(I realize I’ve neglected this blog lately. Fortunately, the Greatest Husband In the World took off with the baby and the dog for four full days, allowing me to catch up on a variety of tasks that I’ve missed, including blogging. So, Many Thanks to those of you who subscribe – you’re very patient. And now for something completely different…)

Different things motivate different buyers. Each buyer has a “hot” button. (Much like men – at least, so I’m told.) And once you find the button, it’s easy to push it over and over again.

For example, Canadian-based Teligence develops those telephone systems that manage chat lines for dating and singles networks. They must really know what they’re doing, because the company has grown to be extremely profitable.

Their late-night commercials really push buyer’s buttons, not only because they offer the right product, but they push even more buttons by striking at the time when the iron is hot: their commercials only air on late-night TV, when lonely singles are sitting alone on the couch, guzzling the last of the cooking sherry and wondering why the Barista at the local Starbucks keeps turning them down. Lonely hearts drool with longing as a bimbo in a tight t-shirt saunters across a soundstage, telling everyone how she feels lonely in the evenings, and how the only thing that relieves it is calling in.

I’ve learned lately that the time I’ve spent crafting careful letters, website content, and all the other messaging I’ve obsessed over is not as important as I thought it was. Apparently, you can just put any old bimbo in front of the camera, and even if she has an interdental lisp, it doesn’t matter as long as she has a pushup and fresh hilights, because that’s the button – not the insignificant details that you have spent hours driving yourself crazy about.

My friend and client Rick Passek, author of the upcoming Freshman Fly Fisherman (Release date 1 February 2008) definitely knows how to push the buttons of his readers. Me, I’m no fisherperson – it involves going outdoors. But Rick, he knows about every aspect of fishing in sickening, slimy detail. He knows that to push the buttons of the new generation of fly fishers, he needs to show off his high-tech, hard-rock personal brand, which is really just Rick on fast-forward. (What am I saying – Rick is fast forward.)

Rick may be a typical “guy” of a writer – sorry Rick – but it took me less than 5 minutes to realize that he truly excels at the hardest part of any business, which is understanding the hot buttons of his market. Rick now has a really hot book coming out that is exactly what his readers are panting for, and that’s what’s going to make his guiding business skyrocket this summer.

I was reminded recently that it’s better to put a product out there that’s 90% ready, than to put nothing out there, waiting until something is 100% perfect. (Which never happens.) I used to call this philosophy, “Sell what you’ve got, baby.” Apparently, that’s exactly what the girl with the lisp is doing.