10 ways to sell what used not to sell

1. Give the shortcomings of the unique properties.
The company came Yabloko party, battered by frost and covered with black spots. Fruit intended for distribution to customers, so that the guide was terrified. But the manager simply sent their customers and put a letter: "Pay attention to these spots. They point to the fact that apples are grown in the mountains, with sharp temperature drops. With this apple acquire their characteristic juiciness, sugar content and flavor. If it turns out that all we said is not true, you can send all the goods back. " Of course, none of the customers did not return the apples.

2. conspicuous.
When the first catalog, they have not yet mailed and sold in bookstores. Directories were too many vendors and put them pile. Catalogues are the same size, and the stack was smooth and customers were even somehow awkward to stir them - they took the top. Seeing this, the publisher 3Suisses halved the size of its catalogs and retailers were forced to put them top of the stack. With this seemingly simple trick 3Suisses things quickly went up the hill.

3. To benefit from their own mistakes.
Once Harley Procter on his soap factory kept one of the tanks on fire longer than usual. The weight of the soap bubbles are formed, perfumes evaporate. Soap proved unusually white, neutral odor and very light. We thought pour the contents into a cesspool, but in the cooling step was found that the soap does not sink in water. Then he created a new brand of soap - Ivory and sold. Grateful housewife, tired to catch the remnants of the shells on the bottom, immediately went to Hurley for novelty. This "error", bringing in about $ 7 million!

4. Create the appearance of caring about people.
In 1929 it appeared the first cartoon character - Popeye the sailor. In each new cartoon Popeye Bluto defeated villain, because he ate spinach, charging the person superpower! A more powerful promotion of healthy lifestyles America had never seen. In fact, Spinach Can the guise of concern for the health of Americans carried out the first in the history of product placement and sponsored the work of artists, and they portrayed the bank invigorating spinach in the image of the product Spinach Can.

5. Make all the talk about you.
Creative Director of the agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky Alex Boguski in 2001, received an order for promotion machines Mini. Boguski Intelligence reported that the owl on television does not make sense: the best time for advertising (during the broadcast of the final Super Bowl) has bought Volkswagen Beetle. Then he came up with a workaround: bought a few different places in the stands of the stadium and placed them with the Mini Cooper platforms. As a result, all the sports channels considered it their duty to pay Mini few minutes in their broadcasts.

6. Arrange a spectacular demonstration.
In 1957, Sony hastily proclaimed the advent of handheld devices and announced the release of a transistor radio, which can carry everywhere. When Sony's engineers have collected the same receiver, it became clear that a standard shirt pocket, he does not fit. Then it was decided to distribute the receiver via traveling salesmen, who have demonstrated the goods. To do this was simple: since each of them special Sony sewed shirts with increased pocket! On the first day it was purchased by 4000 receivers.

7. Arrange a brainstorming session.
In 1957, the American company has released a batch of Henckels knives handy for cleaning potatoes. The first batch was sold in a week, but then stopped taking knives - they were so good that the hostess did not change them for new ones. Advertising agency Bruce Barton for 16 hours to issue its association with the word "knife", "potato" and "cleaning". One of the couriers proposed an ingenious solution - to paint in the color of pen knives potato peelings. This helped housewives began casually throw knives with the skin and rush to shop for new ones.

8. prepare the way for retreat.
April 1, 1961 Swedish TV crew announced that the "black-and-white screen of your TV can be converted into color, pulling him some nylon stockings of different colors," which at that time nobody was buying. That same evening, thousands of viewers rushed to the store for stockings. And the next day - stormed the building of the television station. But workers telecentre with prefabricated smiles disown their advertising all over the country, saying it was a joke! Deceived women only had that start wearing nylon stockings. Over time, even the novelty came into vogue.

9. compromises competitors.
In 1890, a circus impresario Phineas Barnum came the owner of factories, steamships Chester Dietz, who sold the white salmon. While all of America was already littered with pink salmon. White fish on the background of salmon looked stale and expenses are bad. Over 15% of future revenues Barnum found a simple solution - proposed to pack the fish in cans with the words: "The only salmon, but turn pink on contact with the package!" Canned were sold so well that plants could not cope. Fee received for the idea, Barnum had the rest of his life - however, he died in 1891.

10. conduct reconnaissance on the ground.
Military designer Sottsass after World moved to the Apennines, and got a job in a company Olivetti. The first order was to update the design of an alarm clock, which sold poorly. The artist went to the store and found that before deciding to buy an alarm clock, check it all by weight. Lightweight models Olivetti did not inspire confidence. He then soldered in lead ingots Service and sales went up.