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Are you telling the truth?

August 19th, 2014

1 min read

By David Meerman Scott

When I see people on the sidewalk asking for money, most have the same business model.

They have a hand drawn cardboard advertisement that reads:

Homeless Veteran
Family man
Please help
GOD BLESS!!

I always wonder if they really are homeless, really are veterans, and really do have a family. I cynically doubt that the sign they hold is true.

NinjasOn the Las Vegas strip Saturday night, I ran into this gentleman and laughed out loud at his sign. I gave him some money and thanked him for the laughter.

He told me that some people have a sense of humor and some don’t. He likes reaching those, like me, who get it.

This sign was especially funny to me because it is so obviously untrue but it makes me think of his competitors’ statements that they are homeless veterans with a family.

Is it the truth?

Here are a few other statements that I frequently see that I simply don’t believe anymore.

- Your call is important to us.
- Due to higher than expected call volume, your wait time is longer than normal.
- We love our customers.
- This is the best price I can offer.

Are you telling the truth?

David Meerman Scott

David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to emerging companies, and international bestselling author of a dozen books including Fanocracy and The New Rules of Marketing & PR. His books are published in 30 languages from Arabic to Vietnamese and have sold nearly a million copies.