My first big-ticket sales job was selling machines that extract liquid natural gas from flowing gas wells at the well head. Revenue from sale of the liquid natural gas was shared between the well owner, the equipment manufacturer and investors who purchased the machines. The machines cost $70,000 each. Being new to sales and clueless about how to sell expensive equipment, I followed the owner’s advice on how to sell, which was: never try to sell anything to anybody.
Just present the facts, tell the whole story, and let people decide if what you’ve got is right for them. The story behind these machines is fascinating and complex. And since a confused mind never buys, it was important the whole story was told and told well. To make that happen the company invested in the creation of a selling tool that guaranteed every prospect would get the whole story with nothing left out and all questions answered.
This tool made selling so easy. And transformed a start-up company with an expensive product - into a multi-million dollar enterprise practically overnight. The tool was a powerful documentary-style sales presentation that educated the viewer on every aspect of the project. You met top management. You got a video tour of the manufacturing facility. You saw welders welding, workers working and machines loaded on 18-wheeler pulling away from the loading dock. You saw the machines on location and in action, extracting liquid natural gas, which was piped into huge storage tanks.
Nothing makes a job easier than having the right tool. You will discover how ‘having the right tool brought a start-up manufacturer $200 million+ in sales over 18-months & how you can use the same tool and the same marketing strategy in your business.
A former NASA engineer explained how the machines work. A tax attorney explained the tax benefits. A CPA explained how investors get paid. The president of the company explained why the offer was limited and why, if this was right for you, it was critical you act now or risk missing out. Everything was explained in detail, including how to purchase a machine and what to do next if you were interested.
It was a brilliant sales presentation that could sell to even the most sophisticated prospect, regardless of who showed up with the video. With the video in hand, face to face selling couldn’t have been easier. No razzle-dazzle. No need to build rapport, the video did that for you. Just show up and ask the prospect to view the video.
The entire sales strategy was:
- Show up and ask the prospect to view the video;
- PUSH PLAY (This was 30+ years ago so I lugged a portable video player around to make sure the video could be viewed.)
- After the video, the only question was; “Is this right for you?”
The video established rapport, told the story, answered questions, handled objection, presented a logical sales argument and pinged enough emotion to get people chomping at the bit to buy as many of these $70,000 machines as they could possibly afford. Using the Push Play Sales Strategy, I sold $560,000 worth of equipment the first month. And $840,000 more the second month. By having a master sales presentation to answer questions, handle objections and tell a great story to the right people, the company did over $200 million in sales the first 18-months in business.
The Magic is in the Message
Get the RIGHT MESSAGE to the RIGHT PEOPLE and they end up wanting to do business with you. Like television, radio or print, video is just a way to deliver a message. And in the case of the gas machines, the message was a masterpiece. The master sales presentation on video was perfect for anyone who wanted tax breaks, passive income, relatively low risk and a better than average return on their money.
What Customers REALLY Want...
Rest assured, NO ONE wanted a liquid gas extraction machine. But investors happily shelled millions to buy them. Why? If they didn’t want the machines, what did they want? See if you agree. People who purchased the machines...
- Wanted to keep the money they worked hard to earn and not have to pay so much in taxes. This fact made the tax breaks that came with the machines attractive.
- They wanted passive income... so they could make money while they sleep or take a vacation... not just when they locked in the office or chained to a desk.
- They wanted safety and a good return... so their future was secure and they could relax and enjoy a nice lifestyle.
- They wanted to make a smart decision and a great investment... so they would be admired by family and respected by peers.
- They wanted to be part of something more exciting than driving back and forth to the office every day... and owning a machine designed by NASA engineers that put you in the heart of the of one of the most profitable businesses on earth, the oil business, did that for them.
- They wanted a great story to tell. In fact, they wanted a great story to tell that they were part of, and to an extent, helped make possible.
The company made millions practically overnight on the power of the master sales presentation video and because participation was restricted to people with a minimum net worth of one million dollars, which means only people who could afford the product and benefit from the tax breaks ever saw the presentation. Also, the message appealed strongly to anyone with investment capital who valued safety, high- yield, passive income and tax breaks, which is exactly what people who bought the machines wanted.
In other words, they got the RIGHT MESSAGE to the RIGHT MARKET. The result was over $200 million in sales in 18 months. Your FIRST step to out-market competitors and develop a stream of people who contact you ready to buy is to have a master presentation that connects with your prospects on a deep emotional level and gets them excited about doing business with you.
Over $200 million in equipment was sold in 18 months primarily because the company invested the time and money it took to craft that kind of master sales presentation. Without this caliber of presentation...without the complete story being told...without unquestioned authority being established...without the benefits being clearly explained and objections being handled...and without the emotional firepower woven in from start to finish...The video wouldn’t have mattered.
The video dramatically extended the company’s reach because with it, anyone could deliver a master presentation. With a strong sales presentation that connects with your prospects on a deep emotional level, you command unprecedented selling power. Without a great story that connects with prospects, you are essentially nowhere. Just a face in the crowd hawking your wares. Just another voice crying out, buy from me... because I want you to buy from me.
Some companies limp along and manage to survive like this. But it’s not efficient. Not effective. Not fun. And nowhere near as profitable as the same business would be if the owner was willing to take the road less traveled. To build a great business you need a great product, you need to tell a great story, and that story needs to be told to a lot of people who will benefit from doing business with you.
The gas machine manufacturer had a great product, told a great story to a lot of the right people and did spectacularly well. In this regard, nothing has changed from then to now. To break free from the crowd of businesses that sputter along and never give you the kind of payoff you really want, you need a good product, you need a great story to tell and you need to tell it well to a LOT of people who can benefit.
