Fire Starters Want to capture readers' attention? Simple: Host a sales explosion.

A few years ago, as a prank, a national humor magazine sent asmall "rebate check" under a fictitious business name toa famous multimillionaire. The amount of the check was somethinglike $1.06. The idea was to see if this extremely wealthyindividual (whose name you'd recognize in an instant) wouldactually cash such a puny check. And, sure enough, he did!

What that said to me is that no matter what one's station inlife, the lust for a discount--any discount--is so indelibly etchedon our psyche that it is never completely erased. Is it any wonderthat we've made the terms "sale" and its benefit,"save," the most ubiquitous in all of marketing andadvertising?

These terms, in their various forms, have had a long, successfulrun--a testament to their near-hypnotic power to motivate buyers.Psychologists could have a field day dissecting that sense ofsatisfaction we all feel when we think we've paid even a dimeless than the going price for anything. Of course, over the years,merchants have developed embellishments on the original theme toboost interest. Generally, despite how much money they have, peoplestill crane their heads at a one-cent sale. My wife has a weaknessfor spring sales. Then there's the white sale, the anniversarysale, the Labor Day sale, the Washington's Birthday sale . . .and, of course, who can resist camping out overnight to be first inline for the 7-hour sale?

A few effective synonyms for the event have come thundering intothe marketplace as well. "Close-out" has certainly gottenthe turnstiles spinning, as has "Everything must go,""Liquidation in progress" and the powerful "Buy one,get one free!" A couple years ago, a computer superstore chainin my city started using the term "Blowout" to lead offits busy, sidewalk-sale type of Saturday newspaper ads. Apparently,sales exploded with the use of that term, and it began appearing atthe top of virtually all their ads. Then, inevitably, a bunch ofcopycat ads began appearing in various other retailing areas,which, in turn, caused the pollination of such headlines as"sales explosion" and "sales blast." Maybe suchpyrotechnic phraseology is raining down on your city as well. But,suffice it to say, any way you can creatively communicate the factthat you're offering the prospect a special deal is probablythe best way to maximize results at the cash register.

I say "creatively" because the term "sale"has so saturated advertising that giving it a fresh context usuallyhelps grab attention. That's my message to Dan Bowers of HuntValley, Maryland, who wrote recently. Bowers operates FitnessTrading Company in his city, an outfit that deals primarily in usedand "scratched and dented" exercise equipment. This is agreat product category for steep-discount believability. It'salso a great marketing niche because this stuff can be priceybought new, and Bowers offers an affordable way to get in on someof the most popular items, such as treadmills, steppers, bikes,cross-country ski simulators and so on, without spending a fortune.And let's face it: Many of us have a small graveyard ofdiscarded fitness equipment, tossed aside from dissipated interest.So it behooves the new exercise zealot to think about low-cost usedequipment as an initial purchase. Bowers offers warranties on allequipment to overcome any concerns that the products may be wornout from use or abuse.

Unfortunately, Bowers' advertising is not working--eventhough he's pitching big discounts. He feels one of hisproblems is trying to include all the relevant information in asmall-space ad. He says when he attempts to fit it in, the ad getsso cluttered and indistinguishable from other ads that even hesometimes skips right past it when he's looking for the ad. Nota good sign. I think there are ways to improve it.

Pumping Up The Pitch

Bowers' centerpiece of salesmanship in the ad is a graphic"burst" with the savings range in it ("Save20%-75%"). There's no argument that this is a major buttonto push. But the argument needs more flourish, garnish andrelish.

My recommended headline is: "Get just as fit for half themoney!" And I'd make it dominate the ad because it is thepurest rationale and motivation for jogging into Fitness Tradingwhen you're ready to take the plunge and buy a major piece ofexercise equipment. My subhead would read: "Accomplish yourgoal with previously owned equipment, and save 50% or more. Fullwarranties available."

As for Bowers' concern that he can't seem to shoehornall the relevant information into the ad, my suggestion is not totry. Pique their interest with a pithy headline and briefsupporting copy and then get them to visit or at least call forelaboration. And since Bowers also does business as an equipmenttrader--meaning he operates not just as a seller but as a buyer,trader and consignee of fitness equipment--I highlight thatinformation in the ad as well.

Another of Bowers' challenges is that there's a seasonallull in sales during the summer months when everybody is gettingtheir exercise outdoors. So selling such gear is probably akin totrying to peddle Christmas ornaments in July. What to do? What kindof sales event can the trusty "Advertising Workshop"sale-naming computer come up with to solve the problem? Itsresponse: A contrarian "Who Buys Fitness Equipment inSummer?" Sale. This would be followed by the subhead"Astute shoppers who know they get the steepest discountsoff-season!"

Bowers' advertising efforts--and sales--should benefit froma few of these ideas.

Making Headlines

Wowing readers without being weird.

Veteran copywriter Victor Schwab made this observation:"Many a headline fails to stop readers because its vocabularyis so hackneyed. No word or phrase in it has anyattention-arresting element of surprise. There are no words,expressions or ideas not commonly used or expected in the headlineof [such] an ad."

We often forget that the public is so inundated with, andoverstimulated by, advertising messages that it requires unexpectedideas or wording to get its attention. Advertising has a greatchallenge because people aren't predisposed to sitting down andsoaking up ad copy as a form of pleasure. You have to make it moreattractive for the reader to stop at your ad than to read beyondit.

Of course, being unconventional doesn't mean you have to bebizzare. Weirdness can cause confusion and sabotage your goodintentions. Look at your headine with a fresh pair of eyes 24 hoursafter you've written it, and think which one, two or threewords could be changed--even just slightly--to make them a bit moreinteresting. It could make the difference between life and deathfor your advertising's effectiveness.

Jerry Fisher is an advertising copywriter, consultant and authorof Creating Successful Small Business Advertising ($39.95),available by calling (800) 247-6553. If you'd like Jerry toconsider your materials for a makeover in this column, send them to"Advertising Workshop," BIZ Experiences, 2392 MorseAve., Irvine, CA 92614, or contact Jerry via America Online atJerry228@aol.com