| Do you agree with this – or was I spouting rubbish? Did you spot my piece called “Could “Sauerkraut & Sausages with a Little Goulash” help you sell?” I suggested you look for ideas where no one else does, because you’ll find different and better ones. If you didn’t read it, ask my PA (kelly@draytonbird.com) to send you a copy, because it struck a chord. Christopher Küttner from Germany wrote saying Jay Abraham had said much the same thing – and since Jay is about a zillion times richer than me that cheered me up. Alexander Wright told me a revealing story about his a motor show. I remember there was a big slick stand with ramps, chrome rails and towering slick graphics. It was staffed by uniformed salesmen (and some models). The stand was empty. Opposite was a man from Lancashire who had rented a booth. He didn’t have any branding, just David Morris Imports (I forget his actual name) in Times New Roman. The stand was a mess; there was a desk covered in papers, white boards covered in a web of handwritten scrawl – lists of cars, some crossed out in red pen (sold). You couldn’t get near his stand. It was packed. It taught me a lot. Honesty and approachability was the secret. The glossy stand was intimidating and it looked like they were making too much money. If you read my “Sauerkraut” piece that was almost word for word what I wrote about not being glossy. As you’ve probably realised from my emails we specialise in down-to-earth stuff. What you see is what you get. And what you get is more sales. Could you do with more sales? I thought so. Drop me a line – tell me what’s keeping you up at night. Maybe I can get you a good night’s sleep. Best, Drayton |
Can’t tell my goulash from my elbow?
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.