Prattling Pitchmen

I am one of those weird people who doesn't watch a lot of TV. I did not grow up with cable in my house, and I remember a year and a half of my childhood when we did not have a working television because my father refused to replace our broken set. While there are shows that I like, I gave up on cable several years ago because I couldn't justify the expense, and preferred spending my leisure hours reading and listening to music.

I frequently get invited over to my friend Paul's house to watch shows that he finds particularly entertaining, and while "Intervention" is not my cup of tea, he does pull out some gems. With the flood of confessional/confrontational "reality" programs that are available, it can be an amusing and/or horrifying entertainment experience. One show that we've followed consistently is "Pitchmen".

"Pitchmen" features Billy Mayes and Anthony Sullivan, arguably two of the most highly visible pitchmen in the country, as they interact with inventors on a quest to find the next big thing--that product which everyone sees in a 2 minute spot on TV and decides that they can't live without. From time to time they feature some neat products, but the show has been designed to be a showcase for the life of luxury (private jets, big houses, Billy's Bentley) that Billy and Sully enjoy and markets them as experts in the direct-response marketing arena. I will give them their due--they've managed to carve out a niche in the consumer's psyche, and they obviously do something right, as inventors flock to them in hopes that the duo will pitch their wares. My true delight in the show stems from the behind the scenes moments when you are witness to the egomania these two possess.

I've worked with both of these pitchmen in a customer support role back in the day when I worked at HSN. Dealing with product delivery and performance issues, potential product endorsements and show host talking points, I never stopped being amazed by the amount of attention Billy and Sully garnered at the network. When I worked in the call center, HSN had the stages set up in the middle of the center, and you could hear Billy yelling about OxyClean and OrangeGlo from the time you walked in the door. I was fascinated (and annoyed) watching them work.

I became a pitchman as well, having spent the last two years traveling around the country to promote a line of cookware. The stories I have from the road are many, and I'm sure I'll relay some of them in future posts. I'll tell you that until you hit the level those two have achieved, much of the life of a pitchman consists of cheap hotel rooms and long, long days of dealing with the great unwashed, my term of affection for the general public. It's an arduous, yet somewhat satisfying experience, especially when you help people get a great product into their home. I worked the long pitch, doing a demonstration that lasts about 45 minutes from start to close, and witnessed scores of vendors doing everything under the sun to get people to stop at their booth for a quick demonstration. With the decline in the market, I watched consumer spending quickly erode starting last fall, and I've realized that the "glamour" and excitement of a gypsy pot dealer has been lost for me.

I recommend taking at look at "Pitchmen", which plays on the Discovery Channel. Love 'em or hate 'em, the show usually provides some good entertainment, and lets all of you closet hucksters dream of the life of opulence you can enjoy once you get all the folks at home to pick up the phone and place their order. Quantities are limited, so call right now...