Marketing
The Price of an Hour
Two owners work the same eleven hours on the same Tuesday, and only one of them chose what for. Letter No. 52 from Ben B. Tilley, on who is buying your day and at what rate.
The Letters & Archive
Every letter, newest first. One lesson at a time, told as a story, hidden in a riddle, sealed with a verse.
Sales
Aspirin and Vitamins
Everyone agreed it was exactly what they should be doing, and nobody bought it this month. Letter No. 51 from Ben B. Tilley, on selling the cure rather than the prevention.
Marketing
Show It Rough
Nine months in an empty room, then three sales in October. Letter No. 50 from Ben B. Tilley, on why the unshown thing cannot fail, and what that comfort costs.
Marketing
Ninety-One Letters
Two firms start the same January. One runs the same six weeks four times over three years. Letter No. 49 from Ben B. Tilley, on why the flat part is the price, not the failure.
Marketing
The Potter Who Made Fewer Things
One potter rises at three to double his output. One cuts sixty lines to nine and keeps her hours. Letter No. 48 from Ben B. Tilley, on what scale actually means for a small trade.
Pricing
By Friday, Please
A Wednesday night, a Saturday, and two quiet customers who were moved without being asked. Letter No. 47 from Ben B. Tilley, on what a rush job costs and who actually pays it.
Marketing
The Seedsman's Sentence
A man buying seed for eleven acres is not risking eight shillings, he is risking the year. Letter No. 46 from Ben B. Tilley, on guarantees that cover what is actually feared.
Sales
The Second Rung
A delighted customer asks what else you do, and the honest answer is nothing. Letter No. 45 from Ben B. Tilley, on the sale you lose after you have already won.
Pricing
The Carrier Who Charged Half
A stranger arrives at the wharf charging half, and one carrier matches him by Friday. Letter No. 44 from Ben B. Tilley, on price wars and the value nobody has been told about.
Pricing
While You're Here
Twelve small favours, none unreasonable, adding up to four days and a rushed finish. Letter No. 43 from Ben B. Tilley, on the extras nobody prices and who really pays for them.
Marketing
The Free Guide
Nine hundred downloads, forty readers, and a list full of people who liked the subject. Letter No. 42 from Ben B. Tilley, on the gift that is used before bedtime.
Marketing
The Six Channels
Ten hours a week divided by six, and five hundred hours a year producing nothing. Letter No. 41 from Ben B. Tilley, on why being everywhere is advice for firms with staff.
Sales
The Fourteen-Page Proposal
Two firms answer the same request. One sends a book with the price on page twelve, one sends a page read standing up. Letter No. 40 from Ben B. Tilley, on writing to be decided upon.
Marketing
The Ones Who Went Quiet
Forty pounds a head for strangers, while a hundred and eighty old customers sat unopened in a file. Letter No. 39 from Ben B. Tilley, on the cheapest list you already own.
Marketing
The Ad That Worked
Forty pounds a day, sales at twelve pounds each, and a man with a coal fire in his head. Letter No. 38 from Ben B. Tilley, on why the winning advertisement dies the week you promote it.
Pricing
The Price Behind the Form
Nine tabs open at ten at night, and one of them says contact us for a personalised quote. Letter No. 37 from Ben B. Tilley, on what a hidden price actually hides.
Sales
The Quick Call
Two consultants give the same free hour. One hands over the answers, one hands over the problem. Letter No. 36 from Ben B. Tilley, on why the generous call so rarely sells.
Marketing
The Quiet Month
Two landscapers, one silent December, and the nine-second question asked in August. Letter No. 35 from Ben B. Tilley, on why the trough is a decision, not a season.
Sales
The Deposit
Two kitchen fitters, one warm yes, and nine hundred pounds of oak in a garage. Letter No. 34 from Ben B. Tilley, on why terms are marketing and a deposit is a decision.
Sales
The Ironmonger's Second Question
Two ironmongers, one spade, and two hundred feet of hedge that lived or died on eleven seconds at the counter. Letter No. 33 from Ben B. Tilley, on selling the job instead of the item.
Marketing
The Mason's Witnesses
Two stonemasons, two folders of good words, and the widow whose chimney cost eleven pounds instead of forty. Letter No. 32 from Ben B. Tilley, on asking for proof instead of praise.
Sales
The Innkeeper's Rule
Two innkeepers, one coaching road, and the forty shillings one of them watched drive away. Letter No. 31 from Ben B. Tilley, on what the wrong customer really costs.
Marketing
The Piano in the Parlour
Two piano dealers, one delivery day, and the eight bars a girl could play by teatime. Letter No. 30 from Ben B. Tilley, on the first fortnight after the money changes hands.
Sales
When They Say It Is Too Expensive
Almost nobody who objects to your price is objecting to your price. The four problems hiding behind the sentence, the one question that tells them apart, and five answers that are not a discount.
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