Post-Sale Value Stacking 101
The battle of changing the mindset of possible customers can be won in post-sales value stacking.
Phil Kives left us last April, at age 87. You may not recognize the man, but you’ll know his business.
Like his more famous peer Ron Popeil, Phil started out selling goods on the Atlantic City boardwalk, at fairs, and at swap meets. He demoed the latest kitchen gadgets and miracle cleaners, becoming an accomplished pitchman by age 9.
He went on to form K-TEL, the company that dominated TV, and to lesser extent, radio throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with enthusiastically voiced commercials for the original Veg-O-Matic (chops the entire onion without shedding a tear), the Patty Stacker (your hands never touch the meat), the Bonsai Knives and Comb Gray Away…as well as lots of compilation records like Polka’s Greatest Hits.
K-TEL spots were often placed in old movies. (There is now an FCC law against the trick.) Ten-million, 20-million, even 30-million units of Phil’s top products were sold entirely by these direct-response commercials, without the drive to retail path trod by most As Seen On TV products today. There is a documentary, As Seen on TV: The K-Tel Story, which I imagine you can find at YouTube.
All of today’s spinning cat toy, self-cleaning litter box, red-copper non-stick pans, Magic Bullet blenders, etc. owe legacy debt to Phil Kives.
Rick Cesari, author of Buy Now, and clients of his do as well. A few books worthy of attention about Phil’s kind of advertising and selling are The Salesman of the Century by Ron Popeil, and But Wait – There’s More by Remy Stern.
This “genre” of direct response has a SECRET, which can be worth a lot to you, and which I, kind and generous soul that I am, will now share with you:
One of the key commonalities of the gadget/fair, or delivered in a 60-second TV commercial, is Post-Sale Value Stacking, and it is a technique that can be applied to just about any product or service, any market (whether consumer or B2B), and any sales media. Even your business…
If you DON’T have a blueprint for your business messaging (or are having trouble articulating what exactly you want your business to be), start here with the Perfect Day Formula Kit. Little secret: This approach will improve both your business profitability and personal life. Win-win!
Once you have your business vision clear and precise, apply post-sales value stacking to your sales approach.
The way it works is to essentially conclude the sale with its features, benefits, price, and discount, arriving at the buyer’s yes/no decision, then re-starting the selling with some version of “But Wait – There’s More!”
Often, that is done by stacking additional value items i.e. “If you act now, you also get this. And this. And this. And this!”…..creating value in excess and hitting a tipping point.
The variation you’ll see in TV spots is “If you act fast, we’ll double the offer – you’ll get a second Whatever FREE (just pay processing, shipping, and handling) PLUS two carry cases FREE.”
Either way, it’s piling on after the original pitch ended.
Why it works is because you’re piling extras points of irresistibility.
The psychology in this has two pieces. One, switching the person from whether or not they want a knife to whether or not they can withstand the piling of goodies and value to switch the buying mindset to a losing and loss mindset (i.e. not being a part of the deal.)
One, switching the person from whether or not they want a knife to whether or not they can withstand the piling of goodies and value to switch the buying mindset to a losing and loss mindset (i.e. not being a part of the deal.)This is very, very different from presenting product and bonuses bundled, and also different from adding the individual prices/values of both the core product and the bonuses, the discounting from the total.
This is very, very different from presenting product and bonuses bundled, and also different from adding the individual prices/values of both the core product and the bonuses, the discounting from the total.
My advice: Don’t miss the importance of the sale ending, a long pause, then re-starting the piling on of sales benefits.
Dan Kennedy
Dan Kennedy is internationally recognized as the ‘Millionaire Maker,’ helping people in just about every category of business turn their ideas into fortunes. Dan’s “No B.S.” approach is refreshing amidst a world of small business marketing hype and enriches those who act on his advice.