If I told you one particular book sells almost 300,000 copies every single year, what would you guess actually drives those phenomenal yearly sales? Want a few hints?
- It’s not a how-to, Chicken Soup, or For-Dummies book
- The vast majority of those 300,000 copies are sold in the spring
Give up? The book is Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go – an incredibly popular gift for graduates.
That book manages to powerfully communicate what hundreds of thousands of parents and relatives all want to say but can’t quite seem to say nearly as well as the good Doctor. And because he has so graciously supplied them with the means of saying it, Dr. Suess continues to sell huge amounts of books spring, after spring, after spring – for as long as there are proud parents of new graduates needing to hear the message.
The question for you, dear Business Owner, is what are you helping people say?
- What are you helping them say about themselves?
- What are you helping them say to others?
Because not quite knowing how to say what’s on your heart is something we all suffer from – and something most of us will gladly pay for relief from.
Are you willing to harness the same profit engine that Dr. Suess has used to sell millions upon millions of copies of Oh, The Places You’ll Go? This brilliant radio ad by Adam Donmoyer represents a perfect example of how to harness this power to drive sales:
That ad sold more watches that Fathers’ Day than that jewelry store has ever sold on any day, ever. All because they helped plenty of daughters say what they really wanted to say, but didn’t quite now how.
What are you helping your customers to say?
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Dave Young on 10.08.2009
Jeff – Good to see you on your own blog! Gread ad. Adam is genius. He’s also got a bit of evil genius in him. Do a search for his name in the iTunes store and you’ll see what I mean.
Jeff on 10.08.2009
Dave,
Thanks for the comment! I’m getting ready to announce this little project to the world, so it will be cool to already have a comment in place ; )
As for Adam, it was a hard call whether to link to his “professional” linked in account or to link to his band’s Website or myspace page. He is both a genius and a crazy man – in a good way…
- jeff
Shane Arthur on 12.15.2009
“I’ll be your little girl for all time” is the money quote.
They weren’t selling watches, they were selling engraving.
They weren’t selling engraving, they were selling the feeling those engravings left.
Brilliant way to drill down features into visceral desires!
Jeff on 12.15.2009
Thanks for the comment, Shane. You’re right on the money – the deeper emotional “itches” are never about the product itself.
Jeff´s last blog ..How Sealy Steals Credibility from Your Late Nights