Here comes the first sign of madness.

>> "Nothing fails like success"

I always say this, because generally?the minute you become successful you start getting smug.

I speak from shameful experience.

In the late 60s I was making piles of money with my partner.

I became arrogant, careless and stupid... and I paid the price.

My accountant gave me good advice.

He told me to make sure that each of our?enterprises - and there were a few - had a separate company.

I ignored him.

The result was when?a Sunday newspaper?libelled?one (based on a rigged test)?we lost everything.

I went broke - needlessly

I had just leased 100 New Bond Street which alone would have kept me in money for a few years without having to work at all.

But I lost that lease and everything else, and learnt a valuable lesson.

(Though if I'd carried on being successful I'd probably have drunk myself to death years ago).

The minute you become successful- as an individual or organisation - you might be heading for trouble.

It may take a time, but the signs are always there.

One was referred to when I was at school as the first sign of madness - talking to yourself.

This morning I got a big package from my health care provider.

They used to be called Private Patients Plan.

Then?to become trendy they became PPP, which was absorbed by the bloated giant AXA (Once called the London Association for Hospital Services.)?

Now have gone on to rename the whole caboodle AXA Health.

When they sent me my annual mailing about next year's rates and so on, they also inserted a little leaflet explaining why they've changed their name (again).

What these fat firms get wrong

I don't suppose it has occurred to anyone there that patients don't give a flying f*ck what they're called.?

That's because like almost all large organisations they look inward, not outward where the money comes from.

All anyone wants to know is three things.

1. How much am I paying this year?

2. What does it cover?

3. Have they wriggled out of any previous commitments?

I've been a customer of theirs for 10 years and never benefited from a single service included - they even charge me for my annual health check.

It's so important to see things from your customers' point of view.

The bigger and more successful firms get, the more they love to talk about themselves.

I was reminded of this when the agency I worked for and thrived with - whose founder?I loved - announced they were doing a lot of research into changing the design of the word Ogilvy in their logo.

Minor changes, thousands of $$$ invested on something no client gives a hoot about.

What people care about

People don't give a hoot about your slogan or your logo or your fancy office.?

The only care about what?what you're doing?in one respect.

Are you doing it for them? Or for your own internal reasons? Are you doing it well? How much are you charging? Do you offer the best service or product?

That's all.

I'm amazed at how many people fail to follow this very simple rule.

How many start their websites with the word "we"? More than the word "you" - which is who your prospects and customers care about

All the work we do for our clients does pretty well.

Once we've taken someone on and believe in what they're selling we?offer a guarantee.

Do you believe in what you're selling? Or are you just talking to yourself?

The onlooker sees most of the game.

Would you like a review of what you're doing, right or wrong?

Drop me a line.

Best,

Drayton