takes 4-6 weeks to get going. You don’t open a store or restaurant and give up after two weeks because you’re not getting customers through the door?
Secondly, knowing and resigning yourself to the fact it takes 4-6 weeks frees up so much energy for you to do the work. Imagine not having to worry about whether it’s working or not for 90 whole DAYS! Phew! Doesn’t that sound like a holiday from worry and stress and constantly questioning yourself.
DECIDE you’re not going to get upset about this for 90 days. Give yourself that gift!
Thirdly, 80% (possibly more) sellers QUIT after the first 30-60 days. Are you going to be one of them?
Are you going to quit too?
Are you a quitter?
Because if you are that’s fine, just stop now. This industry isn’t for everyone. I swear it’s not.
It takes hard work, enterprise, creativity and a fucking die-hard attitude to keep going in spite of not making sales or shitty customers.
It’s hard work.
If you were sold a lie about how free and easy money this is, let me just burst that bubble now and say there will be days where you fucking hate this work and it pays you nothing.
But if you keep going, you CAN make it work.
But the key is to KEEP GOING!