Every day I hear from at least one or two businesses or agencies hoping to find out more about sponsoring Twitter parties. Often I have worked either with this particular person in the past or at least with one of their colleagues. While I like to carefully screen my clients, there is an ease that comes from working with the same person more than once. We simply settle on a date and move forward. Other times, however, the person reaching out is doing so on behalf of a completely new company or product. It then becomes my job to decide if this is a fit for you, my audience, as well as for me.
There have been times when saying thanks but no thanks to those offering to sponsor was simple. Perhaps the product is completely random and ill-suited to the typical party-goer. At times the potential client sounds more spammy than introductory and I simply move on quickly.
And then there are the tough calls.
Recently a potential client requested party information and after reading through my materials, chose to set up a phone call. We chatted for awhile and got along very well. I knew that I would enjoy working with this person, and the prizes in particular sounded like fun. But I had that weird feeling in the pit of my stomach for most of the call.
You know that feeling. Somewhere millions of years ago we developed that to save us from being eaten by a saber-toothed tiger or falling into a giant ice age crevice. I’ve used it in the past to avoid everything from a sketchy boy to a bad part of town. With all of the noise around us from our emails, our televisions, our neighbors, our friends, our families, our social media…it can at times be difficult to sense that feeling, to hear that voice. But there it was, tugging…
I did a bit more research on the company after our call and it turns out that I wasn’t the only person questioning this type of business. The company that contacted me directly seemed to be reputable, but the field overall turned out to be raising more questions than there were answers. To what would I be exposing my Twitter audience? What company would I soon be associating with my own personal brand? I made the call to walk away from the client, cancel the booked event, and not work with them in the future. Yes, this meant lost revenue and the potential for a fun party, but it also meant something far more important. It meant staying true to myself.
What is keeping you from listening to that voice inside you? When do you find you need it most?