“I think it’s the consistency. You’ve got to stay true to what you do, you’ve got to really be humble and you’ve got to believe in the products you sell, you really do.” – Billy Mays
Billy’s passing was pretty ironic for me. I just recently posted up an article called “Luck isn’t random, its about marketing yourself“, In the article I spoke about Billy’s new show and look, a few weeks later Billy Mays left us. Its a very tragic story, I was pretty sad and shocked when I heard the news. If you were viewer of his show, you knew he was just a good family man, that had a dream. I realized along with his most famous commercials, he left us a giant legacy of wonderful character traits we must embrace and apply in our daily lives. I thought Id pay my tribute and list the things that I know Billy had and used to the utmost. Behind every legend there is a trail of lessons to be learned, this happens to be Billy’s lesson:
Living bold
Billy was the definition of bold you could just look at him and see this. Billy communicated this with his hands, keeping our attention spans awake. He had things to say, he used great verbal skills, speaking loud yet effectively clear. He confidently knew what he wanted to do, he wanted to support great products that he believed in and show everyone that “as seen on TV” products can be trusted. He did it too, he sold millions and millions of products. He could sell sand to people that lived in a desert, he was that good.
Importance of personal branding
Billy was a personal branding genius. He was covered with memorable branding. With his khaki pants and blue buttoned long sleeved shirt, he had the personality that grew on you quick. He kept that long lasting impression for days and days. Whether that impression was positive or negative, you felt like you knew him, like a dad or a best friend. You felt like you could trust him, he had an authentic way about him. Oh yeah, don’t forget the famous beard or thumbs up trademarks either! This is what made Billy stand out, how many infomercialists do you know that got their own TV show?
Billy was morally sound, he believed in only marketing things that:
- were of true quality and real value
- were fair price (most of the time no more than $19.95)
- served a purpose or solved a problem keeping customers satisfied and ready for more
I try to keep those above things apparent in my blog ^
Billy promoted very useful inventions/tools that solved problems and got people doing and fixing things for their self. This kept people from having to get professional help, providing them with a long lasting fix.
The importance of family and fans
Billy spent time with fans constantly with pictures and autographs, he knew that his fans were a very important part of his success. As well as contributions to interviews and television spots. Although Billy was on the road a lot flying from state to state, he kept a strong commitment to his family and realized that everything he was doing was for them. For the love he had for his family was his foundation.
Perseverance like a weed growing through asphalt
Billy showed wonderful perseverance while shooting a countless number of commercials, he didn’t just give up after the first one. He worked a pitch many times until he got it right, sometimes even taking all day to do so. He just didn’t quit. He had people that didn’t like him but he understood that is all apart of the gig. There are always going to be people that don’t like you, you cant let that get you down, you give your pitch anyways and with a big genuine smile.
My point
I hope this article gave you more of a perspective of who Billy was on the camera as well as off of it. You see, just by looking back at Billy’s life, we can learn a deep and powerful lesson. Even an infomercial king has a ton to teach and show the world, one commercial at a time. We will miss you Billy.
Discussion: What is your pitch? Is it selling? What else can be learned from Billy?
*Quote above provided from Portfolio.com*
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