SteveBuelow.com

So, here’s a story from A DECADE AGO that still brings a smile to my face every time I think about it. Need proof?

I’m smiling right now… see?

Back about 1999, I was speaking with the CEO of one of our vendors… just a peer to peer discussion about politics… business… and life.

You see, we had developed our relationship over the previous twelve years or so… and he relied on me as much for my coaching advice, as he did for my company’s business.

The reason? Well, we had both gotten married about the time we met back in the late 80’s… and HIS marriage was on the rocks. Big-time.

But alas… I digress.

In any event, we often talked about anything and everything… and this day was no different.

When the conversation turned back to business… I asked about a new service-line they were offering. Specifically, I wondered about realistic delivery times, as well as what guarantees he would be comfortable making in light of competitive pressures in their industry.

There was a reason for my questions.

It just so happened that I had received a “form letter” earlier that day from his sales department… a letter which made claims that, at best… bent the truth. At worst, they were grounds for libel. And I knew that had my friend seen this letter, he would NEVER have approved.

So, here’s how the next three or four minutes went…

Without him knowing that I was reading from HIS COMPANY’S letter, I asked, “How would you respond to the following claims if competitor So’n So made them?”

He thought they DID make them.

“They are just such lying weasels…” he said. “NOBODY could make such statements and be serious. It’s ridiculous… UNBELIEVABLE!”

I stopped him with the truth before he went any further… I knew he’d want to know.

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We get used to taking advertising and marketing with a grain of salt… there’s just so much out there that is simply… unbelievable.

And the web environment is no better.

My Twitter account, like yours, is jam-packed with spam and wild claims about everything imaginable. So much so, that I give the spammers free reign of the Direct Message section on my home page, rarely giving it more than a glance.

So a message like, “Get 100 FREE followers every day on auto-pilot!!” means nothing to me… I already get 300 a day, thank you.

Or how about this one: “I just got 4000 followers using this tool!!” I went to his home page… he had 176 followers… total. Even without a calculator, that doesn’t seem to add up to me!

My favorite this week was a tweet claiming the sender picked up 16846 followers in 90 days using a Twitter version of the “Chain Letter.” The next day I clicked on her account name… her page had been suspended by Twitter for “Suspicious Activity.”

Doesn’t impress as a sound or sustainable business model.

In fact, it seems rather… unbelievable.

I look forward to speaking with you.

Question:

If a competitor made the claims you’re making… would you believe them?

Photo Credit:

jbcurio