Is it a gun in your pocket or a business card?

History is a good teacher. But what about the old TV shows?

The other day I came across a rerun of the classic western television series “Have Gun Will Travel.”

It was on for so long that it was broadcast in black and white, and it only lasted 30 minutes. But what I saw lasted less than 26 minutes because the commercials had been removed.

Richard Boone was telling a story, in 26 minutes, every week.

I told my Tivo to buy some more and I have been watching a “marathon” of the guy dressed in black who lives like in San Francisco and travels to the “woods” to solve problems for money (to support his cocky lifestyle of California).

There is a lesson in every episode! This series dates back to 1958 and I’m sure a lot of people reading this have no idea who “Paladin” was. As I recall, no one mentioned his first name. The show even had a catchy song about him that my wife sang to me when she watched the show and got the words right. That is more than 50 years. It must have been a good show. Was. Paladin was pretty good with a gun, but he was an inveterate thinker and did his best to avoid shooting anyone. But when it did, it did not fail. There are lessons in every program. Look before you jump. Don’t be afraid to ask. Being greedy will come back to you. But the big lesson is Paladin’s calling card.

It’s bigger than yours or mine, the size of a playing card. All white. Artwork of a chess knight and the words Have Gun, Will Travel, Paladin San Francisco wire. On each show, he gives out one or more of those cards and gets a job before the 26 minutes are up, and he’s not stingy!

Sometimes he hands it over, other times he slips it into an unsuspecting pocket. But he hands out his business cards.

In the 1870s, this man was earning BIG two to five every 26 minutes and living like a man in a posh San Francisco hotel. All because he handed out his business cards. They recognized it. They had them introduce it. They started the conversation. His business cards weren’t in San Francisco in a box in the drawer. He had a marketing tool and he was using it.

What does your business card do for you?

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