One simple word became Sam Walton’s most powerful persuasion tool.
2.1 million employees and $681 billion in revenues in 2025.
You might think this is the story of a modern tech giant, but it’s not.
It’s the story of a scrappy contrarian from Arkansas who refused to rely on luck. Today, Walmart is an economic force so big it defies comprehension. But back in the 1980s, Sam Walton, the founder, was just picking up steam.
In 1989, Sam gathered his top associates and delivered a speech that served as a roadmap for the empire they were about to build.
I broke down his speech to ask: What idea was Sam selling and what device did he use to sell that idea?
Here’s what I learned…
A three-word obsession.
In Sam’s words…
“…exceeding our customers’ expectations must be our strategy.”
In a short speech that’s only 52 sentences long, Sam used the word “exceed” six times, the word “expectation” seven times, and the word “customer” 20 times.
Exceeding customer expectations.
Just three simple words, but they’re woven throughout the entire speech. Sam is utterly focused on selling this idea to his associates.
An ancient device hidden in plain sight.
To sell this obsession, Sam didn’t lean on corporate language. He used a specific trigger…
“Let me cite an example. Our Department Manager in New Smyrna Beach learned that a customer had purchased a picnic table at an adjacent Wal-Mart. The hardware was not enclosed and the customer could not get back to our store. Our Department Manager drove to the other Wal-Mart, picked up the hardware, took it to our customer and helped her put the table together.”
It’s right there in the first sentence…
“Let me cite an example.”
The device Sam uses is the humble example.
The original Greek rhetorical term used by Aristotle was paradeigma but you and I know it as simply: an example. Examples can be real or made up. Examples show, not tell.
Sam uses the example to show his listeners what exceeding customer expectations looks like. This moves the idea he’s selling from theoretical to practical.
Sam doesn’t use the device just once. Later on he says…
“Imagine you bought a new pair of shoes. A week later, a sole begins to come off. You drive through heavy traffic, spend 15 minutes finding parking space, explain the problem to the salesclerk who says, “We stand behind our merchandise,” and you’re given a new pair of shoes. Are you happy? I have a new pair of shoes and the salesclerk was pleasant enough, but I had to take time out of my day, go to a lot of trouble, and get what I should have had in the first place. The whole transaction was a hassle and no one did anything to make it up to me. What should have been done? Besides giving me a new pair of shoes, the salesclerk should have thrown in a pair of socks. The store’s message should be: We really regret your inconvenience and want to make you happy.”
In this example, Sam begins with a word that holds power… imagine. When Sam uses this word, his listeners run a mental simulation. This concept, called narrative transportation, moves the audience into the speaker’s narrative.
This makes his message more persuasive because his listeners are living out the story he’s telling. And the extra sensory details make the effect especially engaging.
“You drive through heavy traffic, spend 15 minutes finding parking space…”
Steal Sam’s device.
The example is a powerful rhetorical device. It paints a mental picture that helps the listener role-play the behavior you want to encourage.
But the example is a device we often fail to use, especially in corporate communication. We favor abstract concepts that are difficult to illustrate, but those concepts struggle to capture attention or motivate behavior.
So as you communicate this week, let Sam’s speech be a reminder that while many leaders use words that don’t move people to action, you don’t have to be one of them.
P.S. If you want to read Sam’s full speech, you can find it here.
Note: Quotes have been edited to improve readability while preserving meaning and voice.
