Ron Popeil (Ronco) – Salesman of The Century
Ron Popeil (Ronco) is one of the greatest inventors and salesman of the last century.
Ronald M. Popeil born on May 3, 1935 in NYC. He's an American inventor and salesman and is best known for his late night infomercials. His most successful product, the Showtime Rotisserie, is where he coined his famous phrase “Set it and forget it”
Ron and his brother had a rough childhood, spending most of their youth in foster homes and with family members before eventually going to work for his father, himself an inventor. Ron honed his salesmanship skills on the streets of Chicago, buying excess kitchen inventory from his father (at no discount) and yelling, hawking and doing just about anything to attract attention and sell his products. From the streets of Chicago, Ron eventually started taping demonstrations for other salesmen, which eventually led to him becoming the infomercial king of late night television.
If you've ever spent time watching television late at night, you've seen Ron on TV, or at least some of his products. The Popeil Pocket Fisherman, The Chop-O-Matic and the Showtime Rotisserie oven are just a few of his prized inventions.
What makes Ron's products and his sales pitch so successful?
First off, he sells some pretty neat products. Second, he is a master of building excitement for his products. Over the course of 30-minute infomercial, Ron will show you:
- Why you need his product
- A demonstration on how wonderful it is and also proof that it works
- Show customers giving testimonials, along with oohs and aahs from the crowd
- Give example after example showing you why you need the product
What you'll also notice is that he gives the price of the product very early on in the show. Why does he do this? Because from this point until the end of the infomercial, Ron will hit you with his famous catch phrase….“Wait, there more!”
Usually at this point of the infomercial, you're thinking “that's not a bad price, but it's not a bargain either”.
That's what he wants you to think.
Because for the rest of the show you will get hit with one freebie after another……all as a free bonus to you if you buy the product. The freebies usually end up being worth more (at least perceived value) than the cost of the actual product. Add in the money back guarantee and it almost becomes a no-brainer to purchase the product. By the end of the show, people are usually sold and eagerly ready to buy.
Summary
If you are a business owner or a salesman, become a student of the infomercial and learn to build anticipation for your product and re-invent your selling process. Also note how enthusiastic everyone is in an infomercial, they do it because enthusiasm is contagious.
Gary
Latest posts by Gary (see all)
- Top Local SEO Strategies for Flooring Companies: Building Reputation and Driving Traffic - October 31, 2024
- How To Conduct a Competitor Analysis for Local SEO - December 11, 2023
- The Ultimate Guide to On-Page SEO: Optimize Your Webpages Like a Pro - October 15, 2023
Comments are closed.