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When it comes to sales and marketing, a timeless principle that transcends industries and decades is “Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak.” This phrase was famously coined by Elmer Wheeler, a pioneer in persuasive selling. In today’s blog, we’ll talk about his core beliefs in marketing and advertising and how these beliefs can be applied to your business and sales efforts.

Elmer Wheeler was born in Missouri in 1903. Despite popular belief, he was not born a salesman but quickly developed into one. He started his career in sales at a young age, working in various industries, from retail to advertising. His keen observation of consumer behavior led him to develop powerful selling techniques focused on appealing to customers' emotions and desires.

Two of the men I admire most in marketing are Dan Kennedy and Russell Brunson. So, when these two speak, I sit up and pay attention. In one of Kennedy’s recent NO B.S. Newsletters, he shared a conversation he and Brunson had about the great Napoleon Hill.  

In it, Brunson discussed how he’d come across a course written by Hill on effective advertising. This course was pinned back in 1917, a full 20 years before he wrote the book we’ve all come to know and love, Think and Grow Rich.  

Russell Brunson found this particularly interesting because it showed that, although Hill became famous for his personal development masterpiece, Think and Grow Rich, his roots were in marketing and advertising.

Dan Kennedy goes on to discuss Hill’s earlier career, which you may not know, was as a copywriter and sales trainer for the International Correspondent School. They talked about how Hill’s time in direct sales and as a copywriter likely led to his ability to understand human nature and eventually write the influential work he’s famous for today.

Once upon a time there was a business owner. He’d created a widget like nothing the world had ever seen.

This widget was capable of regrowing hair, mending clothes, and easing congestion all at the same time.

In fact, there was little this widget couldn’t do, it was simply magic.

Well, the business owner lived in a remote village in a forgotten county on the outskirts of the outskirts of a town who no one could ever find and who few ever cared to look for. The people in the town made their living by selling hats to bald men, mending clothes, and treating those who suffered from congestion during winter colds.

One day the business owner decided to share his fantastic widget with the town. He set up a table in front of one of the local hat shops and proudly displayed his wares catching the attention of a few passersby.

When it comes to transformative leaders in the tech industry, Tim Cook shines.

When the great Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, Tim Cook stepped brilliantly into some very big shoes.

Jobs had handpicked Cook as his successor and expressed his confidence in Cook’s ability to lead Apple forward.

It appears Jobs was right. Tim Cook has been at the helm of Apple ever since. He has guided the company and continued Job’s legacy of innovation and success.  

Tim Cook's journey is a testament to determination, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. He was born in the early 60’s, in Mobile, Alabama. He received his degree in industrial engineering from Auburn University and then went on to get an MBA from Duke University’s School of Business. Soon after he started on a path that would eventually shape the future of technology.