Title: Sales Speak from Bob Vila
Length:736 words
Author:BIG Mike McDaniel
Email:Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.
Category:Business/
Copyright 2006
Web Address: http://BIGIdeasGrou
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Sales Speak from Bob Vila
by BIG Mike McDaniel
Small Business Advertising Expert
With so many different programs, and reruns and re-packaging
of older programs, we can assume there are few people on the
planet who do not know about Bob Vila. Starting with the
original "This Ol’ House" programs on PBS in 1979, Bob Vila
and his empire, have grown into a major force in the Home
Improvement Television genre.
The professional salesperson can learn a whole lot more from
Bob Vila than how to screet concrete or put mud on the
drywall.
Bob Vila is a study in brand awareness. Bob is the brand.
The challenge was getting people to recognize, and
ultimately respect Bob Vila, as THE home improvement expert.
Whatever he did before that first TV program is
inconsequential as is whether or not he can saw a board of
drive a nail (something he does verl little of on his show).
Bob Vila has become a household name. Brand awareness to the
highest degree. This didn’t happen by accident, but by
clever design. The design element continues today, every
time you see him on the tube. How did he do it? Simple, all
he did was tell all the people on TV to call him by name,
over and over. A lot like subliminal advertising. You don’t
realize you are getting the message. A typical segment of
any of his programs, past or present, might go like this:
Bob: Today on our show, Fred Murtz is going to show us how
to cut a board with a handsaw. Welcome to our show Fred.
Fred: Thanks, Bob, glad to be here.
Bob: You’ve been cutting boards for a long time
Fred: I sure have Bob. I got my first hand saw at age seven,
from my grandpa. I brought several saws to show you, Bob.
Bob: Show us how to use that saw (pointing)
Fred: That is a crosscut saw, Bob. It is the mainstay in
most basic construction. Bob, this is the easiest of all
saws to use. You hold it like this, Bob. And when you begin
the movement up and down, you put your index finger along
the side here, can you see that, Bob? That’s how you cut
straighter Bob, with that little finger pointing the way.
(and so on.) catching on?
Everyone Bob talks with uses his name repeatedly. If you
look at it apart from the program, you can see that people
don’t really talk that way. Could all his guests be
instructed to use his name in every sentence possible? Bob
never uses their name after the introduction until the end
bit when he thanks the guest, by name.
So who’s name do we hear, hundreds of times in a program?
Bob Vila! It didn’t take long for him to be recognized as
consummate hammer and nails guru. Better yet, he doesn’t do
any of the work on his shows, he just gets people to use his
name while they do it all.
How does this relate to advertisins and sales you ask? Easy,
you can use the Bob Vila approach on your customers. Use
their name at every opportunity. Practice until you can use
it in every third sentence. It will create an instant
rapport. The more you can use the customer’s name, the more
you can build trust and confidence with that person.
Think about the many times you have watched Bob on TV and
not noticed how the guests use his name over and over. The
majority of people don’t see it until someone (like me in
this article) points it out. Most folks never see the
hidden meaning there, or recognize the unusual sentence
structure. You can use name-infected sentences in any
conversation, to your advantage, every time. They work,
beautifully. And they never offend ("Hey, Fred, would you
mind not using my name so much, I’m sorta sensitive!")
The next time you talk with a customer, remember what Bob
Vila did and you, too, can be the most respected person in
your field.
©2006 BIG Mike McDaniel, Small Business Advertising
Expert, all rights reserved. BIG Mike is a Business
Consultant and Professional Speaker. His BIG Ideas Group
helps business grow with promotions, special reports,
mastermind groups, seminars and consulting. Subscribe to
"BIG Ideas for Small Business" Newsletter
http://BigIdeasGrou
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