Sales Lessons from Bob Vila

Written by: BIG Mike McDaniel

Sales Lessons from Bob Vila
There’s more to what he does than meets the eye

by BIG Mike McDaniel

With so many different programs, and reruns and
re-packaging of older programs, we can assume
there are few people on the planet who do not know
about Bob Vila. Starting with the original "This
Ol’ House" programs on PBS in 1979, Bob Vila and
his empire, have grown into a major force in the
Home Improvement Television genre.

The professional salesperson can learn a whole lot
more from Bob Vila than how to screet concrete or
put mud on the drywall.

Bob Vila is a study in brand awareness. Bob is the
brand. The challenge was getting people to
recognize, and ultimately respect Bob Vila, as THE
home improvement expert. Whatever he did before
that first TV program is inconsequential as is
whether or not he can saw a board of drive a nail
(something he does verl little of on his show).

Bob Vila became a household name. Brand awareness
to the highest degree. So high in fact that Sears
asked him to be a spokesperson and that killed his
deal with PBS (his first network gig). Now Bob has
"Home Again with Bob Vila", "Bob Vila’s Guide to
Historic Homes" and others plus specials, books
and tapes and even "Bob Vila’s Home Design" series
on two CD’s (handsomely packaged, of course).
They are recycling the first PBS shows and calling
them "This Ol’ House Classics". Bob is a TV
pitchman, too. He sells credit card debt
reduction and every product Sears can come up
with, plus a closet full of books and videos.

This didn’t happen by accident, but by clever
design. The design element continues today, every
time you see him on the tube. How did he do it?
Simple, all he did was tell all the people on TV
to call him by name, over and over. A lot like
subliminal advertising. You don’t realize you are
getting the message. A typical segment of any of
his programs, past or present, might go like this:

Bob: Today on our show, Fred Murtz is going to
show us how to cut a board with a handsaw. Welcome
to our show Fred.

Fred: Thanks, Bob, glad to be here.

Bob: You’ve been cutting boards for a long time

Fred: I sure have Bob. I got my first hand saw at
age seven, from my grandpa. I brought several saws
to show you, Bob.

Bob: Show us how to use that saw (pointing)

Fred: That is a crosscut saw, Bob. It is the
mainstay in most basic construction. Bob, this is
the easiest of all saws to use. You hold it like
this, Bob. And when you begin the movement up and
down, you put your index finger along the side
here, can you see that, Bob? That’s how you cut
straighter Bob, with that little finger pointing
the way.

(and so on.) catching on? Everyone Bob talks with
uses his name repeatedly. If you look at it apart
from the program, you can see that people don’t
really talk that way. Could all his guests be
instructed to use his name in every sentence
possible? Bob never uses their name after the
introduction until the end bit when he thanks the
guest, by name.

So who’s name do we hear, hundreds of times in a
program? Bob Vila! It didn’t take long for him to
be recognized as consummate hammer and nails guru.
Better yet, he doesn’t do any of the work on his
shows, he just gets people to use his name while
they do it all.

How does this relate to sales you ask? Easy, you
can use the Bob Vila approach on your customers.
Use their name at every opportunity. Practice
until you can use it in every third sentence. It
will create an instant rapport. The more you can
use the customer’s name, the more you can build
trust and confidence with that person.

Think about the many times you have watched Bob on
TV and not noticed how the guests use his name
over and over. The majority of people don’t see it
until someone (like me in this article) points it
out. Most folks never see the hidden meaning
there, or recognize the unusual sentence
structure. You can use name-infected sentences in
any conversation, to your advantage, every time.
They work, beautifully. And they never offend
("Hey, Fred, would you mind not using my name so
much, I’m sorta sensitive!").

The next time you talk with a customer, remember
what Bob Vila did and you, too, can be the most
respected person in your field.

For another article about business, get
"Voice Mail Can Be Your Buddy"
MailTo:VoiceMail@BigIdeasGroup.com

About the Author

©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved
Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com
BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small
Business Consultant with over 30 years experience,
http://BIGIdeasGroup.com

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