Love him, hate him, or just find him amusing (or distracting), there's much to learn for all marketers from this very successful salesman.
1. People buy from people.
Why do you know Billy Mays' name? Because he always introduces himself in his ads. "Hi folks, Billy Mays here." People don't want to buy from anonymous companies, they want to buy from a person. So make yourself known, put your name out there for your company. If you don't want to do that (or even worse, your boss won't _let_ you do that), maybe you're not working for the right company.
2. People buy solutions.
Billy's ads always show a specific "problem" that this product will eliminate from your life. Even if it's a problem you never knew you had - like the inability to make 5 tiny hamburgers at once. People don't want to buy things. They may think they do, but the cause for wanting things is always deeper than the thing itself. People want to buy what those things do. Remember that when promoting your own product or service - focus on the solution to the client's problem. That's what they care about.
3. Pricing is all about perception.
How much money does it take to make a "Big City Slider"? I don't know, but I'm guessing there's a lot of profit in the $19.99 price tag. And why is everything advertised on TV always either $19.99 or some number of "easy payments" that end in 99 cents? Something that's been known for ages is that price affects perception of the product. Prices ending in 9s generate a perception of value in consumers. It ties directly into the emotions that are responsible for the vast majority of purchase decisions. I've said it before many times (and will continue to say it many more) - almost all purchase decisions are made based on emotion and then rationalized after the fact. So what if you don't want to seem "cheap"? Prices ending in 0s elicit a feeling of high quality in consumers. If I tell you a car costs some x-ty thousand dollars, you'll probably envision a different automobile than if I tell you it costs x-ty thousand, nine ninety-nine.
4. Remove barriers to purchase.
Products Billy advertises make it easy to give them your money. Every kind of credit card accepted. Toll free number to order "right now". Often a way to order online. I've actually heard business owners defend not accepting American Express because the fee for accepting the card is higher than accepting Visa or MasterCard. Come again? OK, so you'd rather get $0 from the customer who always uses American Express than $WhateverYourPriceIs minus American Express fees? You might want to think that one through again.
I recently purchased some software online that required me to give an email address (that was fine with me - needed to be sent the download link after all), but then had to give a phone number as well to "verify" my order before it was processed. The verification process first rejected my valid office phone number as "non-working", then took an hour before it "reprocessed" the other number I gave them before I could get what I simply wanted to pay for and be done with it. I could get the same software in about 5 minutes through non-legal means (I did not). This software company was actually making it easier to pirate their software than to pay for a legitimate license! Don't be like that. Look at your company through a customer's eyes and see if there are barriers in the way of transactions. If there are - get rid of them!
5. Value added makes everything more attractive.
Ever wonder why there are always items added on to those TV ads for free "if you order now"? It's because adding something - practically anything - to an offer after the initial pitch makes the chance of acceptance/purchase jump up dramatically. Look for ways to add value to your offerings that cost you little or nothing, but have some benefit to your customer. Work on offering it after the initial pitch/price exchange and see if your closing rate doesn't go up. I'm willing to bet it will. It all ties into emotional response and rationalization - something we all do whether we want to admit it or not. It's part of being human - and understanding humans is key to marketing to them.
7/1/09 - Addendum: I just wanted to extend our sympathies to the friends and family of Billy Mays, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 50 on Saturday, June 27, 2009. Each time I see one of Billy's ubiquitous ads now, I can't help but wonder how those who knew him well are coping with the loss of someone when it's practically impossible not to be reminded frequently of how vibrant a personality they had when they were still here. The reality show Billy was doing - "Pitch Men" was (and is) a cornucopia of practical advice and ideas for those of us striving to be even half the marketing genius that he was. Billy - you will be missed.
