So far in Season 4 of Mad Men, we’ve already learned how to fire clients like Don Draper. Now, in episode 405, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, Don takes this a step further and shows us how scolding and calling out your clients can actually work in your favor.
The brief synopsis is this: the Honda company is taking bids, and they have very strict rules on how the presentations and courting should work. Don makes it appear as though he’ll be breaking the rules by presenting a full-blown commercial to the Honda execs, which only gets his competition to do the same. However, upon presenting, Don simply calls his Honda audience out that they haven’t even followed their own rules, and he returns their check and turns down their business.
It seems like a death wish, but the Honda people still want to work with Don and the rest of the agency.
Boldness is Attractive
People are drawn to boldness. Regardless of how crazy the boldness is, the boldness itself attracts us all. It drips with confidence and it makes no room for slackers.
Most people are also too chicken to be bold. Most of us wait until we have everything “just so” before we feel comfortable being bold. Don shows us that being bold is actually the first duck you need to get in line.
He also shows us that the consistent willingness to walk away can actually be the most productive sales act you can make.
Boldness is not a result as much as it is a cause. How could you be bolder?
—–
Read all of the Mad Men Marketing Lessons now.
————–
Subscribe now to MarketingInProgress.com by email or RSS feed.
You’ll automatically be notified whenever something new is posted.
———-
This article was originally posted at http://www.marketinginprogress.com.
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Laying down the challenge, eh?
I couldn’t agree more. I’ll admit I need to be bolder. It’s hard, though. To be blunt, it takes balls.
But if it were easy, then it wouldn’t be so attractive.
Don’s move is not just about boldness. He shames the Honda people into hiring him. By accepting to watch a finished commercial from the competition, the broke their own rules. Don calls them out on it, and they lose their face. The only way to regain their face and their dignitiy is to hire him instead of his competitor.
True – Don is a freakin’ genius. He actually read the book, for one, and found his angle. Lots of lessons tucked up in that episode.