Sell the sizzle and buy the sizzle

Recently I went back and reread the book “Sizzlemanship” by Elmer Wheeler. Elmer Wheeler is credited with being one of the original pioneers of sales skills training and motivation industry. It’s classic stu and de nitely worth the read. e point, as you can guess by the title, is to sell what your product or service does, not what it is, meaning sell the sizzle and not the steak.

In today’s world we think about the sizzle as the KPIs, Key Performance Indicators, or the results that the company or the person purchasing the product or service might experience. For businesses and sellers, it’s making sure that we are focusing on that old radio station that buyers tune into, WIIFM, standing for “What’s in it for me.” Making sure that we know exactly how our product or service will contribute to the achievement of their goals and success.

Elmer Wheeler was way ahead of his time as we think about how business owners, entrepreneurs and salespeople think and sell. When we put the customer’s interests and results ahead of corporate pro t or commission checks, we will undoubtedly sell more of our products and services.