Sales Tips from America's Greatest Salesman

The Perfect Sales Presentation
First, let's lay the groundwork for this. Can you imagine a tent show where a sales presentation is the featured performance? It's not about becoming a millionaire, it's about saving money on your electric bill. Energy efficiency is a pretty dull topic, it's nice, we'd like to have it for our home. Nevertheless, it is also like exercise, not something we typically like to think about. Now, imagine this tent show on a warm summer's day. How many people would show up? Well, if it's Doug Rye making the sales pitch, it would be filled to capacity. I know, I've seen Doug Rye draw crowds to tents and hotel ballrooms. He has mastered the technique of personal selling.

Energy efficiency is not the an exciting subject, and most of us intuitively know that adding insulation, chalking, weather stripping and energy efficient appliances will lower your electric bill. What makes this subject so compelling is Doug Rye and the art of sales.

The Art of Sales
Utility companies across the nation recruit Rye to visit their town and perform his sales magic. He's a throwback to an earlier age; when a man on a wagon might appear in the town square and ask the townspeople to gather around to hear his story. This was the original marketing channel - a man on a wagon with a product to sell. It's the most difficult path to sales success; introduce yourself, your product, and close the deal during the first customer contact, a style not seen much anymore in this multi-media age.

Personal Selling
Doug Rye enters the room carrying nothing more than a retrofitted dollhouse and using a combination of analogy, story telling, and down-home humor proceeds to mesmerize the crowd. He doesn't use PowerPoint, videos, or any other electronic tool. Although he's an engineer he never uses technical jargon, he lets easy to understand demonstrations do the hard work. For example, he shows the difference between the greater effectiveness of cellulose insulation compared to fiberglass by using side-by-side comparison that uses a heat lamp with an automatic electric fan underneath the two types of insulation that starts when a certain temperature is reached on either side. It's bit of drama, a sort of miniature horse race that captures the attention of everyone in the room. In short order, Doug Rye's skills turn a discussion about energy efficiency into something that feels like a revival meeting.

Of course, the essence of personal selling is the person. Doug Rye is a rustic charmer, a Will Rogers of energy. Doug is so pervasive that, in the past, gas companies selling a competing product sent "plants" into the audience to heckle him and printed brochures that berated Rye. Who knew utilities took this so personally?

Doug Rye doesn't need the bells and whistles of the typical sales person. He realizes that the key to making the sale is using the language and tone that can reach the customer.Doug Rye's radio show is broadcast on several radio stations across the nation. If you're lucky, you can tune in and catch the spirit.