The credit crunch: a victim speaks

A friend who was in the IT business has severe financial problems. I know how he feels, because I’ve been there myself.

It’s not really his fault – he’s been screwed right, left and centre by one or two business associates. But in the meantime, as the bankers whack out million pound bonuses all round, he explains his relationship with his creditors very well.

“My mortgage arrears of £3,604, and debt arrears of £1,820 could do with a little attention. I really feel sorry for them you see. They write such desperate letters to me. And when I call to tell them the bad news, they don’t seem to understand when I explain that it’s all their fault.

I tell them that any club that would have me as a member, I usually steer clear of. But they were so insistent at the beginning, I thought it would be rude not to accept their very generous offers. And when I explain that if they’d stopped at low-lives like me, and not invited millions of even lower-lives in the States to join the same club, I might still be making the payments.

They find no consolation in my joy at having left the IT world that was decimated by them closing membership to the lowest of the low – lawyers – who could no longer freely walk away with their shareholders money (the UK government and me) and buy our IT stuff.”

About the Author

In 2003, the Chartered Institute of Marketing named Drayton one of 50 living individuals who have shaped today’s marketing.

He has worked in 55 countries with many of the world’s greatest brands. These include American Express, Audi, Bentley, British Airways, Cisco, Columbia Business School, Deutsche Post, Ford, IBM, McKinsey, Mercedes, Microsoft, Nestle, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Unilever, Visa and Volkswagen.

Drayton has helped sell everything from Airbus planes to Peppa Pig. His book, Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing, out in 17 languages, has been the UK’s best seller on the subject every year since 1982. He has also run his own businesses in the U.K., Portugal and Malaysia.

He was a main board member of the Ogilvy Group, a founding member of the Superbrands Organisation, one of the first eight Honorary Fellows of the Institute of Direct Marketing and one of the first three people named to the Hall of Fame of the Direct Marketing Association of India. He has also been given Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Caples Organisation in New York and Early To Rise in Florida.

2 Comments

  1. Hi Drayton, just wanted to get in touch with you as I want to get 25 copies of your book as Christmas gifts for my platinum coaching group.

    wasn't sure If I could buy directly from you??

    neil@neilasher.com

  2. Thanks, Neil. I've sent a separate message about the details. That should pay for my Christmas lunch:-) I'll handsign and personalise … not that anyone can read my writing.
    “When I wrote that I knew what it means. Now God only knows” – Dr. Johnson, who also had dire writing.

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