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ChangingMinds Blog! > Blog Archive > 17-Dec-08

Wednesday 17-December-08

Sausages, sizzle and sensory stimulation

There's an oft-repeated piece of advice that new salespeople are often given, which is to 'sell the sizzle, not the sausage'. It's a memorable metaphor, and reminds us that people buy something not just because it has functional benefits but also and often mainly, because of an intangible emotional appeal.

A significant aspect of sizzle is that it is sensory. The thought of a sizzling sausage impacts visual, aural, gustatory and olfactory sense memories. You might even experience tactile stimulation at the thought of biting and chewing the sausage. If you can create strong and multiple sensory stimulation, then you can put across a strong message.

This also has a lot to do with brands. A brand is little more than an idea, a promise of something. Think about how brands such as Guinness get advertised, with abstract images of bubbles and so on. And of course Coke, with images of sparkling bottles and refreshed drinkers. Now that's selling sizzle!.

Your comments

Just a thought. is this in effect of relationships? Especially in dating their is a little line between being yourself and pretending to be what the other person perceives us. Do I really pull chairs, open doors, end sms with "luv darling"? So we sell ourselves till the knot is tied.

-- Bill