One of the most valuable lessons I learned about marketing happened at the Copacabana Club on East 60th Street in New York City. In the 1990s, the club had re-opened and was renting its space to business groups at lunchtime. Naturally, the New York component of the SMPS began to hold its regular monthly meetings there. Well, why not?

One month, the speaker was one of those inspirational types who usually make me antsy, but I was a good trooper. I wasn’t alone: he attracted a total of 11 tables with ten seats each.

Once on stage, our speaker asked casually if each of us had a dollar bill, and if so, would we hold it up? Some had no singles, only 5’s, 10’s, or 20’s. “That’s okay,” he reassured them.

He instructed us to put our bills in the center of the table, and he asked one of the members to go around the room to collect each pile. When he came to our table, ten hands went down to protect the cache; no way was he getting our money. “That’s okay,” the speaker repeated, in the same calm voice.

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