Fishing For Ninja Lessons: What Homeless People Know About Marketing That Most High-Fallutin' Business Owners Don't
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The guy had a crazy look in his eye. Crazy and mean. He stared right at me, grinned wide with broken yellow teeth and held up his battered cardboard sign like it was a prized summer squash and I might be the judge who would finally make his County Fair dreams come true.

“Ninjas Killed My Family,” it read: “Need Money For Kung-Fu Lessons.”

I smiled nervously, gave the guy a buck (because I really do think we need more homeless folk with badass martial skills) and shuffled on my way.

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And I Thought About How Some Homeless People Seem To Know Know More About Good, Effective And *Profitable* Marketing Than Most High-Fallutin Business Owners Do
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Because, you see, this wasn’t the first time I’d seen that particular Ninja sign. As a professional Copywriter and Marketing Wonk (and a born-and-bred East Coaster living in the passive-aggressive West) I travel a lot and have a tendency to pick up on recurring messages . . .

And it seems like every city I go to, I see the same “headlines” plastered on well-worn cardboard signs . . . .

* Ninja Killed My Family . . . in San Francisco . . .
* Fishing For A Beer . . . . outside Atlanta . . .
* Need Money For Bus Fare . . . in LA

And a whole slew of other time tested and proven money makers spread out all over this country being used again and again to drag dollars and coins out of millions of harried pedestrians and to keep hundreds of thousands of desperate street folk in the the food and/or vices of their choice.

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Alright, Haddad, What’s Your Point?
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Just this:

A homeless person standing on a street corner with a sign in his hand and a hat at his feet is, just like the rest of us, in the business of selling. . .

But unlike a lot of marketers, homeless folks aren’t worried about creativity . . .

They’re not worried about being clever. . .

And they’re not worried about what people think or what their golf buddies might say after tipping back three beers and rounding on the back nine.

All they *are* worried about is making the sale.

So when they’re sitting down to draw up an “ad” or to come up with a pitch designed to part you from your cash, the only thing on their mind is “What can I put on this sign that will put the most amount of money in my pocket today?”

“What message can I put down here that’s going to pull the heartstrings just the right way or make people giggle just enough for them to reach into their pocket and give me some of that change so I can get a burger in my belly or a roof over my head?”

So homeless folks, unlike a lot of high-fallutin well funded marketers *swipe* proven concepts that have worked before (or are working right now) and *test* their signs. . .

If they hear about a sign that’s working really well in another “market” they draw it up and try it themselves.

And if they find something that works, they ride that horse hard day after day until it sputters and collapses just about dead at their feet or until they find something that works even better.

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In Other Words, They Act Like Smart and Savvy Direct Marketers.
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Yesterday I was chatting with my friend and Mentor (yes, he deserves a capital M) David Garfinkel about this, and he spouted off with this little piece of wisdom: “The cost of failure is huge, but the cost of advertising is negligible.”

Which means it’s a lot cheaper to do some testing and fail small, than it is to go in both guns blazing and fail big.

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So Here’s Your Assignment, Faithful Reader
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1. Next time your walking down the street and accosted by a homeless person with a particularly good sign (and one who isn’t holding a bottle of vodka and isn’t shouting at you) drop a buck in his hat.

2. And take a long hard look at your website, your ad or your other materials and ask your self “What can I do to market more like a homeless person?”

It's funny, but since reading "Marketing to the Old Brain", I've been noticing homeless signs myself. We have not reached the same conclusions though.

Apparently, in my area, they're not as creative as where you travel. The last 3 I've seen are:

"Will work for food" (which is always a lie, is worn out, does not answer WIIFM)

"Help please"
&
"Every Little Bit Helps"
...both of which are miserable failures also.


Now for 10 points, can anyone tell us why the "Ninja" sign works? Mr. Cialdini, you can't play.

Ninja works because it gives us a chuckle. It entertains. Personally I reward the ones that are creative. We all know it's a scam to get money. I don't mind that. But if you're going to ask for my money... give me something in return.

In the past I've rewarded...

"I got enough for a steak dinner. Now I need tip money."

and...

"Will stand with cardboard sign for food."

For me at least there are two factors that make something like "Ninja" work so well:

1. It's unexpected. When I spot a homeless person's sign I'm expecting something more along the lines of "Will Work For Food" or "Pregnant And Hungry." This is different enough that it catches my attention.

2. It's honest BS as opposed to the dishonest BS that you usually get. Every time I see a sign from someone that says "Very sick. Need money for medicine." or "Pregnant and Hungry" or whatever else, my BS meter goes off and I think about how, probably, whatever change I give them is going to go to booze or crack.

But in this case the sign is so *obviously* not true that it almost seems honest. I think it works because people know that whoever's got the sign isn't really trying to fool them or pull something over on them. He's just trying to get some change.

Hmm...thought we already established beyond a shadow of a doubt in the "As a Man Thinketh" thread that the idea that everyone was always directly responsible for everything that happened to them was unscientific New Age hogwash. I guess homeless people operate under different natural laws.

As for the signs, I agree about the surprise factor. Many people, when they see a homeless person holding a sign coming up, feel distinctly uncomfortable, and a funny sign helps break that mood. The resulting sense of relief makes people feel better about giving something and actually interacting with the person.

Something like 60% of the homeless are schizophrenic. Did they negotiate that before coming to earth as a human?

The rest are druggies, alcoholics and other miscellaneous derelicts.

I am pretty hard on drug addicts and alcoholics for making a stupid choice in life. In fact, no matter how funny the sign, I will only give the homeless food because I won't enable their destructive lifestyle.

That said, I think people become alkies and drug addicts for reasons that are far more complex than thinking "ignoble" thoughts. A lot of it is physiological.

Why are some alcoholics functional and earning big bucks (before they inevitably go under) while someone else goes right into the street with no safety net? Is their soul a little more corrupt?

And how about being influenced by family and environment?

The kid who works his or her way out of a ghetto has to exercise 20 times more grit than you or I-- to get out of that situation. What did he or she ever do wrong in the first place to have that kind of obstacle at birth?

I fail to see how this homeless example explains the point that was made on the Thinketh thread about James Allen's voo doo thinking.

You can still be an advocate of self responsibility without subscribing to New Age magical nonsense.

I once came upon a homeless guy with a sign that read:

"I won't lie. I just need a drink. Please help."

It made me laugh and feel sorry for the guy.

Suzanne, not all homeless are drug addicts or alcoholics. Many people are living one paycheck away from the street. That's one reason people get so squeamish when they see homeless people. They see that it could be them out there.

I realize that. But those types of homeless people are generally not out on the street begging. They usually are coherent enough to find the safety nets available to them.

It's certainly true that most folks (even folks in big obnoxious houses) live paycheck to paycheck. It's one of the reasons I'm glad to be self employed . . .when you don't know when the check is coming you're forced to save a bit.

My favorite sign was one I saw in Harvard Square in Boston way back way. It was a dirty street kid with a sign that said "Spare Change For White Trash?"

Brilliant! And in Harvard Square nonetheless.

I agree with what you said about being self-employed. It's a completely different relationship from employer/employee where one person can fire you and disrupt your life. The more customers we entrepreneurs have, the less fearful we have to be if one "lets us go."