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‘The World's Smartest Dirt Farmer’ Mr. Marketing ™ / Stephen L. Bainton In today’s killer business environment, you must possess the ability to build a brand out of nothing, with little cash, and a lot of sweat equity. Gone are the days when you could write your business plan on a napkin and expect some venture capitalist to fund you. Besides, who in their right mind would want that anyway, as VCs are notorious for firing company founders.
With the above in mind, it is pleasing, to say the least, to come across a true American marketing genius, a man who, with very little, has created magic. In fact, this man has redefined the concept of “making lemonade from lemons.”
Born on his family’s 200 acre farm in Java, Virginia, Colonel S. Stone Gregory, Jr., (known simply as the Colonel) has used his ingenuity to fashion some very unique (and highly profitable) products. In the fascinating book, "The Best Of Inc.® - Guide To Marketing And Selling," one of the book’s authors, Lucien Rhodes, illustrates the Colonel’s evolution from a simple dirt farmer to the corporate head of a seven-figure enterprise.
To fully understand the beginnings of the Colonel’s mindset, however, you must go back to his youth. At the tender age of twelve, he was given his first major task—to sell a portion of the tobacco crop. Though he was successful and garnered $48.80 from the transaction, he also noted the cost of the fertilizer. As he states, “Even then it didn’t seem like much money for all the work, particularly when I had to take out the twenty-five dollars I owed for fertilizer. What’s more, I couldn’t help worrying about what would happen to me if my crop failed after I spent the money for fertilizer.”
From that day forward, the Colonel realized that relying on commodity pricing (and thinking) was a poor way to go. In addition, he realized the hazards of relying on one crop, and
never again wanted to “put all my eggs in one basket.”
During World War II, in a discussion with two Egyptian Army officers, he was asked why Virginia ham tasted so good. He replied simply, “It’s the smoking, not the heating, that’s the secret.” Yet, as he knew, the real secret in “smoking” was using good wood—in particular, wood from the hickory tree.
So, when he returned back to his farm, the idea of selling hickory chips stuck with him. Soon, he conjured up his first non-commodity enterprise, marketing and selling his new product, White Hickory Smoke Bits.
And how did he market his new product? Very simply. He got some sample chips, had his kids pack them into little cellophane bags, stapled his business card to each one, and then mailed off a simple letter to the presidents of 2,000 companies. As he notes, “I only deal with the top man. Life’s too short for anything less.”
And the result? Though probably being the strangest letter ever received, the presidents of many companies ordered tons of the stuff; in fact, this one business now generates “a nice six figures.”
Always the idea man, the Colonel then launched a virgin spring water product, which was followed by a fragrant cedar bits product that is used in such products as cosmetics, detergents and deodorizers. Believe it or not, the idea for this latter product came from seeing tenant farmers burning cedar chips during funeral services; these burning chips, besides producing a nice smell, also apparently ward off evil spirits.
Over the years, the only failure the Colonel experienced occurred when he tried to market a new and revolutionary tobacco curer, which burned sawdust and therefore reduced fuel costs for farmers. Initially, the contraptions sold well. However, as things got rolling, he made what he considered to be a fatal error—he hired an MBA. Incredibly, his new MBA hire didn’t like to leave his office in Richmond. One day, frustrated and fed up, the Colonel called and told him to start selling in the field. As he notes, “And the next day his wife called me and said she didn’t want her husband doing any manual labor. I reminded her that I hadn’t hired her, and then I fired her husband.”
More recently, the Colonel created a new and more scented endeavor. Seeing the benefits of manure on his own lawn, the Colonel has come up with a new product, Virgin Hog Crap. When asked about the merits of the product’s name, the Colonel responded, “Anyone can sell manure, but how many people can merchandise crap?” Amazingly, one fellow from New Jersey actually called him to inquire how the product was made.
So what’s the secret to the Colonel’s success? Besides a whole lot of “romancin’ and merchandisin’,” the Colonel understands the power of listening. As he states, “If you want to find a good idea, get out there and talk to people and listen. I never met a man I couldn’t learn something from. Pretty soon you’ll spot a need, and then you keep thinking until you find a way to fill it.”
Such simple wisdom…and yet so often ignored. Stephen Bainton is CEO of Mr. Marketing, Inc. and can be reached at:
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