Get A Grip! Do You Have a Handle on Your Marketing Message?

by: Tom Picciano

When I was in junior high a salesman came to school showing neat gym bags with the school colors and logo on the side. They were made of real vinyl and appeared sturdy.  The salesman pointed out the most important feature…handles that would never come off.

Sure enough, as hard as we could try the handles held strong.  I was sold!  Problem was, I didn’t have the $20 to pay for the gym bag.  I had to do some selling of my own to Mom and Dad.  I mentioned how great it would be to have a sturdy bag to carry to school.  And I didn’t forget to mention how the handles would never come off.  I described the washer that held everything in place.  The parents were sold too.

I used that gym bag for most of the year.  But I noticed that the vinyl wasn’t holding up.  It frayed around the corners, pieces started coming off, and I could see some holes developing. I knew I’d been taken, but never told the parents.  I just kept carrying that bag a couple more years until it became a shell of itself, and then switched to a cloth bag with a new high school logo. Despite what the vinyl gym bag looked like, that salesman hadn’t lied.  The handles NEVER came off.  But the rest of the bag fell apart.

Sometimes our businesses can be like that. We make promises to make that sale or answer a customer’s question.  We highlight only the best so they can’t see what’s beneath.  We know there are products or services we could improve.  By the time they find out there’s only a shell, we’ll be on the next customer. If you’ve left someone with only “handles that will never come off”, they’re not likely to come back for anything else from your business. And they may just tell their friends and neighbors about their experience too!

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