If you've ever walked through a large town or city then it's guaranteed that you've seen homeless people begging for loose change on the streets.

It's a sad sight, but I want to tell you about a killer marketing secret that I learned from a down and out guy who was begging on the streets. It was in a large city, and there was no shortage of competition for him, there were dozens and dozens of people in the same position as he was, all trying to beg change from passers by, most of them holding up signs on pieces of scrap cardboard that said things like "Please help, I have no job, no home...etc."

This particular guy was different. He too held a sign, but what he wrote on his piece of scrap cardboard not only made me smile initially, but within a few minutes what he had written hit me hard and taught me a dynamite lesson. In fact I was so impressed by what it revealed to me that I went back and handed him a $20 bill. No doubt $20 was a lot of money to him, but it was a tiny price to pay for what he had inadvertently taught me.

So what did he have written on his sign?

I'm going to tell you word for word. I apologize if this offends anyone, but I want to give you what his sign said EXACTLY and then I'll tell you what it revealed to me.

The sign read "I need money for cigarettes, beer and a prostitute (hey at least I'm not bullshitting you)."

Be honest with yourself - when you pass someone on the street who is holding up a begging sign what is the biggest reason for you not to help them out with some pocket change?

The prime reason for most is that they think something like "if I give them some money they'll only buy alcohol or drugs". Sure that might be a prejudice, but it's what most people will automatically think.