Michael Jackson and Billy Mays passed away in the same week. Billy Mays’ passing made headlines, but Michael Jackson dominated it. The underlying message sent by the media is that entertaining is good and somewhat noble, but selling and marketing is bad. My question to you is this: Do you allow this faulty thinking to prevent you from being successful in your sales and marketing?

News coverage of Michael Jackson’s life was largely reverential and kingly, while coverage of Billy May’s life always seemed to mention the howler with a carnival-barker quality. Our society tends to revere athletes and entertainers, but despises marketers and salespeople. This subliminal message bombards the brains of entrepreneurs who want to believe it.

Too often, business owners and leaders let their egos and image perceptions get in the way of successful marketing and sales. Movies, television, and the news often shape our thoughts. The problem with allowing your actions to be guided by these means is that they often create false assumptions.

The first sin of marketing is being boring. In today’s market it’s harder to get noticed than ever. You must stand out. In different fields and with different styles, both Michael Jackson and Billy Mays stood out. Both Michael Jackson and Billy Mays were astute traders and salesmen. They were both driven by personality, and neither Michael Jackson nor Billy Mays was boring.

Many companies spend tons of money on boring marketing. Often the excuse given is “You have to get your name out there” or “I’m building a brand.” Unless it’s Pepsi or Anheiser Busch, you don’t have enough money to build a brand. Spending money to keep your name is an excuse not to have a plan.

People scoff at personality-based or wacky-themed advertising, but if you measure the results of these businesses, they’re usually the best performers in their area. Personality-themed marketing and advertising uses personality to drive home the message and call to action. Those companies don’t let false ego and image get in the way of effective marketing.

You should worry less about what you think customers will do to think and more about what really do. The surest way to build a brand image is by selling tons of products through personality-driven marketing and sales that create a quasi-celebrity out of you, your family, your staff, your pets, your characters, and anything else. that you can use. Personality has a strong supporting role in marketing and selling without becoming the focal point. In other words, don’t be crazy just to be crazy.

I think most business owners are a bit embarrassed about marketing and sales. The marketing of these businesses tries to show that they are anything but marketers and sellers. The problem is that this tactic does not work. The General Motors Saturn brand did not approve of the use of the word “sale” as if it were dirty. Maybe that’s why Saturn didn’t sell very well.

Michael Jackson and Billy Mays were both smart businessmen. Michael Jackson was loved for it and Billy Mays was laughed at. My own theory is that Billy Mays didn’t care. His bank cashed his checks just like Michael Jackson’s. Billy Mays went from being a traveling salesman to becoming a rich and famous promoter. Billy Mays laughed all the way to the bank using personality-based marketing.