Have you ever noticed most guys try to match their socks to some other item of clothing their wearing? Many guys try to match their socks with their pants, a shirt, a jacket/sportcoat or tie. I have noticed guys with tan pants and tan socks. Guys with olive-green colored pants and olive-green colored socks. I started noticing how guys choose their socks or clothing. I have discovered that when a gentleman wants to “dress to the nines,” he considers which pair of socks he will wear with his clothing selection. Many times he chooses his favorite pair socks and then coordinates the rest of his clothing with the favorite socks.

Sometimes, guys choose what they wear by which pair of socks are currently clean. I think it’s funny that a pair of five to twenty dollar socks can determine up to a thousand dollars worth of other clothing. Most folks never even see the socks.

So why red socks for me? Back in 1996, I was at a training in Colorado on how to be a better trainer/facilitator using Neuro-Lingustic Programming (NLP). There was a guy their from England who was wearing short ankle boots and bright red socks. When I saw the socks he was wearing, I asked, “What’s with the socks?” He replied, “Well, these shoes are made of leather and if I don’t wear socks, my feet sweat and I don’t like that!” I asked, “Why red?” He replied, “I like red.”

I realized then and there that I need to be more deliberate with the questions I ask. One of the presuppositions of NLP is “The quality of our communication is judged by the results that we get from that communication” I believe that to be true! So, when you and I are communicating with one person or a group and we don’t get the results we want, we have to change our communication style or method.

Think about the information you desire from your audience and craft your questions around that desired outcome.

So in a sense, “Marketing begins with the color of your socks.” Many men, either consciously or unconsciously, choose their wardrobe by first deciding which socks they will wear. The socks are most likely the smallest item of clothing worn during the day but they are the controlling element. Marketing is much like that. Why you buy or behave as you do is determined by something small and behind the scenes.