Every time I start working with a new consulting or coaching client I hear the same old story, "You don't understand it's different here . . . blah, blah, blah." Having lived, worked, coached and consulted people in every conceivable market in the US and many in Canada, I have always believed that if your market had houses and people, it was EXACTLY like every other market.
I was wrong, it is different here. I now accept that the higher end markets are filled with people who have significantly larger egos. Those egos repeatedly get in the way of making logical, sound, even savvy business decisions. I constantly hear "I can afford to _____________ ." Yeah that's great, and at 6+ ft tall, approx 225 lbs in decent shape, I can afford to get in the ring with Mike Tyson. I may even last a round or two (assuming I don't lose an ear!) But just because I can "afford" to do it, would you recomend that I do it? Or would you be far more likely to tell me it's stupid? Doing something just because you can afford to is usually stupid. Egos cause people to do stupid things. What stupid things are you doing right now?
In discussing this point with a client in Laguna Beach CA recently, we discussed the differences between Mercedes and Kia. My contention was that Kia was more popular. Upon researching sales figures we found that not only does Kia outsell Mercedes, significantly. We also learned that many Kia dealers are having record sales, right now in 2009 while Mercedes sales are off by staggering amounts. Hmmm, I wonder . . . what does that tell us about high end vs low end???
