A marketing friend of mine mailed this to me last week and I thought I would share it with you. It highlights the power of world class copywriting but I also think it provokes questions that many of us are considering in these uncertain times.

One day, there was a blind man sitting on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet and a sign that read: ‘I Am Blind Please Help.’
A marketing guy was walking by and stopped to observe. He saw that the blind man had only a few coins in his hat. He dropped in more coins and, without asking for permission, took the sign and rewrote it.
He returned the sign to the blind man and left. That afternoon the marketer returned to the blind man and noticed that his hat was full of notes and coins.
The blind man recognised his footsteps and asked if it was he who had rewritten his sign and wanted to know what he had written on it.
The marketer responded:
“Nothing that was not true. I just wrote the message a little differently.” He smiled and went on his way.
The new sign read: ‘Today is Spring and I Cannot See It’

As I said I’m not highlighting this piece to showcase the power of marketing or in this case clever copywriting. I think more importantly it poses a number of questions and provokes some interesting thoughts. And in the current economic climate you may well be considering making some beneficial changes to your life or business.

The first and most obvious point is; If it’s not working change it.

Innovation in this instance created more opportunities. However we are all nervous about change and it’s very easy to make excuses as to why we should maintain the status quo.

Are we all aware that we need to change?

The blind man wasn’t, he had the change forced upon him without even a request or an apology.

Was the marketing guy right?

Should we be more proactive in assisting others to change? After all it’s often easier to apologise than ask for permission

Is there an expectation for us to lead?

Do we always look at problems in the same old way?

By offering a different perspective to the same problem we can motivate people to react in a more positive way. The situation hadn’t changed – he was still blind and it was still Spring.

Who are the benefactors of the changes we make?
In this case we could argue that the donors were greatly enriched and the blind man was indeed giving more in return. And even those who didn’t or couldn’t donate may well have been uplifted by the sentiment.

Small thoughtful changes can often have a huge positive impact.

Do we have the same positive outlook as the marketing guy?

Do we trust our own skills?

Are we confident enough to make changes?

Can we be thought leaders? Can we see the bigger picture?

Do we have the courage of our convictions?

Is It Now Time To Change Your Own Sign?