Direct Selling : Hero Worship

Capitalize on your best-selling products

Products and services. That's what we sell. Every company has something to offer, whether it's a tangible good, training, technology, or financial products and services. As marketers, we are in the business of selling "things." But some of these products stand out because they provide the solutions to problems people need answered. They are your best-sellers. We hang the mantle of "hero" upon these products because they are not only profit generators, but also represent your biggest opportunities.

What Makes a Hero?
Heroes are those signature products responsible for the majority of your company's sales. In many cases, they are the products that define a company and the rest of its assortment. What would McDonald's be without the Big Mac? It's the unquestionable superstar of the fast food chain's menu. Heroes are those defining products, those unique, exclusive offerings that reflect your brand and introduce customers to who and what you're all about.

No matter what medium you sell in—Web site, e-mail, television, space ads—your hero should be front and center. You might assume that because heroes are best-sellers already, they shouldn't receive all the prominence in marketing campaigns. Never assume, "It's going to sell no matter what." You cannot take that for granted, not with your company or potential customers. Remember, you continue to prominently promote heroes not for the 5 percent to 10 percent of customers and prospects who already have purchased the product. You do it for the 90 percent to 95 percent who haven't.

Your hero presentation should be as visual as possible. Easy to say, of course, because we work in visual media. But selling at a glance is something many companies overlook. Consumers must understand, at a glance, what your hero is all about. If they don't see it, you won't sell it. In all of your campaigns, use callouts, insets and in-use photos to tell the rest of the story if a photo of the product isn't enough. Consumers buy products for one of two reasons: 1) how it looks or 2) what it does.

Where does your hero fit? Are you showing it so customers understand how unique and special it is? If you sell a service, how can you visually explain the solution you provide with attention-grabbing words and pictures? The copy that sells these products is equally important. Do you understand the true value of the product, and can you quickly articulate the emotional benefit?