One smooth stone
By Ernie Mitchell
HTF Columnist
Back in the early 80s I traveled and made sales calls with a gentleman that was over twenty years my senior. For the sake of his privacy I’ll call him Sam. Old Sam and I became good friends. He taught me a lot about the high art of professional salesmanship. Sam had been a salesman for a long time. In fact, he used to jokingly say that when he first started in sales he sold David the stone that made him famous. By that he was referring to the “One Smooth Stone” that David used to slay Goliath. With credentials like that, Sam had defi- nitely been around for awhile.
Sam was always looking for an edge. He used to say that all we wanted was just “one unfair advantage.” As for me, I wanted a handful of those smooth stones like the one Sam said he sold to David.
Truth was Sam had all the advantages, fair or otherwise anyone ever needed. His customers liked and trusted him; he was a natural people person and a master at the salesmanship game. But Sam was also an old dog that refused to learn new tricks.
When new technology started being incorporated in the machinery we were selling Sam started falling short. Instead of rising to the occasion by becoming proactive and spending time with the engineering department, asking questions and becoming an expert on all the new technological bells and whistles, he buried his head in the sand and ignored the new-tech side of his products. Doing so was a grave mistake that led to his downfall.
By the time Sam woke up to the reality that all the new technology was here to stay and that his customers expected immediate answers to their questions it was too late for him to play catchup. He quickly lost credibility with his customers and had to be replaced.
What happened to Sam was a tragedy. Before the new technological changes arrived on the scene he was not only on top of his game, he was also ahead of all the other players in the field, including yours truly. Had he embraced the new changes as the advantages they were instead of tensing up and burying his head in the sand he could have prospered beyond his wildest dreams. In reality, the new emerging technology that Sam feared and shied away from was the “One Unfair Advantage” that he always wanted. It’s a shame that when it arrived he didn’t recognize the gift wrapping.
Sam’s phobia and refusal to embrace digital technology is not unusual, especially among older adults. Because of its vast potential, reluctance to learn and implement modern eCommerce marketing techniques can be extremely shortsighted - even dangerous - if your competitors have already bellied-up to the eCommerce bar. Odds are it’s just a matter of time before they do so.
Technology has been likened to a locomotive that we must climb aboard or risk being crushed beneath its wheels. If you, like Sam, suffer from chronic technophobia it’s time to rise above it and get a mitt (or in this case, a mouse) and get into the digital game.
Hidden within the modern eCommerce marketing arsenal is the “One Smooth Stone” you need to slay your modern-day Goliaths.
Ernie Mitchell, Moose Lake Hill, Orr MN, © All Rights Reserved 2010.
Ernie Mitchell’s “Ten-Second-Tip”
The Ten-Second Marketing Tip That Works
Without a deadline a Special Offer isn’t special. Creating urgency by putting a deadline on your offer will always increase response.
BONUS TIP: When writing an ad the headline is 70% of the battle. When choosing a headline capitalize on the strongest possible benefit your product offers your customers.
