“Hey what’s your name?”
“Helen.”
“That’s nice. You look like a Helen. Helen, we’re both in sales. Let me tell you why I suck as a salesman.”
Maybe you know this scene. It’s from the movie Tommy Boy.
Chris Farley plays his usual character, “manic fat guy,” trying to make sales to save his family business.
In this scene, Chris is in a diner, trying to order chicken wings. But Helen, the waitress, flatly tells him the kitchen is closed.
Instead of pressing the point, Chris goes on to tell Helen why he sucks as a salesman. He uses a bread roll to illustrate his possible sale:
He loves his possible sale so much, like a pretty new pet, that he ends up ripping it apart — because he’s such a manic fat guy.
It’s a funny scene, worth watching if you haven’t seen it, worth revisiting if you have.
At the end of Chris’s manic fat guy routine, Helen the waitress shakes her head.
“God you’re sick,” she says with a chuckle. “Tell you what. I’ll go turn the fryers back on and throw some wings in for ya.”
The typical conclusion to a story like is — “Share your stories of vulnerability and failure, and magic doors open!”
Maybe. But I’d like to tell you a different conclusion.
Because Chris Farley really was sick. He battled alcoholism and drug use and apparently felt horrible about the weight he always joked about. He ended up dead at age 33, from a combination of cocaine and morphine, though traces of marijuana and antidepressants were also found in his system.
I’m not trying to bring you down. I’m trying to give you some practical advice. Specifically, some practical advice I read in a book called The Narrow Road, by a multimillionaire named Felix Dennis. Says Dennis:
“Donning the mask of misfortune for the amusement of those around you or to elicit sympathy is a perilous activity. You run the risk of the mask fitting a little too well. Or — and I have seen this happen — of becoming the mask.”
In entirely unrelated news:
The deadline to get The Secret of the Magi before the price doubles is tonight, Sunday, at 12 midnight PST.
The Secret of the Magi tells you just one thing — the big takeaway I’ve had about opening conversations that can lead to business partnerships. It’s based on my experiences being both on the receiving end of many cold outreach attempts… and spending this past summer cold contacting a bunch of other people.
Your investment to get The Secret of the Magi is a whopping $23.50. Well, assuming you get it before the deadline, which is, again, tonight at 12 midnight PST.
I won’t be writing any more emails before then. So in case you want this guide, maybe get it now?
It’s up to you. Here’s the link if you want to find out the secret: