You’ve probably seen him on TV – middle-aged guy with a big smile and a thick mustache, hugging a pillow. His name is Mike Lindell, owner of My Pillow, and he’s not trying to sell you a pillow. He’s selling you a good night’s sleep. I don’t have any idea if Mr. Lindell really makes the “most comfortable pillow you’ll ever own,” but I do know that his selling technique is spot on.
Lindell’s technique is a simple twist on the classic advertising technique of “selling the sizzle, not the steak.” It’s how much of the advertising world works today, and it’s something to think about when you get ready to launch your next marketing campaign.
What are you really selling – a concrete box that will be installed underground and never thought about again? Or is it something more? The concrete box – in this example, the septic tank – is not the end. It’s the means to the end. The end – what you’re selling – is health. A healthy house. A healthy environment. A healthy life.
Think solutions, not products. Think benefits, not features. You’re not selling a sound wall. You’re selling a more peaceful neighborhood. You’re not selling highway traffic barriers. You’re selling safety. You’re not selling precast products to a specifier or a contractor. You’re helping them solve problems, making their lives easier and maybe even helping them sleep better at night – like Lindell!
Think about that next time you write a proposal, contact a specifier or advertise your company’s products. And if you ever try one of those pillows, let me know how you sleep.
Ty Gable
President, National Precast Concrete Association
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