I would hire my 90-year-old Grandad over most of the ad industry.

Last week I was on the phone to my 90-year-old Grandad who inadvertently explained - better than most people in the ad industry - how good advertising works. He told me a story about when he was a door-to-door salesman in Yorkshire.

My Grandad - Peter to you - used to sell carpet sweepers door-to-door. He said it was always a tricky job door knocking. He knew people didn't want him there.

This one afternoon he knocked on this lady's door. And, with Grandad’s charm and warmth, he greeted the lady and explained he was selling carpet sweepers. She immediately said no.

She didn't need a sweeper. She had no money. And besides, she’d got herself one of them new hoovers. However, the hoover was broken and she was waiting for the local handyman to pop round to fix it.

Grandad asked if he could take a look at the hoover for her. See if he could get it working. The lady happily invited him in and made him a cuppa while he rolled his sleeves up. As he got to work, the two of them had a chinwag about the world - as Grandad does - and compared life notes.

After 20 minutes of fiddling about he got the thing working. “There you go. That should see you on for a bit.” She was over the moon. 

Just as he went to leave the lady stopped him. “Peter, hold on a sec. Give me ten of your sales slips.”

(Back then if you wanted to make a purchase, Grandad said you filled in a slip and handed it over with your money. He would then take it away and come back with your sweeper.)

She continued. “I’m sure my ladies could do with a carpet sweeper. I’ll take one in all. Plus, better giving you the money than the other chap around here. Miserable bugger just wants your money. Come back tomorrow.”

Lo and behold he went back the next day and there was the lady with 10 filled-in sales slips complete with all the money. Every house on the terrace had placed an order. The lady then asked for two more for her son and daughter.

I’m chuckling on the phone to Grandad at this point in the story. Done bloody well there, Grandad. And then, in the most matter of fact way possible, he just says, "well, that's what I had to do. I needed to find a way to be entertaining or useful. They trusted me then." 

And that's it. That's what great advertising does. And what every advertising agency should and needs to do.

In an age where most brands seem to use advertising to shout about who they are, what they do, what they're selling. It’s worth remembering that you're more likely to make sales if your advertising is entertaining or useful to the people seeing it. It gets you that magic ingredient.

Trust.

Thanks for reading my Grandad's blog post.
He doesn't know what a blog post is.

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