It's all about perspective

There’s an old story about a British shoe company in the early 1900s. It’s said that the company sent two salesmen into into a third-world country to investigate whether that country could become a market for the company’s shoes.

Upon visiting, the first salesman telegraphed back to the home office:

No market here. No one wears shoes.

The telegram from the second salesman read:

Fantastic opportunity.  No one wears shoes yet.

Mmm. What communication, sales or marketing opportunity are you missing simply because your perspective is skewed or your biases override the unarticulated needs of your clients, customers or readers?

By JanO on 10/29/08, In Uncategorized, Tags customer, fun to know, great copy, inspiration, marketing, story, strategy