"Selling the Sizzle"

[Dien Rice]

Hi Gordon,

The credit is actually due to you!

What got me going down this rabbit-hole right now was I stumbled across an old post... And listened to your "Spiders and Snakes and Mice, Oh My!" audio...

http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=25996

or here's a direct link to the audio...

http://www.tinyurl.com/yelka47

I had forgotten we still had that up! (It's hosted on one of my ancient websites...)

What is the "sizzle?"

As Elmer explains... It's the emotional appeal...

When you consider his example "sizzles" - they all have an emotional component to them, where the listener would have an emotional reaction...

This is an important lesson for an often logical-brained fellow like myself...

I sometimes forget!

I also like how he gets it so compact ("Don’t write – telegraph!")...

I do believe in "long form" copy - but there's something quite nifty about getting it quite compact like that...

And of course, Elmer Wheeler's examples are fantastic examples of what you have called "stimulus-response"...

Cheers,

Dien

Originally Posted by GordonJ

Thanks Dien,

Maybe newer folk don't realize how Elmer expert we are. I think I may have got you interested in the deeper study, but if not, I'll still take credit it for it...ha. Typical Gordon.

I was 11 when the Elmers came into my life, both Wheeler and Leterman.

They are the subject of the SPIDERS, SNAKES AND MICE, OH MY work.

The article you linked to is from 1938, and the next 25 years, Elmer Wheeler became a best selling author, not only of salesmanshi[ books, but on diet, weight loss, travel and other things.

He is included in my POCKET PRO Direct Persuasion booklet, his 5 wheeler points.

Lets have a deeper discussion if you have time, because, his work is a great foundation which can be used by many a would be marketer today.

Gordon "Wannabee Elmer" Alexander