Brand Fable:

The Salesman who ran out of things to say.

He was a born salesman.
He had the gift of gab.
He was likeable.
He called you by name, shook hands fervently and looked you in the eye.
He did what he said he was going to do.
He was a professional Salesman.

He was well-trained.
Xerox.
Dale Carnegie.
Toastmasters.
Never missed a product webcast or seminar.

He was experienced.
And not just experienced as a Salesman;
He knew this industry. Cold.

Then came that fateful day.
The prospect was a Monster. And not just any Monster. This multi-headed Monster was the legendary Committee.

In the lobby, the Salesman charmed the receptionist as he awaited the appointed time, regaling her with a Joke of the Day and the weather report.

He was confident.
He was relaxed.
He had given this presentation a thousand times before.

“They’re ready for you,” said the receptionist, perhaps not realizing how ominous those words were.

He was on.
He was on and when he was on, he was on fire.
Features and benefits.
Benefits and features.
His words and phrases sparkled and crackled.
He paused….for effect…

“So with that, I’ll be happy to address any questions you might have,” he said confidently.

Out of the darkness in front of the Salesman came the Committee Monster’s voice: “We have but one question.”

“Shoot!” said the genial Salesman.

“What makes you different?” said the Monster flatly.

The Salesman didn’t miss a beat, “Our Unique Selling Proposition is on slide number—“

“We mean DIFFERENT!” The Monster’s words echoed off the cave walls.
“Well,” stammered the Salesman, “If I can just go back to the slide in my Powerpoint—“
“We’ve SEEN the Powerpoint!” interrupted the irritated Monster.
“In fact, we’ve seen THOUSANDS of Powerpoints!
Your competitors were in here earlier today.
And yesterday.
And the day before that!
And they ALL showed us their Powerpoints!”

The Salesman now looked around the floor of the Conference Room Cave where he could see the skeletal remains of “Benefits” and “Features” from thousands upon thousands of other Powerpoint presentations strewn around the ground.

For the first time, he feared he was not going to get out of this.
How could he escape the Monster?!
What to do?
What to do?!

Then a ray of hope, “Our QUALITY is superior,” he stated, regaining his balance, if only for a second.

The Monster guffawed and cynically replied, “Yeah, right.”

“Our SERVICE! Yeah, yeah, that’s it. Our service makes us different! We just treat you bet—“

“That’s what your competitors say, too,” now just toying with the poor Salesman.

The Salesman gulped. But he was not dead yet, “Our PEOPLE! Our people have been in this busin—“

“ENOUGH!” boomed the Monster. “Our patience is reaching its end! What else do you have?”

The Salesman thought…
And thought…
And thought…
He was silent.
His voice was stuck in his throat.

The Salesman…for the first time in his life… had run out of things to say.

The only words now came from the Monster. “There is only one way out.”

The Salesman looked up at the Monster as if to plead for the answer.

“A number. A price.” The Monster knew it had the Salesman right where it wanted him. “And it must be THIS!”

And with that, the Monster bellowed out a number. The number hit the Salesman in the face like a two-by-four.
The number was low.
Very low.
Much lower than the Salesman would’ve ever thought when he entered the Conference Room Cave.
But at least it was a number.
At least it was a way out.

After a few, brief seconds, the Salesman could only muster a nod.
And he was free to go.

As the Salesman turned to pack up his things, he noticed something behind him. He had grown a tail. Actually it wasn’t a tail; it was a string. A long string that connected to his body. What was going on?! He rushed down the hall, hearing laughter all the way. He bolted into the rest room and looked in the mirror. But to his horror, he couldn’t see his face – instead of his own reflection, all he could see was a NUMBER. The exact number the Monster had just thrown at him. There it was in black and white for all to see.

Although he had escaped the Monster, there was a price.
In fact, he was the price.

He had been turned into a Walking Price Tag.
(Click to get the moral of the story)