Good Marketing and PR “Greases” the Skids for Closing Sales

Happy Wednesday! Have you ever read something in the newspaper or seen a news story on TV that made you really want to buy something? I have.

The other day I saw a news story on WCSH Channel 6 about “Black Dinah Chocolates” on Isle Au Haut, Maine. The story was a profile of the founder, Kate Shaffer, and her husband Tom, and how they work 50 to 60 hours a week making and selling chocolates.

Click the homepage icon to enter Black Dinah Chocolatiers' website!

It was a great human interest story that showed beautiful images of the liquid chocolate being made into beautiful, little delicious-looking nuggets. My taste buds were watering. Too bad I didn’t have smell-o-vision because I would have loved to smell that delicious, rich dark chocolate.

That news story made me really want to buy a box of Black Dinah Chocolates for myself, and a few other boxes for my friends and family. At the least it inspired me to find them on Facebook and “Like” them.

Just knowing the inspiring story of this little family-owned company on a remote island off the coast of Maine made me feel somewhat ‘invested’ in their success, and I not only wanted to tell others about it but I wanted to help them by buying their products.

If I were to see a shop carrying Black Dinah Chocolates today, I would rush right in and buy some. There would be no salesmanship involved or necessary by anyone. I would simply say, “I’ve got to get me some of those chocolates”  (Perhaps a bit more eloquently but you catch my drift).

Great PR coverage, or great marketing of any kind, speeds the sales process exponentially. If a salesman or woman has to tell a story from scratch and explain the background of a product (or service), then the sales process takes more time, and the process will not go as smoothly.

I’ve experienced it myself as a consumer and I’ve witnessed how, when we’ve been able to get some great press coverage for our clients, sales have gone up exponentially. The same rule applies for a great brochure or a beautiful website. These marketing tools ‘grease the skids’ for a sale. They speed up the process and therefore reduce the cost of sales.

I’m fascinated by the process and I love to see it happen for clients. I’m also fascinated by Black Dinah Chocolates and I definitely need to get me some of them!