Walt Koontz: I can't do it!

Rusty Zimmerman: Yeah? Well "can't" lives on "Won't" Street.

This is a great quote lost in an unremarkable movie (Flawless from 1999…NOT the 2007 heist movie of the same name starring Michael Caine and Demi Moore), but it is still rather profound.

Here is what I mean…

Can’t is a static state. It is a helpless position. Can’t is a powerless victim of circumstance. Can’t is an attempt to distance oneself from owning the outcome. It can be a form of defeat, but also a bluff.

I can’t offer a lower list price.

I can’t afford to update the package or improve my marketing efforts to drive demand.

I can’t invest in better insight and take more time to make better decisions.

Won’t acknowledges that a choice is being made. It reflects a decision (or the refusal to make a decision) that is equivalent to saying “I could, but I choose not to.” Won’t indicates empowerment and self-control.

I won’t choose to target a smaller, niche segment that really values (and will pay for) the benefits my product offers.

I won’t make changes or improvements as long as I can keep getting away with what I’ve been doing.

I won’t spend any more money than I absolutely need to.

I CAN’T…UNTIL I NEED TO

The difference between can’t and won’t becomes clear when bad things start to happen.

I can’t lower my price…until I realize the competition has uncut me.

I can’t invest in efforts to drive demand…until my sales fall off a cliff.

I can’t afford better insight…until I start paying the high price for poor past decisions.

Successful businesses are good at making tough decisions. They still operate with finite resources and constant opportunity cost. But these companies operate under one very important premise: They are in control. Their destiny is based on what they will choose to do or not do, not what they can or cannot do.

Are you using can’t as an excuse to avoid tough decisions? Are you ready to risk failure based on a bluff?

CAN’T LIVES ON WON’T STREET