🔥 Sizzle theory and the evolution of the modern sales pitch.
Like most people obsessed with emerging technologies through the years like film and video, my grandfather became a meticulous record keeper.
And as I’ve been very slowly packing and unpacking his house for the past few years (mostly I just move boxes into the garage tbh), I was delighted to discover a series of handwritten notes and photos amongst an album of professional memorabilia from early in his career after he returned from the war.
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It was 1950, and in an anonymous hall amongst a group of ambitious young salesmen stood my grandfather with Elmer Wheeler himself—the godfather of modern sales speak and head word chemist in the Wheeler Word Laboratory (no I’m not making this up and yes I’m for real).
“It’s always been about the sizzle…”
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Maybe you’ve even heard one or two of the five famous Wheelerpoints that make up his masterful sales canon, including:
- Don’t Sell the Steak—Sell the Sizzle!
- Don’t Write—Telegraph
- Say It with Flowers
- Don’t Ask If—Ask Which
- Watch Your Bark!
I was completely enchanted (as I fancy myself as an amateur copy chemist too, concocting brand stories in my own laboratory-slash-office), so I took a deep dive into Google to uncover everything I could about the sizzle, including this video and this gem from a 1938 edition of the New Yorker.
If you’re equally enchanted at this point, you can buy and download most of his books here (including Sizzlemanship and Word Magic), and read through them in a weekend. 🤓
Hidden in everything you sell, whether a tangible or an intangible, are “sizzles.” Find them and use them to start the sale. Then, after desire has been established in the prospect’s thinking, you can bring in the necessary technical points.
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Sounds pretty fundamental, right? Isn’t that what we’re all trying to do in the first place on our websites and social media? Aren’t most of us honestly trying our hardest to sell the sizzle in our business?
All of this got me thinking about what Mr. Wheeler might have to say about our 21st century way of selling—how we’ve evolved the online sales process for products and creative professional services like design or marketing—and how much of his sizzle theory is still as relevant today as it was over 75 years ago?
Here’s what I think.
I was a vegetarian for most of my life, but after living in Argentina for a bit, I learned how to enjoy and appreciate a really good asado (a bbq).
Even your basic, run-of-the-mill Sunday afternoon asado is a thing in Argentina.
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In Argentina, asado is a lifestyle. It’s both a verb and a Proper Noun.
And it’s not just about the meat; it’s about meticulously making the wood fire over several hours, setting the table with enough seats for your friends and family and neighbors to all come together every single weekend for the world’s longest brunch, opening your home to the obligatory post-lunch nap with guests sprawled across any soft surface, followed by tea time, then usually a futbol game, then eating some leftovers for dinner at 10pm before everyone goes home and the week starts again.
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This is where I learned what the sizzle was all about.
The Sunday asado is an experience that stimulates alllll your senses—it’s an astonishing sight to see live fire, to feel its heat and the immediate relief from a cool breeze to blow it away from you, to smell the aroma of the wood smoke or the meat sizzling, mingled with the fragrance of cut grass or even pool water.
Imagine the cacophony of laughter and conversation from 15 people all talking over each other. A long hug from an old friend. A squeak and a splash from kids fighting over flamingo floats.
This kind of multi-sensory immersion is what gives texture to our memories, our feelings, our emotions. It shapes our traditions and rituals, our identity, and our sense of place.
A dozen different sizzles might emerge from this one afternoon experience, and depending on your perspective (yours, your spouse’s, your children’s, the dog’s even!), you can use it to craft a sizzle to sell damn near anything you want on the entire neighborhood block, not just the steak.
So come with me to a bbq!
Ok, if I were helping my clients to sell tongs or knives or outdoor kitchens or chairs or placemats or interior design services (which I’m often called to do!), I’d start marketing their brand story with a sizzle created from the perspective of their buyer. I’d want the sizzle to be about the moment they care most about while using that thing, whatever it is.
Let’s have a closer look…
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For the chef…I might focus the sizzle on his expertise or experience, and how he becomes the hero of the day. The asado king (or queen!)! Or his pride in his craft as master of ceremonies, or his gear and how his guests might really nerd out on or admire his setup.
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For the children…I might focus the sizzle on how awesome and fun it is to know that during these weekend afternoons, it’s your time to run free and wild, unsupervised, full of adventure and discovery! To relish in the independence of childhood, before any of this adult stuff becomes your concern.
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If my sizzle were for the friends or family, who gather each weekend to catch up and share stories from their week, I would focus on the simple act of coming together and how it makes them feel a sense of belonging, of connection. Of acceptance from the people who really get them and support them. How they feel seen and heard sitting around the table, how they feel indulgent and safe and relaxed in this home, and want to create something similar for themselves one day.
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If my sizzle were for the dog? Well, I would focus on the reward! What’s more important to a dog than that? I’d mention some ear rubs, an occasional oops that gets you banished to the corner, your delight in playing with the kids, a dip in the pool, and your final triumphant return to the embrace of the family with a treat straight from the grill. The reward for your hard work and good behavior all day. Happy dog, happy owner, a family’s steadfast companion, playmate, and protector. One deserving of a delicious treat.
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And if I were the buyer looking to create their own outdoor oasis, I wouldn’t focus so much on the elements of the scene, but on selling the sizzle of the moment made possible by the space itself. On the privilege of hosting, the accommodation a well-considered design provides for everyone to gather comfortably for hours, to circulate, to host throughout the seasons, to be THE place for any and every occasion to celebrate. The place inspired by the magical memories of an evening in Tuscany or Tunis or Tampa, where everyone feels right at home. Where you, as the host, feel a sense of pride and the neighbors want exactly what you have but will never admit it.
“Buried in every spool of thread, in every row of safety pins, in every automobile, in every insurance policy, in every grocery, drug, or toilet goods item, are reasons why people will want to buy it.These big reasons we call the “sizzles.”Elmer Wheeler | Tested Sentences That Sell, 1937
Though I never heard him talk about the sizzle, I think my grandfather would be fascinated to see all the different ways we are able to tell stories with technology today. That even though the medium may have changed, the messages are still very much the same.
So I’d love to know…are you selling the steak, or the sizzle?