I was listening to a book by one of the most influential marketing executives of the last century—Claude Hopkins.

He was way ahead of his time.

While he died in 1932, many of his ideas are still being touted today as fresh and exciting. The groundbreaking book, Building a StoryBrand, actually took its core concept from the ideas Hopkins was teaching more than 100 years ago.

I’ll give you my top seven takeaways from Hopkins below, but one idea really caught my attention.

Hopkins found that some of the best advertising executives came from direct sales.

Why?

Because they spent more time face-to-face with customers. They understood how customers thought, what they cared about, what questions they asked, and how they talked.

That made them much better at writing advertising copy that actually connected with the buyer.

You can translate this directly to your own managers and salespeople.

The people who spend the most meaningful time with your clients—on their properties, walking jobs, asking questions and listening—will bring back some of the most valuable intelligence your company can get:

• Property and quality insights
• Client perspectives and changing needs
• Competitor intelligence

Conversely, a salesperson or manager who does not spend enough time with clients face-to-face will eventually be outpaced, outsmarted and left behind.

How to Get Closer to Clients

Getting close to clients gives you better information, but how you treat them determines whether they want to stay close to you.

Last week I signed up to store my newest sports car at the St. Garage in New Orleans.

(If you are wondering, I sold my previous daily sports car—my BMW M2—to a client and friend, Seth K. I really miss that car. I finally replaced it with a faster one.)

The owner of the garage, Jorge, explained to me the philosophy behind his business.

First, he doesn’t sell it as a car garage. Rather, he thinks of it as a club built around people, cars and the experiences—like car rallies—that bind people together.

For example, there is a tiki bar inside the garage that is staffed on Fridays, where members get together to talk about cars, fast bikes and life.

Noticeably, there is no TV on the wall and none of the normal sports-bar or fancy-club distractions. Instead, he has a mechanic shop and lift you can rent by the hour.

It is intentionally low-key. Jorge wants people interacting with one another.

Secondly, he treats all members the exact same.

He has had famous members, uber-wealthy car owners and celebrity guests come through the club. Along with everyday car lovers.

Everyone gets welcomed and onboarded with the same energy and level of respect.

That lesson applies directly to your business.

Treat every client with the same level of respect, attention and professionalism, and your employees will take notice.

Same goes for your employees: Treat each of them with the same level of respect—even if you don’t manage everyone the same way. Your people will notice.

It’s the culmination of these habits that will give you an edge.

Your Challenge: You Are in the People Business—Everything Else Is Secondary

At your next company event, invite a client to speak to your employees. Let them explain why they hired you, what they value, and what great service looks like from their perspective. Bring in translators if needed.

Claude Hopkins understood this more than 100 years ago: the closer your people get to the customer, the better they understand what matters to them—and the better they can service and sell them.

This is especially important in the age of tech and working remotely.

The people and companies that understand their customers better will outperform those that don’t.

Go get ’em!

Jeffrey Scott

Hopkins’ top 7 lessons as aggregated by me.