I wouldn't be sitting on this stage at Cornell if my thoughts weren't correct historically. I've had a track record of being ahead of the curve and predicting what would happen in certain markets, and for that, I am able to do the things I do today. I know wholeheartedly that my style can be a bit off-putting, and I'm conscious of that, but at the end of the day, I'm exercising my skills as both a businessman and salesman.
You may have a great product early on but there better be a portion of that business focused on driving sales. You have to have the know-how and the chops to win business and to win people over. The steak must most definitely be there, but without the sizzle, things just might not play out as planned.
And so, I've seen plenty of great businesses fail because they didn't know how to sell. I bet that we're not even aware of the best 50 books and movies ever written or made. Why? Because they weren't sold properly enough. They didn't leverage the right platforms, mediums, or circumstances to get their content out there. So for me, it all boils down to the mix. Having a good product is great and all but if you can't get it into the right hands, then it's just not going to work out.
This is part of a Q&A session I did with the students of Cornell Tech Program. For more, check out the playlist here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfA33-E9P7FAwwMY6gqBd2pc7m-qjcpr-

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Gary Vaynerchuk is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling author, self-taught wine expert, and innovative entrepreneur. Find more at http://garyvaynerchuk.com
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is now available on Amazon! http://bit.ly/jjjrhamazon