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(Dan Continued From Page 14)Final Thoughts This Month – on why they fail“A man asked me why it was that so many wouldbesalesmen failed. I told him it was because most ofthem set sail upon the sea of commerce without thechart or compass of true education. Comparatively fewchemists, or mechanics, or physicians or others whoreally prepare for their work fail.” This from a booktitled ‘Sales Promotion’ recently gifted to me by DiamondLuxury/IBA Member Mike Capuzzi. The book waspublished in 1906.1906. Yes, in 1906, there were people like me trying to get salespeopleand businesspeople to take mastery of the sciences and craftsof advertising, marketing and selling more seriously. Why is it thatpeople think nothing of going to college for four years, then medicalschool for four more, racking up $200,000.00 or more in debt, theninterning and working 16 hour shifts, to finally be a doctor – but balkat reading at least a book a week, giving an hour a day to educationconveniently handed to them on audio CD’s, coming to a fewseminars each year, even managing to open and read this newslettereach month, yet fully expect to be able to advertise, market andsell so successfully they out-earn most doctors? In a four hour workweek? Quenching thirst not with a well drilled and pump primed, butwith an app?Ignorance. Sense of entitlement. Fundamental misunderstandingof business in general and the business they’re in, specifically.People do not understand that marketing is a profession justas is medicine, made up of knowledge and science and disciplinesand skills that must be learned; skills that must be practiced; thatmust be developed, from clumsy to deft. People believe that becausethey own a restaurant and serve good food, they are entitledto success. People do not understand that all business is actuallythe advertising, marketing and sales business, with slightly differentdeliverables exchanged for money. Ignorance can be replacedwith intelligence. Entitlement can be set aside. Understanding canbe gained. But as comedian Ron White says, you can’t fix stupid.A lot of people stay willfully stupid, refusing to accept that successis earned in proportion to mastery, and instead of getting about thebusiness of mastering high value skills, they chase unicorns of easymoney and unearned wealth and mysticism. As the author noted in1906, most people just don’t prepare for their work – overall or by theday*. (*About that, see this month’s I GETZ MAIL.)Somebody recently sent me their first attempt at a long sales lettermade to power points presentation for a web site and I had to tell himit was the worst, most incoherent attempt I’d ever seen. I didn’t needto ask; I’ll very safely wager I was seeing the first and only draft. Notslaved over through fifty re-writes. Not taken to a small hotel meetingroom with 20 prospects in it and delivered to see if it worked. I see itall the time with platform selling: somebody thinks they can just hopup there for the first time and do $100,000.00. And they get theirhead handed to them on a stick. Don’t they realize that I studiedthat, traveled to observe the best, got transcribed pitches, learned tocreate scripts, practiced, was bad where it didn’t matter to get good;studied the psychology of crowds, studied speakers and state fairpitchmen and TV evangelists, studied salesmanship, studied copywriting– prepared for the work? Yes, you can buy off-the-shelfmagic tricks and fool and amuse your grandkids, friends whogood-naturedly humor you, and your dog. But you’re no threatto Copperfield or Blaine. And here’s the rub, for me: the verycandid truth is, if you’re happy to settle for that; for some offthe-shelftricks, just to make some money, I have no interest inyou. I see you as a bug. You’ll get that and you’ll leave and go fromtricks peddler to tricks peddler and I say: good riddance. I am for theserious person who has set out to become a marketing professionaland is willing to engage in intense preparation continuing for years,to get so good at it they are “a threat to Copperfield.” Folks aroundhere like that, like Sean Greeley, Capuzzi, Dwight Woods, they loveme. They’re rare, of course. I know I write and speak and teach forfew. But they were there in 1906 and they are there now. We hunteach other.Yes, technology has certainly changed a lot since 1906. Hallelujah!Horse ‘n buggy for car, for starters. The interstate highwaysystem to drive the car on, the internet to drive messages on. But thechief reasons for failure or success have NOT changed one whit inall those years – much to the distress of those who think it’s the gadgetsthat make Bond Bond or the cape that makes Superman Superman.Sorry. There are lots of gadget stores and cape stores. I’m notin those businesses. And, love me or leave me, I’m not changing,even as change may swirl around me.DAN©Peter C. Vey/The New Yorker Collection/www.cartoonbank.comPage 18®The PLACE For PROSPERITY