The sayings of Maurice

These sayings have appeared over many years of consultancy and guiding organisations’ business and marketing efforts. Not all are originally Maurice’s, and he will happily credit anyone who can prove that they originated one.

We use them often. We feel that they are worth Sharing – Enjoy!

• Much in marketing considers one question only. It is not asked by us, but by our customers, and any answer we give must be from their perspective not ours. The question is “ What’s in it for me?”
• When you are up to your neck in muck and alligators its often hard to remember that the original idea was to drain the swamp!
• A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. As long as you are still stepping, the direction can be changed later if necessary.
• If you have an oyster, and you want a pearl, you must first introduce a piece of grit into the oyster.
• When climbing mountains be careful who you tread on, for who knows who may be lurking when you have to descend?
• If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him before he speaks!
• If what you are doing now isn’t working, try doing something different!
• What are the 3 things that most interest people? Themselves, Themselves and, yes you guessed it, Themselves!
• If at first you don’t succeed, think seriously about hiring an expert!
• If you want to make connections first seek out those things that are in or near alignment.
• Life is, as ever, all about trade offs and how easy or hard you want life to be may well depend upon with how rigid or flexible your views attitudes, and practices are.
• Assumptions, and others' opinions, are the worst possible basis for doing anything.
• If there is no tested evidence, its opinion or a guess, however presented.
• If you are an Ostrich and your head is firmly in the sand, I have two questions.
• Firstly – Which part of your anatomy is available for a good kicking?
• Secondly – Would you see it coming?
• If you are sitting happily inside a silo don't be surprised if :-
• You are unaware of anything except your silo 
• You only see a very small amount of blue sky 
• You dont realise that not only is there there life outside that silo, but there may well be hidden doors granting access to it!
• You may also have friends and allies outside the silo, if ever you ventured outside.
• TANSTAAFL! There ain't no such thing as a free lunch! Never was, never will be. If it is sold as 'free', look for the hidden price, for you, in time money, resources, contacts, time, emotional energy and more.
• When interacting or Networking consider whether those you interact with, have a Competitive or Collaborative Mindset - act accordingly!
• If you cut back on your marketing spend or effort, because times are tough, you must realise that you leave yourself blind, silent and inactive in the marketplace, at the very time when you need as much going for you as possible.