Kevin Harrington, known as an original “shark” on the hit TV show Shark Tank, the creator of the infomercial, pioneer of the As Seen on TV brand, and co-founding board member of the Entrepreneur’s Organization— has pushed past all the questions and excuses to repeatedly enjoy 100X success
His legendary work behind-the-scenes of business ventures has produced well over $5 billion in global sales, the launch of more than 500 products, and the making of dozens of millionaires. Twenty of his companies have each topped $100 million in revenue.
In this podcast, Kevin shares how he started with zero sales, then skyrocketed to success and a million-dollar enterprise when he learned that closing high-priced products didn’t take more effort than selling products at lower prices. Later, he discovered the world of infomercials and the reason why “tease, please and seize” is the magic formula.
When TV viewership started to drop, Kevin adapted to new ways of marketing. With digital marketing came social media and an abundance of other ways to build publicity and establish a brand. Kevin discusses these in his latest book, Key Person of Influence.
His strong personal brand led to recognition and an invitation to join a panel of sharks on the show, Shark Tank. Investors, called sharks, evaluate pitches and decide if they want to invest or not.
Kevin’s legacy includes the “but wait, there’s more” expression that has become part of our cultural history. He’s launched massively successful products like The Food Saver, Ginsu Knives, The Great Wok of China, The Flying Lure, and many more.
Kevin’s been called The Entrepreneur’s Entrepreneur and the Entrepreneur Answer Man, because he knows the challenges unique to start-ups and has a special passion for helping entrepreneurs succeed.
At the end of the day, there's a lot of salesmen, but closing is when the rubber meets the road and the transaction happens. -Kevin Harrington Click To Tweet
In this episode you’ll learn:
- 2:05 How Kevin was a successful closer before he discovered the world of infomercials.
- 7:53 The secret formula for a winning infomercial.
- 14:30 The skill that takes you from zero sales to making sales.
- 17:10 The disruption in the marketplace that’s changed how we do marketing.
- 19:50 The importance of having a personal brand.
- 26:54 What it takes to be a key person of influence.
- 33:34 How Kevin became one of the first “sharks” on Shark Tank.
- 38:49 Direct response marketing versus branding.
Resources:
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