Boom is Busting Out All Over

Hello, once again.

From great ideas going missing (see last Thursday's post), I suddenly have three slightly less stupendous things I need to talk about. I'll stick to one for now...

On Friday, I mentioned the recession that's about to hit, and told you how great an opportunity that can be, as long as you know how to make the best of it.

But thoughts of recessions, depressions and weary, worn-down people reminded me of a story I heard quite some time ago, possibly from Dan Kennedy, possibly not.

It concerned a salesman of the old school (still with us, of course, despite 'everything' being online now), who was selling encyclopedias door to door. At one run down looking home, he was invited in. The couple sat him down and offered him a drink, making him feel very welcome. Clearly, they had very little money and hardly any possessions that didn't look old and tired. The carpet was threadbare, the cups and saucers didn't match, there was an ancient radio in the corner of the lounge, etc, etc.

But the husband wanted to buy his encyclopedias - the complete set of which would probably cost as much as the combined value of all their other possessions.

The salesman doubted they could afford them. More importantly, he didn't think they should. They should spend what little money they had on essentials, like food and fuel.

Still he wanted the books.

The salesman, very politely, said no, and decided he should leave.

At which, the gentle, mild mannered husband flew into a rage, chased him out of the house and down the street, shouting after him: 'Who are you to say what I can and can't afford? What business is it of yours to tell me what I should spend my money on?'

Who indeed?

There are people today, who insist they are trying to sell their products, but who nonetheless get squeamish about actually asking people for their money. 'They might not be able to afford it' is just another excuse we make for not trying very hard.

Our concern is whether the product is worth the money we ask for it - not whether someone else 'should' spend that money. It really is none of our business. We really know next to nothing about them. We must offer them good value and let them choose.

That's our job and that's all our job is...

And as an aside, who knows what value we might now put on all the information in those encyclopedias? They were probably a bargain, and it shows information marketing is nothing new!

Roy Everitt, Writing For Results

PS. Speaking of progress (and valuable information), 'Web 2.0 Stampede' represents a large dollop of both, at a very affordable price, even in these apparently straightened times. Clck on the blue banner to the right, and take a look.

If I Read it in The Papers...

...It must be true.

Apparently, there's a depression on the way. 'Everyone' is saying as much, so I guess it will happen, even if it wasn't going to before.

Sometimes, I think 'everyone' just gets a bit bored with doing okay from time to time...

But anyway, there's a recession on the way and it's great news.

Not for everyone, it's true. But for me, and for you, if we both play it smart.

Because the business I'm in thrives on difficult times and competition and even a shortage of cash. If that sounds counter-intuitive then you may be a marketing executive or the head of a company that's about to 'pull in its horns' in a vain attempt to ride out the recession.

I was born in the 1950's and, although the war was long over, the UK was still deep in debt as a result of it. The UK economy was struggling and a lot of prewar companies didn't survive.

Some, though, thrived.

Mysterious, eh? Some kind of conspiracy? Not really. The companies that thrived during the most difficult periods of the last hundred years (it was much the same in the decade or so after the first war) were the ones who invested in marketing, in a big way. Pretty much all the household names of the fifties and sixties became household names because they advertised - on commercial television, in newspapers and magazines and on commercial radio (mostly 'pirate' stations in the UK back then).

Their goods weren't cheaper and they weren't better - they were just there.

And most of them survived, while the firms who drew in their horns and tried to ride it out, very often didn't.

And, as marketing people, we owe it to our clients to remind them of the lessons of history. When there's a squeeze on, and money is tight, we all tend to spend it on the products that are most visible, and not on the ones that seem to disappear. If there are two items to choose from, we'll choose the one that's put in front of us.

For us, there's a simple lesson:

you must market yourself hard and persuade your clients to do the same. If they want to not just survive the recession, but thrive in it, they must out-sell the competition. Persuade them of that and, for you and your clients, the boom times are here!

Roy Everitt, Writing For Results