If you can’t make your numbers and you’re stuck, maybe it’s time to present your story and product with more flair and drama.
Pressing for the list
Daryl Hardy, who publishes Success magazine, sold real estate between the ages of 20 and 24. Obtaining expired real estate listings, he says he was determined that people would either love him or hate him.
Using his “shock and amazement” campaign, he said he showed up at the prospect’s door at 6 am to ask for the listing. If she didn’t receive it, later that day an attendant delivered a package she called “Da-Bomb” because it was “large and full of combustible materials.”
But wait, there’s more!
Hardy describes the rest:
“Then early in the evening, an assistant would show up and hand them a SOLD sign and say, ‘This is a gift from Darren Hardy; he’ll need you soon after he hires you to sell his house.’
Later that night he would drop by in person and ask for the list again. If the list hadn’t been secured yet, I’d hand or mail something to them every day for at least two weeks along with a daily call from me.”
The man who used theater and drama
Another who knew how to turn heads was the late Gary Halbert, who called himself “the best copywriter in the world.” Many people say that he was. But Gary was very direct and straightforward, which annoyed some people.
He said advertising too often lacks two important elements: theater and drama. He wrote an ad campaign for actor Ernest Borgnine’s wife, Tova. She was launching a new perfume line and Gary needed a dramatic way to meet her. So he concentrated on the book she had just written:
“I wrote a full-page newspaper ad: ‘New book by Tova Borgnine hits bestseller list.’ I had it written as if it were a real newspaper ad. I framed it in a gold frame. I wrapped it in silver foil with a bow and sent it to her office. She opened it and called me 20 minutes later. she made millions of dollars from that partnership. She has to stand out among these people. She wants her marketing to be more impactful.
perfume launch
To kick off the sale of Tova’s new perfume, Gary insisted that instead of using a boutique that could hold 150 people, he rents out the entire lower half of the Century Plaza Hotel. He then wrote a full page ad for the Los Angeles Times promising a free bottle for the first thousand people. More than 7,000 people showed up on a weekend afternoon.
That launch was featured in Time magazine and generated millions of dollars worth of orders from department stores. Halbert said the launch was so successful because of a great great idea perfectly implemented. The ad began with a legendary headline that he claimed was the best ever written:
Wife of famous movie star swears under oath that her new perfume contains no illegal sexual stimulants!
So when you think about how to stand out in the marketplace, look for ways to make what you say (and sell) more dynamic.