“The consumer isn’t a moron; she is your wife. You insult her intelligence if you assume that a mere slogan and a few vapid adjectives will persuade her to buy anything. She wants all the information you can give her.” – David Ogilvy
This is one of my all time favorite quotes from a man who has filled the marketing space with hundreds of memorable one-liners. The reason I love it so much is because of how true it really is; and it is as relevant today as it was when he first uttered these words… maybe more so. While Mr. Ogilvy was speaking more to the use of advertising, the lesson can be applied in today’s selling environment.
The consumer isn’t a moron, in fact they may be more educated about what you have to sell than you are. The consumer today has easy access to so much information online that by the time you engage in your first meeting they probably know what you sell, who your competitors are and loads of other information – what they need to know is specifically how you can help them. If you recite the same information that can be found on your corporate site or brochure then you aren’t doing much in the area of providing information.
While what I am saying may be completely obvious, it is something that needs to be reiterated… often. I know this because as a marketer I do get plenty of sales calls where the information given is just a regurgitation of information readily available online. Too often the sales person misses the opportunity to connect because they are spending way too much time spitting out talking points and not trying to work with me.
Some other great quotes from Mr. Ogilvy that is still very relevant today:
“In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.”
“Ninety-nine percent of advertising doesn’t sell much of anything.”
“Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals”
