Boyd Stone
May 25, 2001, 10:34 AM
Hi!
I recently caught a great movie at our local University / Art House screen called "Pitch People" that might be worth catching if you see it in your area or on VHS.
It's about the Great Boardwalk / Midway pitchmen (product demonstrators) and their television descendents and it includes a lot of archival film showing them in action, as well as clips from commercials and infomercials and bios of famous salesmen we're all aware of at some level: the Popeils (father and son), Ed McMahon, "Arnold the Knife" (the champion knife seller), the Morrises, the original British grafters, and on and on.
Arnold the Knife described his training. His father taught him the pitch for the Morris Metric Slicer and then he had to deliver it in public. Whenever he made a mistake his father corrected him derisively in front of the people at their booth. Arnold said he'd spend an hour pitching the product, and then spend the next hour crying in their back room. Pretty brutal, but Arnold learned his trade. Finally he told his dad "I quit!" and went to the Boardwalk at Atlantic City and became the top seller.
In the days when you could buy a car for $500, Ed McMahon was making $500 a week pitching gadgets on the Boardwalk.
According to one of the pitchmen, how you ask for the money is the crucial part of the pitch. He said even if the price is only one cent, you won't make a sale unless you ask for it correctly.
Another crucial thing is to make the transaction FUN for the buyer. Not just efficient, enjoyable.
One of the pitchmen wanted to be a musician, a performer. So he channeled his desire to perform into performing as a salesman. Anyone who wants to be an entertainer or performer should stack the cards in their favor by becoming a salesmen instead.
I want to be an entertainer!
One of the pitch people told how she would give her pitch 20 times an hour, 12 hours a day (with bathroom and refreshment breaks, of course). Another said he'd frequently be thinking about what he was going to do that weekend or something else enjoyable while expertly delivering his pitch.
Hope this was useful, if it sounds psychotic it's because I've got a fever and I know I shouldn't post anything when I'm not at my best.
Here goes,
- Boyd
I recently caught a great movie at our local University / Art House screen called "Pitch People" that might be worth catching if you see it in your area or on VHS.
It's about the Great Boardwalk / Midway pitchmen (product demonstrators) and their television descendents and it includes a lot of archival film showing them in action, as well as clips from commercials and infomercials and bios of famous salesmen we're all aware of at some level: the Popeils (father and son), Ed McMahon, "Arnold the Knife" (the champion knife seller), the Morrises, the original British grafters, and on and on.
Arnold the Knife described his training. His father taught him the pitch for the Morris Metric Slicer and then he had to deliver it in public. Whenever he made a mistake his father corrected him derisively in front of the people at their booth. Arnold said he'd spend an hour pitching the product, and then spend the next hour crying in their back room. Pretty brutal, but Arnold learned his trade. Finally he told his dad "I quit!" and went to the Boardwalk at Atlantic City and became the top seller.
In the days when you could buy a car for $500, Ed McMahon was making $500 a week pitching gadgets on the Boardwalk.
According to one of the pitchmen, how you ask for the money is the crucial part of the pitch. He said even if the price is only one cent, you won't make a sale unless you ask for it correctly.
Another crucial thing is to make the transaction FUN for the buyer. Not just efficient, enjoyable.
One of the pitchmen wanted to be a musician, a performer. So he channeled his desire to perform into performing as a salesman. Anyone who wants to be an entertainer or performer should stack the cards in their favor by becoming a salesmen instead.
I want to be an entertainer!
One of the pitch people told how she would give her pitch 20 times an hour, 12 hours a day (with bathroom and refreshment breaks, of course). Another said he'd frequently be thinking about what he was going to do that weekend or something else enjoyable while expertly delivering his pitch.
Hope this was useful, if it sounds psychotic it's because I've got a fever and I know I shouldn't post anything when I'm not at my best.
Here goes,
- Boyd
