Life's A Pitch

I'm a sucker for a good pitch. Aren't you?

Knives that cut tin cans, electric ovens that cook whole chickens in a flash, tapes that make you happy, CDs that make you rich and DVDs that will change your life - I love them all but I wouldn't buy any of them. It's not the products I love it's how they're sold.

Late night infomercials are my favorite. Ron, Billy and friends are masters of "bigging up" their products. Whether it's a dust-cloth, a detergent or toaster, these guys know how to sell it to us. No stone is left unturned in their search for every conceivable way that their gadget, gizmo or snake oil can improve our lives. It's a tidal wave of positivity that gradually wears away doubt and ignites our interest until we make the call and wait for the mail to arrive (up to 28 days).

I can watch these for hours. Knives used to be my favorite but these days I'm always on the lookout for a good fitness thing-a-ma-bob. Not to buy or use (obviously), just to enjoy as the perfect sales-people describe every muscle or joint that's being "targeted" by their ridiculous device. And the sillier the product, the better. Chuck Norris sells a miniature gym that seems to make perfect sense and is probably an excellent product - that's no good. I want four idiots standing in a semi circle jiggling large plastic helicopter blades in various ways while trying to maintain a pre-scripted conversation.

And what a conversation.  Every possible benefit of owning a "body blade" is announced, discussed and clearly illustrated in every way. The only thing they fail to mention is that you'll look like an idiot trying to use it (though, after a few whiskies, even I might make that call).

But is it a scam?

Well, it could be, but in my opinion, it's usually just a clever sales pitch that rewards the seller with a higher than normal profit margin. Those knives that cut through tin cans "like butter"? They're not the best knives money can buy and, chances are, they're not the best knives you can buy at two o'clock in the morning.

A few years ago, Alex and I had far too much fun recreating an infomercial for our own "Wonderblade Pro 3". We highlighted and exaggerated every detail of the knives we were selling to show how easily people can be convinced. Talking to them afterwards, the buyers were able to recall almost all of the points that convinced them to buy. That alone is worth remembering whether you intend to make a purchase or make a living from sales.

Infomercials illustrate how a positive presentation can have a remarkable effect on people. The message is repeated over and over, in different ways until every positive aspect has been clearly demonstrated.

But the real secret isn't in the pitch - it's in us. Infomercials sell products that answer a specific but often powerful human desire.

A leaner figure with an easier regime; a full head of hair in a can; products that cut cleaning time in half and gadgets that make life easier or more fun. These all answer long established human needs. The pitch works because it speaks directly to our internal wish-list and offers the solution for three "easy payments" of just thirty nine, ninety-five.

I don't believe the pitch is a scam but it uses similar tools to achieve similar results. Most customers of infomercials are relatively happy with their purchase, even if they never use it. The price might be higher than it could be but no-one is actually being ripped off (most of the time).

A scam crosses the line and leaves its victims with much less than they hoped for. In my next post I'm going to talk about the Jam Auction and it's many variants. I'll discuss how it uses the same psychology as the pitch but takes things too far, leaving it's victims with much less...