When Sales Mattered...

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, it was a basic requirement of being a television shopping host that you had to be able to sell products... alone... without help... that means no guest expert.  Alas, those days are gone, or at least vanishing VERY quickly.  

I was having a conversation with a friend who has been in the business for almost 20 years and he made the observation that the days of the self-sufficient show host are almost gone.  They are a dying breed.  Time was that a host had to carry the whole show by themselves, moving from product to product and making the most of their presentation.  Nowadays though, well, let's just say the priorities have changed.

As a person who makes their living as a professional on-air guest, you'd think that I'd be "all about" this situation.  But, in all reality, a host who's not into the sales aspect of the gig only makes my job that much harder.  I want to focus on the features and benefits of the item;  they want to chat about anything else.  

So here's to that dying breed of hardcore presenters... the hosts that sell.

Play it Again Sam...

So, I read today that Tivo and Amazon are joining forces to offer products to viewers.  Apparently, we'll have the ability to order products we see on TV using the Tivo's remote control and Amazon will deliver.  Imagine, you're watching your favorite show and you happen to notice a food processor in a character's home.  You press a button on your Tivo remote and VIOLA!  You've just bought it through Amazon. 

Now, initially I thought, "oh great, I've got to find something new to do", but upon reflection I realized that it really won't hurt TV retailers as much as it will the brick and mortar types.  Why?  Well, because people go to stores to shop. Usually, they have something in mind that they're shopping for before they go.  That's their motivation for leaving home.  Conversely, when someone is watching TV, sitting on the couch, feet up, beer in hand (okay, that was for me), they're usually just zoned out watching the old "boob tube".  Not so much thinking about shopping.  That's where I come in... I make people want to buy product.  Sometimes it's something they need, sometimes they don't, but in the end, they want it.  It's  not as passive as just noticing a nice tchotchke in the background AND we actually explain the product and what it does.  Much different.  Now, in some instances, the Tivo system might work well.  Say if an author is being interviewed on a talk show, but books and music have never sold well on television retailers anyway.

So, while I don't disagree that the Tivo/Amazon concept will work (with two powerhouses like that, c'mon...), I also don't think that it's a threat to the networks that actually SELL products.

Mr. Know it All...

I absolutely hate it when I hear someone referred to as our "Mr Know it All" on a television retailer.  Oh really?!?  They know EVERYTHING?  Do they, or is it just that they SELL everything in every category imaginable? 

There's a certain shopping channel located in the South where they actually refer to a guest as "Mr. Know it All", and while he might know a lot, I don't think he knows it all.  I do know that he sells it all though and that's what gets my goat (whatever that means).  The guy sells everything from kid's toys to tools to electronics!  At least in the old days you knew that the host was there to sell stuff to you, period.  Lately, they've been positioning theses "experts" as being there only to inform, not sell...riiigghhttt.  

I think it cheapens someone's credibility as an "expert" in anything, if you're an expert in everything.  And yet, it keeps happening, with the same end result... lagging sales due to consumer skepticism.  And I don't blame them a bit for being wary of someone claiming such superhuman intellectual prowess.  No one likes a know it all, and no one trusts a salesman who sells too many products, because how can they possibly be passionate about so many items?  The pay check, perhaps, but not the products.  

I'm Lou, and I'm a Horologist...

Easy now, before you go jumping to conclusions, a horologist is an expert on watches and watchmaking. Now, while I might not be an expert in watch making, I seem to be pretty darn good at BUYING watches. The two best places I've found with the lowest prices and coolest selections would have to be ShopNBC and JTV. They both have knowledgeable hosts and outstanding values. It's gotten to the point where I can't be trusted to view their watch shows with a credit card in my hand. Which is a great irony, considering I've spent the last 2o years trying to tempt consumers myself. In fact, I had never bought ANYTHING from a TV Shopping network till I stumbled upon these darn watch shows.

But, what's really ingenious is the way ShopNBC and Invicta Watches have cosponsored a watch forum called watchgeeks.net. They talk about upcoming shows, visitors compare watches and brag about their latest acquisitions...it's brilliant. The folks who frequent the website give ShopNBC and their brands free buzz and enable each others compulsive behaviors, it's like chumming the water to attract sharks. Sadly, I am one of those sharks...like I said, I'm really good at buying watches.

I'd Like to Thank All of the Little People...

Why doesn't any Television Retailer want to sell to the little people anymore? Once upon a time, there was a level of TV Shopping Network for everyone with regards to price point. Now it seems like you have to be making a six figure income just to play the game. What's wrong with being the Kmart or Walmart of the airwaves? Last I checked, those were the retailers who were best weathering our economic downturn. I don't know about you, but I get a perverse thrill whenever I get a product at an outrageous discount. Sure, there are still some infomercial items to be found for the old $19.95 price here and there, but by and large every Shopping Network is trying to outdo each other in terms of price and opulence. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the network who decides that it's okay to be Kmart might just be the one to actually experience some growth during these trying times.

Embrace your inner Kmart shopper today!

Welcome to my blog!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the web. I'm a professional TV Shopping On-Air guest (former HSN host now pitching goods for others) and the owner of a multimedia production company (Caputo Creative, www.caputocreative.com ). Currently I'm selling home solutions and infomercial products on HSN and electronics on The Shopping Channel in Canada. Selling products on TV is something I've been doing for a REALLY long time and I REALLY enjoy it. Oddly enough, I also enjoy buying products, or more accurately, I enjoy shopping for new products, especially electronics. I'm a bit of a geek, so you might see some of that coming out now and again...