Business

I am disappointed that so many businesses seem to believe that the only way to be successful is to be deceitful, to trick potential customers into becoming actual customers.

Have you noticed the car and truck ads on television? "Buy the all new, 2011 Dogmobile X387 truck for just $19,250 dollars". This ad is accompanied by a glossy video of a shinny new truck going through its paces. It shows all the many features of the truck, power this and power that. A sound system that rivals the sound system in Jerry Jones Cowboy Stadium. Mag wheels, sun roof, air conditioning, automatic transmission, lots of miles per gallon ...the works

The ad goes on to describe its on-road and off-road capabilities. This truck is a site to behold, a blessing to own, a pleasure to drive. All your friends will be envious as can be.

It looks great. Where do I sign?

Wait a second. What is this fine print at the bottom of the video ...price as shown, $51,214.18. Something seems wrong. I was shown this Dogmobile truck with a large, prominently displayed price of $19,250 ...where did this new price of $51,214.18 come from?

This is just one of the many ways that companies try to deceive potential customers into becoming real customers. Unfortunately, it works.

One of the come-ons that I like best of all is when golf club manufacturers come out with their new model of driver each year. For those of you who are golfers, getting more distance on your drives is next to the holy grail of golf. No one can hit the ball far enough. So advertising a new driver as a means of increasing your driving distance is an interesting ploy. Club manufacturers have been using this approach for many years. Apparently, it works. Most continue in business with the community of golfers shrinking.

I have finally developed a way to counter this sales pitch of more distance for my drives. I have decided that I will buy a new driver in five years. That way I will gain the cumulative effect of the club manufacturer's promise of ten to fifteen additional yards on each new model of its driver. In other words, if a manufacturer promises fifteen more yards for this year's model and continues to do the same for five years, I can join the tour in 2016 because I will have picked up an additional 75 yards of driving distance

Further, if I add the additional yardage of the golf ball models each of the next five years, I should pick up another forty or fifty yards from the multiplier effect of each year's new model over the previous year model. Five years of improved golf balls and five years of improved clubs should give me the distance that I need to compete with the big boys on the PGA tour. Just think how these young kids will feel when an old codger of 70 or 75 out drives them in the 2016 season.

Golf clubs and automobiles ...did I ever talk to you about the claims of pharmaceutical companies?