Fifty Shades of Grey is a three-book series written by Christian Grey. I thas become one of the fastest selling trilogies ever! This number-one New York Times best-seller now is being made into a movie. With that said, here’s the classic case of what sells and it proves my point to the question: Does Sex Sell?

Fifty Shades of Grey is a series about a relationship between a man and a woman that turns a little … let’s say, steamy! One of the main attractions to the book is how the author deals with the characters’ relationship issues and how they work through them in a sexual nature. The main character is a man who has some serious childhood issues that most people have trouble dealing with. The woman is determined to help him through those issues, no matter what it takes!

Because the author deals with the characters’ relationship in a sexual way, one might say that’s why it’s such a popular book. The fact is the same with this book as it is in any other advertising, sex does not sell. Sex interrupts; it gets your attention, then you have a choice to make, read further or move on.

So why this book?

Why now?

Why this story?

There are thousands of books written that involve personal relationships with steamy plots and, yes, even sexual content. What separates this book from all the rest?  The plot is deep, the characters are very well developed, and the story line keeps you guessing about what’s going to happen next. The popularity of this book would not be much without the clever writing.

You may remember last year I addressed this issue in a blog where I asked the same question. The answer is the same then as it is now; this is just one of the best examples to come along in awhile. My mentor, Tom Hassey, once told me that “man’s greatest desire is sex and the second one is food, so take as many clients as you can out to breakfast, lunch and dinner—but never approach the greatest desire, only deal with #2!” He wanted to make sure that I would influence people with their number-two  desire, food. (I guess this would be the place to talk about the “oldest profession,” but I won’t, I’ll stick to the topic.)

You may be sitting there thinking, how does this 50-something guy know so much about this book? This fact is, I’m not reading and probably will not ever read this book. I know so much about the book because my 23-year-old daughter (and many of her friends) are reading the book. We’ve talked about the book and its rise to the best-selling list, so naturally this intrigues me.

When it comes to selling, I like to stay with the fundamentals: solving my client’s problems with the product or service that I provide. Anytime you try to “trick-up” your marketing and/or advertising, it typically confuses your customer.

Remember: keep it simple, have a clear message, and think from your client’s point of view.