History is a good teacher. But what about the old TV shows?
The other day I came across a repeat of the classic Western TV series “Have Gun Will Travel”.
It was so long ago that it was broadcast in black and white, and it only lasted 30 minutes. But what I saw lasted less than 26 minutes because the commercials had been removed.
Richard Boone told a story, in 26 minutes, every week.
I told my Tivo to get some more and I’ve been watching a “marathon” of the guy in black who lives well like San Francisco and travels to the “backwoods” to solve problems for money (to keep his lifestyle cocky from California).
There is a lesson in every episode! This series dates back to 1958 and I’m sure a lot of people reading this have no idea who “Paladin” was. As I recall, no one mentioned his first name. The show even had a catchy song about it that my wife sang to me when she watched the show and she got the words right. That’s over 50 years. It must have been a good show. It was. Paladin was pretty good with a gun, but he thought a lot and did everything he could to avoid shooting someone. But when he did, he didn’t fail. There are lessons in every show. Look before you jump. Don’t be afraid to ask. Being greedy will turn against you. But the big lesson is the Paladin calling card.
It’s bigger than yours or mine, the size of a playing card. all white Artwork of a chess knight and the words Have Gun, Will Travel, Paladin San Francisco cable. At each show give one or more of those cards and get a job before the 26 minutes are up, and it’s not cheap!
Sometimes he hands it over, other times he slips it into an unsuspecting pocket. But he hands out his business cards.
In the 1870s, this man was making two to five GRAND every 26 minutes and living like a gentleman in a posh hotel in San Francisco. All because he handed out his business cards. They managed to get recognized. They introduced it. They started the conversation. His business cards weren’t in San Francisco in a box in the drawer. He had a marketing tool and he was using it.
What does your business card do for you?
