The Cowboy and I discovered a fascinating series by National Geographic called “American Genius.”

And as usual, I immediately picked up on a marketing “secret” that honestly isn’t used often enough.

We watched the story about a young, brilliant scientist named Philo Farnsworth.

Not exactly a household name.

But every time you flip on the TV, you can thank an Idaho farm boy named Philo.

You see, Philo invented television.

He wanted to bring the sounds of radio to life, so we would “hear” with our eyes.

And he was smart enough to do it.

But he ran up against David Sarnoff, the president or RCA, who also wanted to see television born. Sarnoff wanted to make a lot of money selling them.

Back when Philo was in high school, he showed his physics teacher a diagram of his television idea.

The teacher said to him, “Be very careful with sharing your ideas.” I sensed this would be an important part of the story and I was right.

Later, after Sarnoff tried to buy the patent (and  failed), he was determined to tie Philo up in court with a lawsuit.

Even tried to say he was the inventor of television.

But thank goodness the physics teacher was still alive. In the trial, he was called as a witness.

And he  had proof that Philo was the originator of the invention.

He pulled out a piece of paper… the very one that Philo had shared with him all those years ago… which showed the diagram.

It was almost an exact copy of the more polished diagram Philo used to create the television.

Sarnoff wasn’t happy. And he wouldn’t let up.

He basically kept Philo entangled in legal battles until  Philo’s patent on the television expired.

Then Sarnoff swooped in with his team of scientists and cleaned up on sales, not having to pay Philo one penny in royalties.

It’s a frustrating story, to be sure.

And even though it almost ruined Philo’s life (he developed a drinking problem and fell into depression), Philo didn’t quit.

At the time of his death in 1971, he held 300 patents, mostly having to do with television and radio.

Sarnoff was a shark and Philo was just a dolphin.

Although Philo had investors, no one around him helped defend him against Sarnoff.

But Sarnoff was stopped – if even for a short time ‒  by the one thing you and I need if we’re going to get anywhere with our marketing.

Proof. 

Your prospective buyer is looking for it before he or she parts with one dollar of their hard-earned money.

Before they give you a chunk of their precious budget (which they have to defend).

And I know how to share that proof.

It’s not just enough for you to tell your prospect  that they should buy from you.

You need to prove why it’s in their best interest to do so.

And the persuasive skills needed to do this should be liberally sprinkled throughout all of your marketing.

I have three ways you can prove your business claims to your buyer.

Two of them are quick and simple. You probably already have access to them but you’re not leveraging the power of them. Yet.

Contact me if you want to hear about them.

And prove to your market that they won’t  want to switch channels when it comes to  hearing your message.

Your “Proof is in the Pudding” Partner…

Want to think up “BIG Ideas” like Philo Farnsworth? Check out our workbook, The BIG Marketing Idea Book: Ignite Winning IDEAS, Get MORE Hot Breakthroughs – and ELECTRIFY Your Business In Just 30 DAYS. And broadcast your solutions loud and strong to your market!

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