(Reprint) It's not advertising. It's part of the sales process.

After 28 years in the advertising sales business, I'm done selling advertising.

I've sold spots on the radio, commercials on TV, display space in the newspaper, billboards, coupons, event marketing, back lit signs, sports, and more.  I've sold ads from coast to coast.  I've posted signs in stores, walked the streets with bullhorns, handed out samples, sang on jingles and painted on people.  I've broadcasted, podcasted, streamed, published, and programmed.  Then I held my breath and crossed my fingers and hoped that what I sold to eager clients actually worked.  Some of the time it did.  Most of the time... regrettably, it didn't.  I've sold millions of dollars of advertising.  To people that wanted to buy.  We all wanted it to work.

Like most ad execs, I dutifully recapped and regurgitated numbers that justified the purchases.  We posted gross impressions, rating points, cost per points, cost per thousands, and counted samples.  We delivered, over-delivered, and made good make goods.  I took pictures as the single shopper showed up to buy a cell phone while we were broadcasting from the parking lot on a 95 degree day.

And then the best thing that could ever happen, happened.  I tried AdWords in Philadelphia.  50 cents and 15 minutes later, I made $500.

This was different.

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