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By FTDynamo FTDynamo, 5 June 2001 07:30

COMMENT How we used to laugh at those cheesy Remington ads, fronted by the firm's egotistical leader, Victor Kiam. Did he really think that putting himself at the heart of his company's commercials would get us to buy more razors? Well he did, and he did. Kiam, who has just died aged 74, was for many people the archetypal businessman: entrepreneurial, always after the next deal, pitching, schmoozing, closing. Kiam was in a sense his own product, confirming the old cliché about sales - that it's 'you' you are selling, and not your merchandise. The immaculate grey (later white) hair, the gleaming teeth, the permanent, confident smile, the cheery tone. These elements built up the Kiam pitch. But the folksy, down-to-earth style belied a serious educational background (Yale, Harvard, Insead) and a wholly respectable career path in multinational corporations (Unilever and Playtex). Victor Kiam could have remained an anonymous company man in a grey flannel suit, steadily working his way towards a quiet and comfortable retirement. He couldn't do it. He picked up his Remington shaver and put his former life behind him. He immortalised that moment in his own ads - he liked the product so much, remember, he bought the company. Right up to his death he was working towards the next deal, bringing his expertise to bear on, among other firms, Ronson, the British lighter business. This is the challenge Kiam leaves behind to everyone in business: if you could, would you try and buy the company you work for? Does any product you use or sell inspire you so much that you could imagine turning your life upside down and becoming an owner? Could you lead from the front, identifying yourself totally with your business and becoming a household name? Do you really believe in what you are doing? By the end, all he had to say was "Hello, I'm Victor Kiam", and you knew exactly whom and what you were dealing with (all this 20 years before Tom Peters and "A brand called you"). Of how many other business leaders could you say the same? FTdynamo features writing and research from leading business schools and management consultancies. A free trial of its services is available at http://www.ftdynamo.com