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Old January 9, 2001, 12:40 PM
Dien Rice
 
Posts: n/a
Default Pleasing the client's ego vs. getting successful results....

Hi Andy,

I agree with you fully. The power of WORDS is phenomenal!

What you're talking about comes down to impressing the client's ego, rather than getting results for them....

You can put up a big fancy-pants web site, with all the bells, whistles, zing a dings and trumpets a blaring, to impress the client....

Until they look at the sales figures....

Or you can put up something which shows the benefits to the client's customers, has all the right WORDS, and is a big success when you look at the results.....

This reminds me of a story I read, by someone who makes infomercials....

(If I'm not mistaken, I think this story comes from Steven K. Scott, author of "Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams" and "A Millionaire's Notebook"....)

He was hired by the owner of a vacation fishing lodge to create a short infomercial for his lodge. So they spent some time around the lodge, shooting some great footage....

One of the prominent pieces of the infomercial they created was a shot of one of the guests, holding up a HUGE fish he had caught in the lake.... It showed one of the great BENEFITS of coming to stay at that lodge....

When the infomercial was done, they showed it to the owner. He was VERY disappointed. What about the nice soft cushy beds? What about those expensive fittings they had in the bathrooms? What about the wonderful pine his lodge was made from? NONE of those things were in the infomercial....

He wanted to pull the whole project right there. And he would have, if he hadn't already paid for the first infomercial to go to air! It was too late to pull it....

So, despite the owner's best efforts, the infomercial went to air...

When the infomercial went to air, to the owner's surprise, they couldn't keep up with all the calls!

They didn't complain after that....

But it illustrates, I think, what you're talking about Andy....

That many "experts" in fact are catering to pleasing the egos of their clients, rather than focusing on what their clients' CUSTOMERS want and getting successful results....

Which means they do fine, until the results come in....

Thanks for a very insightful post! What you said is very true!

- Dien