What do Billy Mays, Ron Popeil, and Jay the Juice Man have in common? (No, they aren't all dead)
They sell (Ok, Mays is gone, so it's "sold") on infomercials.
But that's not the thing they really have in common.
What they share is the fact that they use powerful demonstrations to sell their product.
I'm going to beat this point home today because many of you think you are demonstrating...and you aren't.
If you sell a material product, you can demonstrate how it works….and the benefits it gives.
For clarification, these things are not demonstrations;
Handing your product to someone so they can see it.
Showing a testimonial from another user
Showing the latest issue of Consumer Report to show the rating.
In my core business of selling vacuum cleaners, there is a tool that measures the number of particles in the air. It's used to show filtration on vacuum cleaners and air purifiers. Here is why this is not a demonstration- because you aren't doing anything. You are simply showing a number on an instrument.
their seat. Their heart doesn't start beating faster, they don't start salivating at the thought of owning the product.
If there is no strong emotional response driving them to buy today….many put off the decision.
Emotion creates urgency. The closest thing I had when selling insurance was that they were going to be a year older soon...and their premium would go up...forever.
Anyway, back to demonstrations.
A guy came into our home in1976 (there abouts) and showed me a Kirby vacuum cleaner. It was shiny...it did tricks!...He laid out everything we would get when we bought...it was plenty. He showed us pads of dirt...our dirt...and told us about evil dust mites.
I actually started getting a sick taste in my mouth from all the dirty cloths he showed us.
Yech!
The vacuum cleaner was $550 back then. I bought instantly.
Why? Was I a fool? Did I make a mistake?
No. My nose was figuratively rubbed in the dirt. I hated that dirt. He made me hate it.
I didn't weigh the pro's and cons...I didn't evaluate the payback after so many years….none of that. When the customer is emotionally involved, none of that matters. They want what you have. That's why they buy.
Back to Demonstrations.
Here is what a demonstration is;
An action you perform that involves the buyer emotionally. That burns itself in their memory.
That is unique (as far as the consumer knows) to your product.
Of course the principles work with practically any product you are selling.
Recently, the Federal Trade Commission made a decision that testimonials in ads had to be "typical'. You can't advertise testimonials just from your top 10 customers.
This has upset many mail order companies and internet marketers that have relied on customer testimonials to do the bulk of the selling for them.
But when I was selling in the home, I almost never used testimonials. Why? Because my demonstration was so strong, the presentation so tailored to that specific customer's wants...that testimonials became an anti-climax.
And that's how to deal with the ""no testimonials" issue. Strong, detailed, customer specific demonstrations.
Author Resource:-
Small Business Advertising and Local Marketing expert Claude Whitacre is author of the book The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual. You can purchase the book for $19.95 at amazon.com. You can also download your Free copy of the complete book at http://local-small-business-advertising-marketing-book.com/
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