Bill Myers

There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!"

The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf.

"Don't cry 'wolf', shepherd boy, when there's no wolf!" said the villagers as they went grumbling back down the hill.

The boy kept playing the same trick - crying wolf. And the villagers came to his aid again and again - but eventually they quit responding to his calls.

One day, a real wolf came. The boy cried "Wolf! Wolf! Please help!" But no one responded to his calls.

Moral: When it comes to communicating (especially with your customers), don't be like the boy who cried wolf. Only contact them when the message is important. Otherwise your customers will learn to disregard all your messages - even the important ones.