A Skill Every Marketer Should Practice On Weekends

11 min readAug 10, 2020

You have to look for opportunities to challenge and train your skillset if you want to compete at the highest level.

When I mentor young marketers, I encourage them to focus on a few key areas:

Studying and taking ideas from other marketers in the same AND different industries
Reading broadly outside of marketing (history, psychology, science, math, etc)
Challenging your skillset outside of the job

It’s been a few months since I did the third one. I started testing my marketing skills many years ago with B2C e-commerce by selling vintage furniture.

I decided to document this practice and share to inspire a larger audience.

The Problem

Due to the pandemic, I've had to find ways to workout from home.

As I often tell people you have the power to decide how you will perceive anything. While I had always told myself that “I need a gym to go to and a trainer/group to workout with”, I realized how flawed that idea was.

When did I decide to accept that programming in my mind? We often verbalize made-up rules about how we operate and in the process convince ourselves through confirmation bias that it’s true.

I changed that immediately by affirming “I’m disciplined to workout from home” and took action daily to change this mindset.

So as I started to add different things to my gym (starting in my office then moving out clutter for a garage gym) I realized the versatility of kettlebells.

Due to high demand, gym equipment is not only scarce but very expensive.

Luckily, I found a big fitness warehouse that was selling direct to consumers. I needed one heavy kettlebell and noticed they had a set of concrete-looking, steel kettlebells with a matte finish.

I loved them! So I bought one when I heard they were discounted.

I returned the following week and saw the same 7 kettlebells still sitting there. I knew that this was the universe/simulation giving me a little nudge.

I quickly checked various online selling platforms (Offerup, Letgo, Facebook Marketplace) the price of kettlebells that heavy. The markups were big!

Since my wife and I have been wanting to buy a rowing machine, I decided to find a way to cut some costs and also make a little side money.

I was going to buy the rest of the kettlebells. Using various skills I’ve continuously study and practice (negotiating, marketing, copywriting, selling) I would test myself in an unknown market (gym equipment).

The benefit is also leveraging a system. While testing my skills, I was also learning new ones, adding to my knowledge base, and had an opportunity to get paid doing so.

How to Negotiate Using Advertising Rules

A marketer’s job isn’t to create desire. It’s to channel and direct it. — Eugen Schwartz, Breakthrough Advertising

Half a century ago, Eugene Schwartz wrote one of the greatest marketing books of all time. Whether it’s sales or marketing, the rule above still stands. Here’s how I applied his copywriting approach to in-person selling.

To channel desire onto a product you must use three tools:

1. Knowledge of the prospective person’s hopes, dreams, desires, and emotions

I knew the gym had a desire to sell these kettlebells because the owners said this every time I was there.

In hypnosis, it has been seen that people will often tell you exactly what they want without even realizing that they’re doing so. The gym owners had expressed their frustration on the sitting inventory and how they wanted to get rid of them. They even joked by saying “hey if you buy them all we will give you a great price!”

2. Knowledge of Your Product

In my case, the product I was selling them was an idea. Specifically, the idea that I would relieve them of the burden of aging inventory that wasn’t moving.

3. The Advertising Message That Connects the Two

When you understand the first two, then using a bridge in the form of a message channels desire into manifesting as an action towards your product.

That’s what the owner told me about the kettlebell. The kettlebells were part of a limited release of this “concrete look”. Since there was only one weight, they couldn’t sell them and the manufacturer discontinued the line.

Putting the Rules Into Action

Using images and the imagination is a powerful way to influence. Add contrasting emotions (pain vs desire) and you have lubricated a path towards the outcome you want.

I used a negotiation technique to frame the situation and amplify the pain of the kettlebells not selling while simultaneously channeling desire towards the relief of moving the kettlebells the gym was sitting on.

While using my hands to motion the act of lifting a weight from the other person’s shoulder, I said

“Why don't you let me TAKE THOSE OFF YOUR SHOULDER? IMAGINE if these stay longer and you end up having to sell them for even less? Let’s HELP EACH OTHER and make this work. You did say you would do it for a great price…”

I used a strong visual of “lifting off shoulders” which is something that immediately triggers the thought of relief and gives a little rise in the feel-good hormone Dopamine.

I immediately snatched the feeling away when I directed their attention to “imagining” the other scenario — not selling them and still having the problem.

Mental contrasting is something you can do to create tension and a pull towards the outcome you want.

It’s not enough for humans to be pulled towards their desires. It helps when they also have the push of what they are trying to escape.

Finally, I offered a solution and framed it around both parties “helping each other.”

A key to great negotiation, from FBI negotiator Chris Voss’ book “Never Split the Difference”, is seeing the other party not as an obstacle to getting what you want but as an ally. The other party is your partner and negotiating the problem on the table is what you work together to solve.

Do Business Like a Turk in a Bazaar

My family is Turkish and our culture is deeply rooted in commerce around Bazaars. Growing up I spent a lot of time at the “Grand Bazaar”. The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning ‘Covered Market’; also Büyük Çarşı, meaning ‘Grand Market’ in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops. It is often regarded as one of the first shopping malls of the world.

Shop owners at the Grand Bazaar are Jedi-masters at selling. They have made an art of negotiating and charming a customer.

The art behind it is to do business in a pleasant way. Bazaar shopkeepers are so good that even if you’re paying too much the process is so pleasurable that you don't mind it. Everyone is in good spirits and they never allow themselves to get upset.

The key is using positive responses and body language to persuade the other person into feeling good about the transaction.

Sales is really just a transference of emotion. “E” motion, as in “energy” in “motion.” So channeling positive energy in motion towards an outcome is key.

The gym owner originally wanted to sell all seven kettlebells for $490 ($70 per kettlebell).

With a big smile, I

put my hand over my heart (a sincere gesture)
tilted my head to the side (indicating slight disagreement)
extended my hand out (as though asking for a helping hand)

Due to masks, it’s important to smile big enough that you “smile with your eyes” where there’s a squint and you can tell the person is smiling under the mask. I made sure to stretch my smile and think happy thoughts so my body would be relaxed and exude confidence and positivity.

I then said

“That’s a GREAT offer. But I KNOW we can do even better. You guys are a great business which is why I always come back and tell my friends. Im sure WE can find an even better price.”

By framing them as a “great business” it set an expectation that they are a great business and a great business can find a better offer.

A key to influence is telling the other person who you want them to be to influence their next action. If you want someone to treat you fairly, you say “as a fair person” or “you strike me as a very fair person.”

Another key is also using “we” because this was two parties working together towards a solution we both wanted. I wanted the kettlebells at a good price, they wanted to get rid of them. A bonus for any business is selling to a customer you genuinely like and feel good about.

Seven Kettlebells for a total of $380 ($54.28 per Kettlebell).

I paid and thanked them for the business. As I loaded them in my car I assured them not only I would be back but will direct everyone I knew to do business with them.

Everyone wins and everyone is happy.

Breakthrough Ecommerce

The next step was to study the marketplace and understand the value proposition I needed.

The good news was that if I sold them at a discount under normal, pre-pandemic market conditions ($1.50-$2.00 per pound) I would still make back my principal plus a little profit.

I first thought about my headline. Your headline is based entirely off these 3 questions:

What is the mass desire that creates this market?
How much do these people know today about the way your product satisfies this desire? (state of awareness)
How many other products have been presented to them before yours (Sophistication of Market)

It’s important to note that your headline shouldn’t sell at all. The only job of your headline is to stop your prospect and compel them to read the second sentence of your ad.

The more of your story you can force your prospect to read, the more you can sell them.

Asking good questions is the first place you start if you want outstanding results.

My questions were:

How do I get attention?

How do I price higher and justify it?

How do I create scarcity and urgency?

How can I move the product faster through various vehicles (bundling with discounts, accepting various cash/debit payment forms, etc)

Looking at my competition, it was easy to spot where the high ground was. Kettlebells were marketed as a commodity with no story, thus preventing the opportunity for larger margins.

People pay more money when the story is better. Why do you think some people pay 2–3x more for a designer brand shoe when the same shoe (possibly better quality) costs less? The best story always wins.

For attention, I focused my headline on the idea that this was a limited edition item that was no longer manufactured. In order to get someone to stop and read the headline, I used color and symbol that everyone is subconsciously primed towards (literally a red octagon).

I also made sure to leverage Facebook Marketplace’s internal search engine optimization by using all keywords someone would use (kettlebell, kettle bell, the weight in both lbs/kg) plus I used strong words in the headline:

“Limited Edition”

“Concrete Look”

“Steel Design”

As for the photo, I used the famous David Ogilvy A/B testing approach using different photos.

I had to separate from the other sellers and in order to sell a premium product I needed premium looking photos but also test against photos my customers expected (grungy CrossFit gym look)

A few minutes on the iPhone and editing with lighting helped accomplish this. Here were the photos I used and cycled around every few days.

I started at $140 and was able to sell discounted pairs to a few people.

Then I started to increase the amounts and leverage scarcity to get buyers not only to agree to the pricing but also to payment forms.

Every time a buyer arrived at my garage, I retold the story about the kettlebell.

I demonstrated the unique feel for grip. I explained how they were discontinued and that they were buying a one of a kind item.

What about the one’s that were scuffed up? Did I discount those?

Of course not! Because the story is what always wins.

I allowed buyers to choose which they wanted. As they chose, I joked saying that the scuffed up ones had a “spirit” in that they were used and an “energy” to them.

I personally kept one of the scuffed up ones because I too enjoy the feeling of that story I tell myself in my head.

What’s important is that the buyer arrived already happy with the purchase and left even happier having been told a great story about what they just bought.

The first six kettlebells sold at the following prices:

Kettlebells 1–2: $200

Kettlebells 3–4: $220

Kettlebell 5: $123

Kettlebell 6: $140

Each time I sold a kettlebell, I would market the advertisement as sold. Every buyer who was thinking about it or was trying to negotiate a lower price would see they lost the chance at buying a kettlebell.

Then I would relaunch the same ad with a different photo but easy to identify it was the same unique item they once wanted.

This naturally created more scarcity and traffic to the posting.

The Last Kettlebell

For the last kettlebell, I was conflicted. I actually enjoyed having two so I could do farmer’s carries and other exercises requiring two heavy kettlebells.

I decided to do one last test and see if I could really push the limit on price. For this test, I decided to price the last one at $160 (more than double my initial investment at $54.28).

To indicate a unique and special item, I took a photo of the kettlebell on a fancy vase stand I owned.

The absurdity of the photo (a kettlebell displayed like a fine piece of art) drove a lot of traffic to the post. Remember the Golden Rule of Persuasion-

PERSUASION STARTS WITH GETTING ATTENTION

If you cannot get attention, you will never persuade people to buy your product, adopt your technology, support your idea, etc. Once you get the attention you can find ways to channel it in the direction you want.