We brought one of the top marketing directors in Hollywood to The Grow Retreat in January 2020, and it was amazing!

(Learn more about the speakers chosen for our upcoming Grow Retreat Here)

Dean McFlicker (our Hollywood-hailing speaker from Grow2020) is an absolutely phenomenal individual, and an even more brilliant marketer.

Being that I am a self-proclaimed marketing fanatic, I made sure that I got to sit in on his workshop. And although we couldn’t record his content as part of the contract allowing him to share insider secrets, he repackaged an old marketing concept for us in such a way that it blew my mind! He called it...

Sizzle and Steak

This concept isn’t new, it’s an extremely old marketing concept. But think about it this way…

When you see an ad for an amazing steakhouse, they don’t just show you the steak. They catch your eye with a sizzling steak.

Great marketing is just like those ads. It needs both the sizzle and the steak.

The Sizzle

Is all about catching the eyes of passersby.

Putting sizzle on your marketing is all about catching attention, and there are a lot of different ways to create this in your marketing.

E. G., when I was working my corporate job, I would listen to the radio on my drives around town. And to this day, I remember the mattress ads I would hear because the man and woman who did it were really annoying and obnoxious. And I still remember the name “Billy Bob” because they were so obnoxious about it.

I’m not saying you need to be annoying and obnoxious, I would encourage you otherwise! But they are a great example of sizzle because they did something that got stuck in your head (and stuck with me for nearly a decade!).

In essence, the sizzle is the sex appeal of marketing. It’s that part of your marketing that grabs people’s attention and holds it long enough for them to see what you’re offering.

The sizzle can be anything from great graphics to clever slogans. It can be funny moments or heartfelt and touching moments.

One of my favorite commercials to break down and analyze for the purpose of teaching is the Kay’s commercials. A while ago they came out with a commercial that included some really cute penguins, and it caught everyone’s attention because they were adorable penguins with human-like characteristics. But they also connected it back to their slogan and message to drive home the point “We bring people together!” Their commercials are built around creating touching moments that viewers can relate to, and they do a fantastic job of it!

The sizzle is extremely important. But it’s also pretty useless without the steak…

The Steak

The sizzle catches people’s attention, but you need the steak too or you’ll lose people’s attention pretty quickly!

The steak is the meat of the offer: the amazing deal, story, emotion, or connection that you’re offering to people.

The reason that Billy Bob’s commercials worked was because he didn’t just have that obnoxious attention-getting commercial: he had great prices on top of that. And that is the key to the Sizzle and Steak. Because without the Steak, you won’t get any clients off your sizzling marketing.

A few great ideas for your Steak are…

Discounted Rates

If you’re offering discounted rates for whatever reason, that can be your steak. Whether you’re offering the discounted rates because your prices are going up soon or because you’re offering a “joining” discount, people love discounted rates!

Information

This one goes two ways:

1 - You’re selling actual information. A process or plan that will help them in some aspect of their life. A book or a subscription that will give them something valuable in some way.

2 - You’re the solution to a problem they didn’t quite realize they had. Something that has been nagging and irritating them, but that they’ve simply never been able to put their finger on. You’ve given them information with your marketing, and through that new information told them that you’re the solution for the problem they’ve realized they have.

Emotional Connection

This is what Kay does with their marketing. On top of the sizzle, they offer the idea of an emotional connection to potential clients. Because they aren’t just selling diamonds. They are selling you the diamond that will solidify your relationship and represent the essence of your emotional connection. That might sound a little dramatic, but it’s very true to the essence of their commercials and their steak! So if you’re selling something that could help create the sort of emotional connection people look for, promote that as your steak.

But really you need both...

If you’re missing the sizzle or the steak, your marketing won’t work properly.

You can have the best steak around, but unless they can pick it out of a lineup you won’t get any customers. On the flip side, if you have great sizzle but are lacking in the steak area, your customers will go somewhere else next time.

Understanding this concept has shifted how I look at all of our marketing, and I hope it helps you the same way!

If you’re realizing that you’ve got a fantastic steak but you need the sizzle to make it work, look into purchasing one of our Done-For-You Marketing Plans. These marketing plans have helped many of our clients, and are a great solution for busy business owners who know they need help with their marketing.

And if you'd like to work with me directly on improving your marketing, register for my upcoming Marketing Engine Igniter course!