The Talking Dog
Not too long ago, a young man was driving along a peaceful, New England country road when he saw a sign that attracted his attention. The sign simply said: Talking dog for sale.
His curiosity aroused, he stopped and rang the doorbell. An elderly woman came to the door. He politely asked, “Do you really have a talking dog for sale?”
“Yes, he’s out back. Just go around to the yard behind the house and take a look,” the woman responded.
The man walked to the backyard and saw a stately-looking older dog resting in the shade. Speaking right up, the man asked, “Are you the talking dog?”
The dog nodded.
The man, unbelieving that the dog could talk and expecting no reply, shouted, “OK then, tell me your story.”
The dog sat up, wagged his tail and began to talk, “You don’t have to shout. I’m old but not hard of hearing.
You want to know my story? Well, when I was just a young pup, I realized I had skills that were quite unusual. I thought about how to best use them and volunteered to work for the U.S. government. I was assigned to the CIA and, after training, went to work as an aide. It was somewhat like being a spy.
Since only my immediate supervisors knew that I could talk, when we were engaged in tough treaty negotiations, I would wander over to the other country’s side of the room, overhear their deliberations and report back. In this way many successful agreements, favorable to our point of view, were reached.
I craved more action, however, and the government agreed to my request. I was transferred to the military and went to battle. A dog can go where a human soldier cannot. I sneaked to the front lines, located enemy positions, and learned their battle plans. This was all hush, hush, of course. But I saved a lot of lives and won a bunch of medals.
One day I realized that I wasn’t getting any younger and asked to be sent home. I then worked as a guard dog at the mall. That’s where I met my current family. I married and fathered five cute pups – three girls and two boys, and now I’m retired.”
The man thanked the dog for sharing his story. He knew inside of him that he just had to have this dog. Just imagine having a dog, the proverbial man’s best friend, and be able to have deep conversations with him! No more lonely nights with no one to talk to. He wondered if he could possibly afford this wonderful creature.
Still shaking his head in amazement, he returned to the front porch of the house where the woman was relaxing on a rocking chair. Almost afraid of her answer, he asked her how much she wanted for the dog.
“I’ll take 10 for him,” she responded.
“Ten dollars for a talking dog! How come?” the man exclaimed in surprise.
The old woman retorted, “I’ll tell you why, sonny. That dog is such a big LIAR! He never did any of those things!”
Moral #1: In marketing, perception is reality.
Moral #2: Pricing is always about perceived value.
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