How 5-Year-Old Me Learnt That Information Is The Enemy In Marketing

When I was 5 years old, I was obsessed with the Pixar movie Cars. 

So obsessed that I collected figures of the cars. But there was one character I didn’t have: the Sheriff car. 

I begged my parents to buy it, but they always said no. But one day… my mum left her phone unlocked.

And 5-year-old me spotted the opportunity of a lifetime, kind of like how pigeons spot a piece of bread and within nanoseconds they’re rushing down to eat it.

While she wasn’t looking… I went on eBay and bought the Sheriff car myself. I know, how unforgivable.

But this story shows a simple fact: if a toddler (like 5-year-old me) can buy from your marketing, it’s good marketing.

Most businesses forget this. They stuff so much information into their ads and websites that customers don’t know what to do next. Information is the enemy of marketing.

Here’s how to turn that around to get more clients, while saving yourself time.

Step 1 - Cut The Unnecessary Stuff

Imagine you’re hungry and walk into a restaurant. But there’s a catch:

There’s no menu. Instead, there’s just a wall of 100 different dishes written in small letters.

That’s exactly how most local business marketing feels to customers. Too many offers, too many options, too much text.

One of the main reasons people won’t buy from your business is because they’re confused.

Luckily, fixing this is really simple:

• Show one main offer at a time.

• Tell them to do only ONE thing (e.g. fill out this form, purchase now).

• Cut any information that doesn’t directly help someone buy.

If you’re a roofer, your customer doesn’t need to know the medieval history of roofing or the 1600s roofing renaissance. They just want their leak fixed.

Step 2 - Make It Stupidly Simple

When I helped a local building company get two enquiries worth £20,000+ each in 30 days using Google Ads, the funnel was extremely simple:

Google Search Ad → Landing Page → Form Submission.

That’s it. No five-page PDF file. No endless scrolling. No fancy videos.

The simpler the process, the easier it is for customers to say “yes”.

Ask yourself: Could a 5-year-old figure out how to buy from me?

If the answer is “no”, your process is too complicated.

Step 3 - Tell Them Exactly What To Do Next

Most marketing dies because it doesn’t tell people what to do after reading, OR because it tells people too many things to do.

“Call us.” “Get a quote.” “Book a free inspection.”

Make one of these obvious, and make it the only option. Make it clear that’s what you want them to do.

If you want people to fill in a form, put the form right at the top of your website, below your headline.

Not hidden behind three clicks or buried under paragraphs of text.

Step 4 - Save Yourself Time

Here’s the bonus benefit of simple marketing: it saves you time.

You don’t have to write a 2,000-word sales page or create 10 different offers. You can focus on the one that gets you clients.

Step 5 - Test The “Toddler Rule”

Before you run an ad, ask yourself:

• “Could a toddler click on this website, understand what to do and then do it?”

If not, then simplify.

This rule works for websites, flyers, Facebook ads, landing pages, literally anything under the sun which leads to people buying from you.

If you found this 3-minute article helpful, check out some other articles on this page! This is the 47th, so there’s no shortage of good reading material. I recommend this one to go with this article.

Thanks for reading,

Filip Szemiczek