Sorry, but a good idea is NOT enough

Like most of you, I get a lot of stuff trying to sell me things.

I would cheerfully strangle whoever unleashes those bloody recorded messages just about that time in the late afternoon when I think I really need a drink.

And I would grant full-time unemployment to the people who send me messages about how to manage disgruntled employees - because they wouldn't be disgruntled if they were managed properly.

But the people I feel sympathy for are those who get it almost right - like the case on the left.

Whoever it is (and I have no idea - giving me a clue would be a step in the direction of sanity) had a neat idea and took some trouble.

As you can see, it's a tiny envelope - visiting card size, handwritten, with my name on it. It jumped the greatest hurdle with ease. It got my attention - which believe me is not easy on a day when I had one important meeting, a webinar to run and an insert to write, plus the usual flood of emails to reply to.

Then what? I open the damn envelope - couldn't ignore it. And got this utterly cryptic message inside. To start with, why the hell would I want over 59 million customers? I assume this is the population of this country, and is some dubious calculation. If so, many of them are either babies, senile, penniless or criminals in jail or the Houses of Parliament. None of them any use, really.

I imagine this is the start of a series of teasers. If so, I will keep you posted ... no pun intended.