I’ve talked about J Peterman here before. I think he’s the best. Most of the copy ends up being not about the product, but the person who wears the product. Not until he has you in the shirt does he start talking about the finer details that make you want to actually finish the transaction.

Now, out of the blue, I received a Duluth Trading Company catalog in the mail this week. It reminds me of the J Peterman catalog of old with a minor twist…instead of writing about the classes, this company targets the masses. It’s a catalog for working men. Oh, we all work, but these are the working men who are doing the work according to the scientific definition…they are moving things, building things and getting their hands dirty in the process.

It’s not perfect, but some of it is darn good. Any company that sets out to solve the problem of “plumber’s butt” by adding 3″ of length to a t-shirt deserves the gratitude and loyalty of those men who must twist, bend and stretch to get the job done. (Come to think of it, somebody should buy one of these shirts for Larry the Cable Guy).

Like the J Peterman company, Duluth Traders does not photograph their products for their catalog or website. I think they realize that when the real deal shows up on my doorstep it will never look quite as appealing as it does in the photo studio. However, in my mind it will always look just like it did in the watercolored line-drawings on the pages of the catalog and the web.

I’ve said before that I write about Cabela’s because they are headquartered right here in my little hometown. I’m a fan of the company. I’m a cheerleader because when they do well, my town does well. That being said, some of the best writers inside those taxidermied walls are not writing the product blurbs for the web or the catalog. They are writing features for the field guides that don’t always get the prominence that they should. These are the pieces that are capable of cementing customer relationships.

Another web strategy observation: You won’t find Duluth’s front page web real estate littered with transactional “SALE!” messages. Oh, they’ve got sale and clearance items, but you’ll have to follow your trusty dog to find them. They recognize that their customers are more interested in what the product means than what it costs.

If your company was built on relationships, it’s usually a mistake to focus too much on the transaction. There’s always somebody who can sell for less, but if you take care of your relationships, the transactions will take care of themselves.

Don’t make me go there! You’ve probably said that recently. I know that I have.

Well, put down your guard because I want to take you through an exercise. I want you to go with me for just a minute. Tie your left brain behind your back and come with me.

What if you were to not speak for a year? I mean nothing. Zip. You will still be your friendly self, but you just won’t speak. Of course, you’ll still find ways to communicate with family and friends, but not verbally. And none of your communication will explain why you are not speaking. Of course, this would be quite difficult but you’re a disciplined person and I’m sure you could do it.

If you are asking “Why would I do such a stupid thing?” then your left brain needs to be tightened down a bit.

Give it a minute. Your right brain will soon be supplying all of the reasons you need.

Why indeed? I could write a book about the experience! I’d become well-known! (He’s that guy that doesn’t talk) There’s a guy in the bible that didn’t talk for a year…maybe people would think I’m some sort of spiritual guru. My wife wouldn’t like it, but maybe in some weird way it would draw us closer. My kids would get a kick out of it.

OK, release your left brain. Yes, the consequences of such an act would very likely outweigh any personal benefit.

The point is this…before anyone will do anything at all, they must go there. They must do that thing in their imagination. Before they buy your jewelry, they must go there in their mind. Before they buy your cars, they must go there. Before they attend your college, you must show them the experience on the visuospatial sketchpad in their brain.

The trick is to supply them with just enough information for their right brain to start manufacturing the logic to feed back into the left hemisphere where the REAL decision can be made.

It’s not as easy as saying “Imagination yourself………..” If it were, I could really convince you about keeping quiet for a year. Going there is just a tactic. Figuring out where to go and how to get there is strategy.

We traveled to Texas for a week so my two oldest daughters could become full-blown Wizards. (no, this was not in response to receiving messages via Owl.)

One of the things we noticed on the trip was that as you head into the Bible Belt, the number of Adult Video Superstores increases at about the same rate as churches. What’s up with that?

We did our share of tourist activities with stops at The Alamo, Schlitterbahn, Outlet Stores and the like and totally stuffed ourselves not once, but twice at The Salt Lick in Driftwood.

We borrowed a friend‘s Magellan RoadMate 700 GPS computer and it was useful and provided us with some comic relief at times. We nicknamed it “Maggie” because it rhymes with naggie. Overall, she provided very good instructions for getting anywhere we wanted to go, but when you leave your assigned route she becomes a bit of a nag telling you to make a u-turn and then recalculating your route. All in a humorous way. If you were really lost, she’d be a godsend. An AMAZING device, really.

On the CD player we had Nellie McKay, Peter Nevland, Paul Finley and a host of classic rock collections.

Other than my near-2nd-degree sunburn (I think my kids handed me bbq sauce instead of sunblock) it was a near perfect vacation.

Here’s a note to hotels:

If you don’t offer anything other than dial-up internet access, don’t even bother saying you offer internet because in my book, you don’t. And to the Holiday Inn in Wichita; How do you get your wireless signal to stay inside a 12×12 glassed-in room? Amazing. I couldn’t get access 20 feet away in the air conditioned lobby and instead had to sit in the “business center” sweatbox to download some email.