Selling the Sizzle

When I lived in Houston, one of my good friends owned the BEST mexican food restaurant on the planet.  Literally, La Escondida (http://www.laescondidagrill.com/) is the finest Mexican food this side of the border, saturated with authentic recipes and amazing flavor. 

I loved ordering their fajitas - they come in Chicken, Beef, seafood, all garnished with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes.  Yes, mashed potatoes!  Minutes after I ordered it, I could hear my food from the kitchen as they pushed through those double doors, with the tray elevated high above the waiter's head.  Then, as he approached the table, he would undoubtedly pause - straining his voice above the crackling meat and veggie feast - and warn my nearby kids how hot the platter was.  Just gimme the food!  By this point, I am thinking that the iron skillet itself may not be spared the torment and fury of my insatiable hunger!  Wow, Sergio and his team knew how to sell the sizzle!

In homebuilding, this translates to getting the buyer that multi-emotionally tied to what they are considering.  If people only bought food logically, McDonald's would get all the beef business, and Ruth's Chris would be out of business.  The neighborhood grocer would sell all the lettuce, and the salad bars would all close.  Truth is, people buy emotionally and justify with logic.  So, sell the sizzle.  This means going deeper - walking or driving the buyer through the amenities.  Stop for an iced tea at the club so they can take in the ambience.  Sit by the lake with them, take a couple of lawn chairs and go sit in what would be their backyard.  Help them, in a multisensory way, EXPERIENCE the purchase.  Then warn them - "Be careful - this is HOT!!"

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Friends, Facebook, and Followup

How to earn the right to close

Make the phone work for you