Read Part 1 by clicking here.
Yesterday I told the partial tale of a clever teenager who was after a big story: An interview with Eugene V. Debs, who was a candidate for the presidential race.
The year was 1896.
He had persuaded the manager of his local Western Union office to loan him a uniform, a cap, some telegraph forms and a receipt book.
The boy changed into the outfit, then hustled down to the rooming house where Debs was staying.
He knocked on the door and loudly proclaimed he had a telegram for Mr. Eugene V. Debs.
The man who opened the door wasn’t Debs. But he said he’d deliver the telegram.
The teenage boy declined.
Since he knew the walls of such homes were paper-thin, he deliberately shouted:
“No. My instructions are to deliver this telegram into the hands of Mr. Debs, personally.”
Debs finally appeared after hearing the loud voices.
The boy handed Debs the telegram. It read: I AM NOT A MESSENGER BOY. I AM A YOUNG NEWSPAPER REPORTER. YOU HAVE TO GIVE A FIRST INTERVIEW TO SOMEBODY. WHY DON’T YOU GIVE IT TO ME? IT WILL START ME ON MY CAREER.
Debs was so amused by this that he invited the young boy inside and gave him a long interview, which reached newspapers all over the country.
It was – in media terms – an amazing ‘get.’
The New York Sun even offered this young boy a job. But he turned it down because he was making more money in Galveston, Texas.
And that was just the beginning of how Albert D. Lasker ‒ considered the father of modern advertising ‒ started to make his way into the world.
See, young Albert realized powerful leaders didn’t just talk to anyone. But they would certainly open the door for an important message from a Western Union messenger boy.
He understood that in order to get the interview, he had to capture the person’s attention.
And he did in such an original way that it came across as charming as well as bold.
Who could resist such a combination?
Not Eugene V. Debs, that’s for sure.
Ideas are born when relationships are connected in new ways.
Albert D. Lasker was the king of such connections.
Then he took those ideas and tested them.
Which is why I came up with the idea (heh) of creating a Facebook group as a place to discuss ideas and the various ways to test them.
If you purchase my book, “The BIG Marketing Idea Book: Ignite winning IDEAS, get MORE hot breakthroughs – and ELECTRIFY your business… In Just 30 Days,” you’ll get a complimentary membership to a private Facebook group.
Take the #300Ideas Challenge. There are 30 worksheets included in “The BIG Marketing Idea Book.” One for each day.
I printed the worksheets and placed them in a three-ring presentation folder. I’m jotting down ten ideas a day.
If I do that for 30 days, I’ll have 300 ideas to develop. Just think… 300 ideas!
There’s a good chance one of them would end up being worth developing. Maybe even two.
What excites me is not just coming up with ideas, but witnessing others coming up with their own.
It’s why I love giving live presentations. When people gather together, there is a wonderful energy that emerges.
Information is exchanged and ideas are born.
Albert D. Lasker understood the power of a good idea. Why not you?
Grab your copy today. And I’ll see you on Facebook!
Yours for resourceful ways…
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