Team Alpha 375

Listen to Your Gut
By Perry Marshall

Recently, I consulted with a student who had invested heavily in a business that was making money but involved dealing with seedy individuals.

He was conflicted about it. He'd put quite a bit of money into the venture. It was profitable, thus doubly hard to walk away from. But he didn't feel good about what he was selling or who his customers were. His head and his gut were duking it out.

I don't like to just come out and tell people what to do in a situation like this. So here's what I said to him...

"One of the most valuable skills I've honed is the ability to listen to my gut.

"I learned this the hard way.

"There was an investor in the company I worked for who I personally liked. But every time he called, I'd feel a subtle, almost imperceptible, wave of fear. Only much later did I realize his mission was to slice my fingers off, one bloody joint at a time. (Figuratively speaking, of course.)

"My head didn't know it, but my gut did.

"Ignoring my gut turned out to be a costly mistake."

Your gut can send you good signals, too. When I interviewed Mendy Butler, for example, who is now my Most Excellent Customer Service Person, I didn't know her at all. So I wasn't sure I should hire her. But as she got up to leave, a cool song started playing in my head: "We likes Mendy!"

I did follow through and check all her references -- but hearing that song in my head was the green light that she was the gal for the job.

Another example: At the very first seminar I put on, David Bullock stole the show. I got waves of raves about his presentation about online testing and tracking. He was totally tuned in with great information. He was entertaining, fun, even arresting.

And you know what?

He'd never had any speaker training.

He'd never spoken to a seminar audience before.

He'd never even been to that kind of seminar.

But I made him my keynote speaker and he totally rocked.

My gut told me to feature him.

He's now got speaking invitations from major seminar promoters all over the biz.

At first, it's not easy to detect your inner voice. But little by little, you begin to see through the haze and hear it more clearly.

As I told my student, if you ignore your gut today, it will be harder to hear its voice at all tomorrow.
Never disconnect your most reliable instruments.

I think my student will do the right thing. And in the process, he will teach his Inner CFO a lesson: "We're in charge of the money here, boys. The money is not in charge of us."

Small seeds grow and multiply. Little hinges swing big doors. Seemingly insignificant choices have far-reaching consequences. A decision to heed your best instrumentation, and become even more reliant on it instead of less, benefits you in unforeseeable ways.

Listen to your gut.