Billy Mays
Catchphrase
"Hi, Billy Mays here with the..."
William Darrell "Billy" Mays Jr. (July 20, 1958 – June 28, 2009)
was an American television direct-response advertisement salesperson most notable for promoting Fix-It, OxiClean, Orange Glo, Kaboom, Zorbeez, and other cleaning, home-based, and maintenance products on the Home Shopping Network, and through his company, Mays Promotions, Inc.
He and his business partner, Anthony Sullivan, were also featured on PitchMen, a Discovery Channel television series that documented their work. His distinctive beard, attire, and impassioned sales pitches made him a recognized television presence in the United States and Canada.
Television pitching
At a Pittsburgh home show in 1993, Mays struck up a friendship with rival salesman Max Appel, founder of Orange Glo International, a Denver-based manufacturer of cleaning products. He was then hired by the company to promote their line of cleaners, OxiClean, Orange Clean, Orange Glo, and Kaboom, on the Home Shopping Network in St. Petersburg, Florida. That same year he also befriended another future pitchman, Anthony Sullivan. Customer response to Mays' sales pitches was enthusiastic, with a sharp increase in sales after his first day on the network, although some reviews were poor. He was very well known for shouting in an abrasive manner during infomercials. For example, Washington Post staff writer Frank Ahrens called him and other similar television salesmen "a full-volume pitchman, amped up like a candidate for a tranquilizer-gun takedown".
In October 2000 he shot an informercial for the then-three-year-old OxiClean corporation. He would be a staple on the group, as well as the more common company at the time, OrangeGlo. Later on he would appear in Kaboom infomercials.
Mays was the CEO and founder of Mays Promotions, Inc., based at his home in Odessa, Florida. His services as a pitchman became highly sought-after, and he appeared in commercials for many diverse "as seen on TV" products such as Mighty Putty. Mays claimed to be an avid user of the products he promoted.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Billy Mays' original pitch for OxiClean
The Billy Mays Pitch Approach
Billy bellied-up to bar with the TV viewer and spoke straight and to the point: you got a problem, I’ve got the solution, I can guarantee it or your money back, buy it now and I’ll make you an even better deal.
According to Billy Mays…
Your Product Must Have These 5 Essential Character Traits
1. It must solve a problem.
If it doesn’t fix, mend or alleviate a nagging pain, problem, condition or situation—why would people want it, much less buy it? There must be a strong, recognizable and somewhat measurable or appreciable benefit to owning and using your product.
2. It must have mass appeal.
You may have invented the best mousetrap ever, but if only one in ten million homes has a mouse problem… you’re not going to sell a heck of a lot of mouse traps. Sure, you can sell just a few at a ridiculously high price-point? But a mouse-trap priced at $50,000… how easy of a sale will that be?
3. It must be unique.
If it’s the first or only one of its kind—that’s a homerun! If it’s not, then it should at least be different and beneficial in a way that isn’t currently offered. A rose by any other name is still a rose—but a rose that never loses its petals, now that would be unique.
4. It must offer instant gratification.
If it’ll only be of use next spring, why buy it today? People don’t want to buy seeds. They want the fully grown tree, planted and providing shade now. We’re an impatient nation of consumers. We don’t want the fishing pole—we want the fish fresh, filleted, seasoned and served.
5. It must be demonstrable.
It’s a law of nature: seeing is believing. The customer must see with their own eyes how easily, quickly, and effectively your product does what it does. Though people will often say they can’t trust their eyes—they always do (copyblogger.com).