The greatest marketing move in engineering history.
In 1782, engineer James Watt had a problem.
He had built a powerful steam engine. Now he needed farmers and mill owners to buy it.
Today we measure power in watts. Kilowatts. Megawatts. Gigawatts.
Terawatts.
But farmers did not care about any of that.
Farmers knew horses.
So Watt went and watched a horse work. He measured how much one horse could do in a minute and called it 1 horsepower.
Now he did not have to explain physics. He just said: "This engine does the work of 10 horses." And the farmers got it instantly.
And they bought. Mills, mines, breweries, cotton factories. His business partner said people were going "steam mill mad."
By 1800, Boulton & Watt had built almost 500 engines, each doing the work of about 25 horses. Watt got rich, and his engines helped power the Industrial Revolution.
Over 240 years later, we still use it. Your car. Your lawn mower. Your boat. All measured in horses.
Watt did not make people learn his language. He spoke theirs.
Whatever you are building, selling or preaching: speak the language your people already understand.
[By Festus Kahunla]
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