History is a good teacher. But what about old television shows?
The other day I stumbled upon a rerun of the classic western TV series "Have Gun Will Travel".
It was on so long ago it was broadcast in black and white, and it was only 30 minutes long. But what I saw was less than 26 minutes long because the commercials had been removed.
Richard Boone was telling a story, in 26 minutes, every week.
I told my Tivo to get some more and I have been watching a "marathon" of the guy dressed in black who lives the good like in San Francisco and journeys into the "backwoods" to solve problems for money (to support his uppity California lifestyle).
There's a lesson in every episode! This series goes back to 1958 and I'm sure many people reading this have no idea who "Paladin" was. As I recall, no one ever mentioned his first name. The show even had a catchy song about him that my wife sang to me when she saw the show come on and she got the words right. That's 50 plus years. Must have been a good show. It was. Paladin was pretty good with a gun, but he was a heavy thinker and did everything he could to avoid shooting anybody. But when he did, he didn't miss. There are lessons in every show. Look before you leap. Don't be afraid to ask. Being greedy will come back on you. But the big lesson is Paladin's business card.
It's bigger than yours or mine, about the size of a playing card. All white. Artwork of a chess knight and the words Have Gun, Will Travel, wire Paladin San Francisco. In every show he gives one or more of those cards and gets a job before the 26 minutes are up, and he ain't cheap!
Sometimes he hands it over, other times he slips it in an unsuspecting pocket. But he passes out his business cards.
In the 1870's this man was making two to five LARGE every 26 minutes and living like a Lord in a classy hotel in San Francisco. All because he passed out his business cards. They got him recognized. They got him introduced. They got the conversation going. His business cards weren't back 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?
