Chapter 17

DON'T SELL THE SARDINES -- SELL THE SOMERSAULT

A grocery chain sells sardines.  It increases sales of potatoes.  It knows the value of ten-second sales messages.  It tells owner benefits.  It gives proof.  It sells the “sizzle” -- not the cow.

Several years ago I addressed the Cleveland Rotary club on the subject of “Word Magic.”  Is my custom to start my talk with my own 10 second opener to catch the fleeting interest of the audience, so they will forget their deserts, and stop rattling their forks.  I usually say:

            “ What makes people buy things?”

“Have you ever bought a bright red necktie with a lot of wild eyed dragons on it, and later on said yourself, “What in thunder did that sales clerk ever say to make me by such a thing?”

Now it so happened that Mr. Harry Simms, president of the Cleveland Rotary, was wearing such a necktie that day. The audience laughed considerably, and Mr. Simms began thinking very seriously. He was president of Chandler and Rudd, a chain of quality stores in Cleveland. He invited me to his office after the talk and gave me several problems to solve for him, among which was a need for a plan to sell his higher-priced sardines.

THEY WERE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN

I analyzed his customers and found that they were like those everywhere in the world.  When they were shown the Rudd sardines and told the price was $.25 a can, they would say, “What is the difference between your $.25 sardines and the $.10 brands sold at the chains?”

The Rudd salespeople tried in vain to paint a picture to convince the woman that their sardines were better.

I analyzed both brands.  I measured the two kinds of sardines as to length and counted them.  Red sardines did taste a little better, but it was hard to convey this taste difference quickly to customers.

One day I noticed a grocery clerk turning the boxes of sardines upside down on the shelf.  I asked him why.  He told me that the purpose was to start the oil, which settles in the bottom of the can, seeping through the sardines to keep them from drying up in the cans.  He stated, very convincingly, the sardines that were constantly bathed in the olive oil inside the can tasted better, looked better, and were enjoyed much more by the one who ate them.

What a fine sales idea!  But how could the story be told in 10 seconds in a busy store?

SELLING THE SOMERSAULT

A sentence finally popped to life.  The clerks were instructed to say, “Rudd sardines are turned UPSIDE DOWN once a month!”

This simple statement caused a customer's curiosity to respond.  They would inquire why the sardines were turned upside down, and the clerk would tell them this interesting story.

The story made the women's mouths water.  They bought them.  When hubby exclaimed, as he always does, about the high cost of food, his wife would tell him the story of the sardines “that were turned upside down once a month.”

She sold him the somersault -- not the sardines!

He responded too -- and the sardines DID seem to taste $.15 better per can!

For the first time in the history of Chandler and Rudd these expensive sardines were sold completely out of stock inside of two weeks -- a store record.

Motto: Look for the SOMERSAULT in the your product!

SELLING IMITATION VANILLA

No woman will risk the affections of her husband by baking him a cake with imitation vanilla, even though the imitation is eight cents cheaper than the real vanilla.

Yet the imitation is very good.  In fact, Kroger's chain of grocery stores in upper Ohio thought enough of a certain brand of imitation vanilla to buy thousands of bottles, only to find they would not sell.

Mr. Charles McCahill, vice president of the Cleveland News, was endeavoring to influence Kroger's to use his newspaper instead of his competitors.  As a final inducement he offered to employ our institution to devise “TESTED SELLING SENTENCES” to help Kroger sell their imitation vanilla and other slow-moving items.

After a prolonged study of the product, and after discarding hundreds of sentences and techniques that failed to hold up under actual tests behind the counters, we again employed the principle of getting the product into the hands of the customer, where it will sell 21 times faster.

The clerks in this great chain were instructed, after every regular sale to a woman, to remove the cork of the imitation vanilla, smell of it first, and as they held the bottle toward the customers say, “Hasn't this a fine vanilla flavor?”

The women were prompted (monkey see, monkey do) to smell of the imitation vanilla, which really had a strong, full-bodied vanilla aroma, and, like many imitations, appeared to be even better than the original.  They would remark on the fine, strong fragrance, and when they read on the label that the bottle contained imitation vanilla, they can hardly believe their eyes.  On finding that it was eight cents cheaper than the real vanilla, they were tempted to buy it.

They received the owner benefits (A) very tactfully.  The smell was the proof (B).

Our records show the Kroger's increased sales of this product 10% and that the Cleveland News got the Kroger account on an equal copy basis!

What a result to achieve with six simple little words! 

COLD GROWN POTATOES

Chandler and Rudd increased the sale of potato salad by this simple statement to the “what's the difference in price” customer: 

“It is made from COLD GROWN potatoes!” 

Red potatoes, they explained to the women, came from “Maine, the coldest state in the Union, where potatoes are grown firm and meaty because of the low temperatures.”

The sale of Quaker Oats increased 10% when the clerks used this is their opening statement:

“Have you served oatmeal recently, Mrs. Jones?”

This tactful reminder to buy Quaker Oats is just a simple statement, but like most effective sentences, the simpler the sentence the more effective their results.

Fancy phrases attract attention only to the phrases or to the speaker, not to the product.  Coined words amuse you.  They seldom sell you.

Big men are simple.  Great sales sentences are simple.  The salesman who looks like a crack salesman scares his prospect.

Simple expressions sell people faster!  Look for the simple sizzles in your sales package.

THREE SENTENCES THAT SAVED A LIFE

When a rabbi, a priest, a doctor, and a hundred firemen and policemen fail to “sell” a man on life and three sentences convince the man not to commit suicide -- that is front-page news!

It was front-page news recently in newspapers nationally, when a manufacturer, bored with life, went to the roof of a New York hotel and prepared to jump 18 stories to his death.

He was noticed climbing over the wall to a 9 inch ledge, from which he was going to leap to the street below.  A secretary in the hotel screamed, and the man hesitated.

Hotel employees ran out on the roof.  They asked the man not to jump, but he kept moving dangerously toward the 9 inch ledge.  His mind was shattered.

Records of the incident showed the following conversation in the various underlying appeals used by the many people who, during the 80 minute roof drama, tried to dissuade demand from taking his life: 

SELF-PRESERVATION -- RELIGIOUS SENTENCES

RABBI: “It is against your RELIGION to take your own life!”

PRIEST: “Don't do anything you'll REGRET, my good man!”

DOCTOR: “You will seriously INJURE your self if you jump!”

FIREMEN: “Don't jump -- get back -- you'll fall!”

POLICE: “Get off that ledge -- want to get killed!”

Sensing that these appeals to self-preservation in the man's religion were failing, and that he was walking closer to the ledge, preparing to jump the 18 stories to his death, Miss Diane Gregal, vice president of Tested Selling Institute, who was called to the scene, used to these appeals:

PERSONAL COMFORT APPEALS

“Shall I get you a cup of coffee?”

“Would you like a glass of wine?”

When these appeals to the man's personal comforts likewise failed, and as he was about to jump, Miss Gregal began to appeal to the man's VANITY!

VANITY APPEALS

You look SILLY perched upon that ledge!

Suppose your wife see you in that RIDICULOUS place!

Better get down BEFORE she sees what a FOOL you are making of yourself!

It was interesting to the many spectators to see the man begin to brush off his clothing and arrange his hat upon hearing the words silly, ridiculous, and fool.   Evidently, he could withstand every appeal but that of appearing “silly,” especially to his wife, for he walked peacefully off the dangerous ledge to safety.

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