Back in 1994, a time period that feels like an eternity ago, I volunteered to fly down to the Appalachian Region of Kentucky to assist one of the poorest communities in America.

I slept in a barn that was barely held together by wood planks. The gaps in the planks allowed for wind, rain, and (my favorite) mosquitos to frequent my peaceful slumber.

And the food? The iced tea resembled wet lawn mower clippings and the meals were largely composed of dry, crumbly peanut butter on a generic (stale) white bread. This food made McDonald’s look like a 5-star restaurant!

But I happily lived like a pauper because I believed my presence would make a lasting difference for the families I was blessed to help.

Then I woke up the next morning and something didn’t feel right.

We loaded into the vans for our next project, and as I drove through the neighborhoods that benefited from my donations and time – I got a surprising reality check…

Ironic really.

On one side of the coin, you see many of the homes in desperate need of repair… Roof shingles missing, siding falling off the house, broken windows, and collapsing decks…

And on the other side…

Many of these homes had satellite dishes and above ground pools.

Of course, this bothered me – why am I here if these people can afford certain luxuries like satellite dishes and pools?!

As the day progressed, I kept my mouth shut and pondered the events in the morning.

Later that afternoon, we hosted a luncheon for the children of the community… And this is where it gets really disturbing.

All of the kids were hungry (that was expected).

Almost half of the kids had no shoes (that was disturbing).

But the biggest gut wrenching experience for me was when I met this little girl – about 6 – who attended the lunch hungry, with no shoes, no shirt, and burns across the left side of her body.

When I inquired with the lead volunteer, he told me that she was riding on a motorcycle with her father, the biked tipped over…

And because they had no money to visit the hospital, she was unable to get treatment and forced to live with the burn marks for the rest of her life.

Sad…

Then I got irate.

I stormed over to the lead volunteer and demanded answers as to why these people can afford pools, motorcycles, and satellite dishes – and can’t feed, clothe, or take care of their own children.

His answer:

People always find money for the things that are most important to them.

Now granted, Walmart offered a payment plan to make these luxuries possible (I believe someone said the payment plan was extended 25 years)… But still, why give a dollar to Walmart if it meant you can’t take care of your kids? Disgusting.

Yet – the lesson was unforgettable:

People always find money for the things that are most important to them.

So as a marketer, the biggest lie you could tell yourself is “my product/service is too expensive” – because the truth is, it’s not. It’s not about money at all…

If your customers or clients are not buying from you, it’s because you haven’t made your product/service attractive enough.

In other words, you have to make it so irresistible to your clients, it becomes THAT important that they’re willing to pay your price.

You see, if someone is willing to make a purchase, more often than not it’s to satisfy a pain.

Maybe they want to look more attractive… Make more money… Fall in love… Have more free time… Become healthier… Be more confident… Get faster results… Feel more important… Have more fun… Worry less… Etc.

Whatever it may be – if your prospect’s pain is great enough AND if your prospect believes that YOU offer the best opportunity to satisfy their pain (and offer the greatest result possible)…

You’ve increased the odds of getting their business.

Look, I have a coaching client who’s hypothesized that “$2,000 programs don’t sell anymore.” Two weeks later, I sold over $500,000 dollars worth of a product priced at $2,495…

I was once in Vegas at an event held by Russell Brunson. He sold a 4-day coaching program valued at $3,500. I met someone who told me that he only had one month of savings left, but because he believed Russell’s program was the answer to his problem… Yes, he purchased the program.

Many years ago, I met two people who traveled with me around the world with Tony Robbins. Both committed to $125,000 each (when you consider Tony’s fees, travel, accommodations, etc.) for the year-long trip…

BOTH were in debt, had to put the charges on their credit cards… And carried a balance for years before they could pay it off. They found the money too…

Yes – in many ways – this is the dark side of money… The ugly truth… And why, as entrepreneurs, having such power of influence must be held with the utmost of integrity and responsibility.

Yes – when you craft your message correctly, striking a balance of pain awareness and the promise of transformation, a percentage of people spend their last dollar on your product or service because they hope you’ll finally have the solution they’ve been looking for…

And yes, it’s your job – morally and ethically – to do everything in your power to fulfill on your promise, alleviate their pain, and bring them the ultimate result they expect from you because, as an entrepreneur, this is how you – how we – can make this world even better.