Chapter 7
(The Wheeler X, Y, Z Formula)
I AM THIRSTY and stop at the
first drugstore I come to. I step
up to the busy counter, motivated for a drink by the law of self-preservation,
for my throat is parched. I asked
a clerk for a Coca-Cola, and he says large or small
server?
The
store loses a nickel. I am
deprived of a longer moment of refreshment, for like most people I automatically
say, small.
A thought suddenly occurred to me: suppose the clerk had merely said, large one?; would I have automatically told him, yes?
I
approached Mr. Harry Brown, store manager of Abraham and Strauss of Brooklyn,
which has more fountain space under one roof than any other store; and Fred
Griffiths, president of the Pennsylvania drugstores in New
York.
The
experiment was tried out. Whenever
a customer asked for a Coca-Cola, the clerk would say, “Large one?” Five thousand tests were made and
results on our copyrighted “Yes” and “No” Recording System showed that seven out
of every ten people replied, “Yes!”
This meant that out of every ten customers the store received $.35 extra
business and had more satisfied customers driven to quench their thirst by the
law of self-preservation!
Two little words that
changed nickels into dimes!
It
doesn't take much persuasion to sell a person when you direct your “Tested
Selling Sentences” at their basic buying motives, which are, in their order of
importance:
1. Basic buying motives of
self-preservation . First we must have food, clothing, and
shelter for OURSELVES before we can think of others, even our mates. It is our oldest INSTINCT to look out
for ourselves first, and so it is our oldest buying urge. “X” symbolizes the basic buying
motive of self-preservation.
2. Basic buying motive of romance.
Once we have food, clothing, and
shelter, our thoughts turn to leisure, and so comes romance, another natural
force in us. Desire for
romance is not only for sex, but also for adventure, travel, and so on. It is our second strong instinct in our
second basic buying motive. “Y”
symbolizes the basic buying urge of romance.
3. Basic buying motive of
money .
With money we know we can purchase
security; it gives us the knowledge that we can have food, clothing, shelter,
and romance at will, whenever we so desire. Money being our third strongest
instinct, it is our third biggest buying motive. “Z” is the symbol of the money-buying
motive.
There are, of course, many
other buying motives, as any copywriter or sales manager will tell you quickly -
but the 105,000 selling statements in our library indicate that you can sell 85%
of your prospects with just these three simple buying motives because they are
so basic!
Memorize this X, Y, Z
Formula. You'll find its
simplicity an important part of its effectiveness. Don’t complicate selling too much with
too many rules or principles.
Inside the prospects Brain
are these three basic buying motives, three mental pocketbooks. You must unlock them first before the
brain will tell a prospects hand to reach down into his pants pocket and get the
physical purse.
What is most important to
remember is that these three mental pocketbooks are not in the logical front
part of the prospects mind but are buried deep in the emotional back part of the
brain. You must fashion your words
so that they will fly past the prospects cold reasoning, his logical front mind,
and move, emotionally, his real basic buying urges in the depth of his
brain.
Two
strong forces that motivate the three “mental pocketbooks” in the prospects mind
are (1) fear and (2) desire. If we
fear for our health, we are prompted to respond to medical advertisements
address to our pet worry; and we respond to statements in advertisements about
Florida or California, where health is supposed to be available under every palm
tree (X).
If
we desire to end money worries and become financially secure, we find ourselves
listening to insurance men, bankers, or gold-brick sellers, provided they play
upon our desire for money (Z).
If
we bought from the logical front part of our minds, we would quickly reason the
gold brick seller, or the man with Brooklyn Bridge to turn over to us, or the
old medicine man, or the circus barker.
Since we buy not from cold
logic but from emotional urges, we respond to all forms of statements designed
to motivate are three basic buying motives, and we are quick to reach for our
cash when we read are here:
“Corns gone in five days or
your money back.”
(X)
“How to be the life of the
party.”
(Y)
“End money worries quickly.
(Z)
“Free roller skates.” (Y)
“No down payment necessary.”
(Z)
“Be an executive while still
young.” (X, Y,
Z)
“Removes every trace of
dandruff.
(Y)
We won't admit that we buy emotionally -- but we do! That fact must never be lost sight of, nor the fact that the same emotional urges that made Caesar buy, if sufficiently basic, will make your next customer buy!
The
greatest desire every mother is to be relieved from some of her daily tasks,
such as dressing and undressing Little Willie five times a day (X). Realizing this, I had a young lady in
Saks 34th Street one day, at the suggestion of H. L. Redman, President,
experiment with selling sentences to promote the sale of a new buttonless union
suit. Of over 30 different selling
““sizzles” in the garment, the one that sold the garments, which incidentally
cost $.25 more than those with buttons, was:
The little boy can put it on
all by himself!
That single sentence gave
the mother a desire she had always dreamed about, and it is basic enough to sell
the suits to any mother with a $.25 extra to spend.
The
fear of every mother -- and of women who are not mothers -- is to have a safety
pin burst open at the wrong moment and stab the wearer (X) Therefore, Saks clerks sold handfuls of
safety pins the cost five cents more per package than most on the market, by
this single sentence:
They won't burst open in the
garment and cause injury!
Another worry -- and also a
desire of mothers -- is to have diapers that won't chafe or cause injury to
their children (X), and when the form fitting diapers came out, they sold when
the Saks clerks used this “Tested Selling Sentence”:
They are form fitting, and
require only one safety pin!
A
desire and a need of women, especially in the South where there is plenty of
sunlight and wide streets, is for a slip that is constructed in such a manner
that it is concealing even in the strongest sun glare (X). This problem was
solved by several manufacturers long before the clerks began to dramatize the
“sizzle” to the women rather than consume time talking about the fine
needlework.
When the Hecht Company got
behind the idea, and every sale was started with this single sentence, sales of
the slips increased 60%, according to the case record in our files. The sentence was simply
this:
It is shadow -- proof even
on sunniest days!
This is another example of
self -- preservation, the X portion of the Wheeler
formula.
After every regular sale in
the Hecht Company I had the salespeople one summer take the women shoppers to a
comfortable lounging chair and say:
This is our new napping
chair.
When the women inquired what
a napping chair was, the salespeople would say:
It is scientifically constructed to allow the head to rest comfortably, making napping a real pleasure. Try it.
Mr.
Charles Dulcan, vice president, stated that sales increased about 10% in this
item during this single sentence “drive”.
One
time when Mr. James Rotto, former sales promotion manager of the Hecht Company,
noticed lawn swings not selling very well, he called us in from our branch word
laboratory constructed in the store, and set us to work digging up
““sizzles”.
After little research, it
was discovered that these lawn swings had an arm that would hold cocktail
glasses without spilling the contents, or causing them to fall off and break.
When this one “sizzle” was called
to the attention of customers, they lost interest in the less expensive and
advertised showings and started to buy these. This is one “sizzle” that brought
salespeople five dollars more per customer and brought added enjoyment to
customers.
The romantic urge of a cocktail -- --! (Y)
The
desire to have a drink convenient, the fear of breaking the glass, a basic
selling sentence that works! Try
it sometime!
Completing some of the other
outstanding examples at the Hecht Company, let me sum up how seven hundred extra
electric light bulbs were sold one July by the simple
sentence:
It will make the new shade even prettier! (Y)
And
20 out of a hundred people shopping in Sears, Roebuck in Cleveland, according to
Jack North of the Electrical League, but when this simple sentence was used as
an opening wedge:
Are you in the kitchen much,
Madam?
When the customer asked why,
the salesperson advised a 100 or 150-watt lamp because, “You can read the
smallest print in the cookbook.” (X)
The
mousetrap will ALWAYS spring at the psychological moment if you paid it with the
right ““sizzles” -- those that fly by the cold logic of the customer and move
him emotionally!
When the Paris Garter people
wanted to sell suspenders, they created one that would not slide off the
shoulder. According to Joseph M.
Krauss, they used the single sentence, “Can't skid OFF your shoulders,” and went
from third place in the industry to first!
Don't forget these three
basic buying motives: self -- preservation (X), romance (Y), and Money (Z).
They'll make money for you, if you
let them
Remember that the heart is
closer to the customer's pocketbook than is his brain!
The Selling Word Is Mightier Than the Price Tag.