Back at the turn of the century when I first told my Uncle Mike I was getting into the ad business, he gave me a very good piece of advice. “Whenever you have to sell something,” he said, “Don’t sell to the people in the room. Give them very clear ideas that they can then sell to their bosses later on who aren’t in the room.”
It was a simple piece of advice that I never forgot. Because it made a lot of sense.
Today, in our web 2.0, socially networked world, Uncle Mike’s advice makes more sense than ever. Instead of assuming that our messages are enough to drive results in the marketplace on their own, we should follow Uncle Mike’s instructions and present tools and advice so that our audience can then sell to other people. Because in a world where word of mouth and personal recommendation are so easily accessed and carry so much selling power, providing this information makes more sense than ever.
Thanks Uncle Mike.