I came across a great article recently that invoked the spirit of the recently deceased pitchman-of-all-pitchmen, Billy Mays. Everybody’s familiar with this guy, especially those of us that watch a lot of late-night TV. While he might have been a tad abrasive, to quote the article, Billy Mays “sold the hell out of stuff.” He got right to the point: You’ve got a problem, I’ve got the solution. His enthusiasm was contagious. How many times did you scoff when you heard the grating intro for one of his commercials (“HI, BILLY MAYS HERE!”), only to find yourself longing for the quirky product by the end of the spot? Let’s face it: the guy was talented. And, as the article points out, his salesmanship all boiled down to five fundamental lessons about successful direct marketing:
Solve your audience’s problem(s). Identify and empathize with their pain points, and then convince them that you’ve got the solution.
Emphasize your product’s mass appeal. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to be all things to all people. Instead, show why you offer the ideal solution for many people. A large, satisfied user base speaks volumes about the quality of your product.
Explain why your product is unique. Why do you stand out from your competitors? Why should they choose you over the others?
Give ‘em instant gratification. As the article puts it, don’t sell them seeds–sell them a fully tended, flourishing garden. Make it easy to say yes. Throw in a little something extra for free if you can.
Prove it. Consumers are increasingly skeptical of grandiose claims; what really sells them is proof. If you can demonstrate the effectiveness of a product, chances are you’ll win them over.
The article also suggests that marketers who are not limited to a 30-second TV spot actually have an advantage over TV pitchmen like Billy Mays. I’m not so sure I agree. Consumer attention spans seem to get shorter by the day. While a TV commercial might be ignored or muted by some viewers, it still nets a large captive audience–people who, by default, do nothing and end up sitting through it anyway. Web ads and direct marketing emails are more likely to get just a few seconds of attention before they are navigated away from or deleted forever. If anything, there is one more lesson to be learned from the pitchman approach:
Keep it short and punchy to drive your message home. Hone your pitch to a few key points so you can get it across in an effective way before you lose your virtual platform. Leave them saying, “Hey, I want one of those!”
Imagine that your webpage or email was limited to 30 seconds of viewing time before it vanished. What would you want it to say? What would you most emphasize? Is there anything unnecessary you could cut out? Once you’ve made these decisions, ask yourself the most important question: Will the core of your message stay with your prospects after they start looking at something else?
