About The Sizzle

Don’t Sell the Steak; Sell the Sizzle!

The greatest motivational sales expert of the century taught hundreds of sales organizations how to increase their sales through applied psychology.

His name was Elmer Wheeler. America’s best known sales expert of the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s, Elmer made his living by helping others become better sales people and made the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner Company, well, the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner Company.

“Don’t sell to people,” said Elmer. “Give them a reason to want to buy from you.”

Thanks to his marketing savvy, Elmer Wheeler became one of the best-known American marketing experts of his day. His instructional books introduced pop psychology to the realm of marketing; advising would be salespeople to pay more attention to human nature. In fact, most advertising and sales theories of the last 80 years have built their foundations on his theories.

“Although the cow is mighty important if you want them to buy more than once, Sizzle and aroma has sold more steak than any cow,” said Wheeler.

Wheeler knew the importance of selling…
Benefits; not features.   Solutions; not issues.   Feelings; not facts.

As H.W. Hoover of Hoover Vacuums said in his endorsement of one of Wheeler’s books, “There is nothing mysterious here – nothing to be learned for parrot recitation. Here is simply the result of a man’s thirty-year study of, and thinking about, what successful sales people of all kinds are saying and doing to make more sales.”

At sPA, we believe in Elmer’s insight. More importantly, after seeing his principles put into action through today’s media channels, so do our clients.

Through proven processes, we find and leverage the prime marketing strengths of your particular cut(s) of steak. We help determine your prime sell messages and targeted markets, cook up amazing sizzle for those messages, then deliver them to your market(s) in the most cost-effective ways possible.