Quotes

A core argument for listening to customers

“The role of a sales person as a provider of information – as a walking, talking brochure – is obsolete. Your true competitive advantage is to be a collector of information. The only way to succeed is to know your buyer better. Not just what is posted on their company website or LinkedIn page, but their hopes, their vision, their fears. The things they reveal only to people they trust. And the only way to get that deep knowledge is by asking the right questions in the right way.”

Paul Cherry, sales effectiveness lecturer

Simplicity… is the mark of respect for the listener. The world is always short of time, so a précis is a form of good manners.

Maurice Saatchi, advertising entrepreneur

Quotes

Dear Charlie: classic copywriting tip

“When you really don’t know what to put on that blank paper in the typewriter, you should just write ‘Dear Charlie’ at the top. Assume that Charlie is a neighbor of yours, a very nice, bright, intelligent guy, with a sense of humor. He’s got all the mental equipment you have, but none of the information that you have about the Volkswagen. So just put down what you want to tell him in this ad, and cross off ‘Dear Charlie,’ and you’ll probably be alright.”

Bob Levenson, former Vice Chairman – DDB