Product Description

The television pitchman and creator of such products as the Veg-o-matic reveals the secrets behind his enormous success and offers practical advice for succeeding in the home shopping business or in any marketing venture. 175,000 first printing. $175,000 ad/promo.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #785311 in Books
• Published on: 1995-10-01
• Released on: 1995-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 306 pages

From Publishers Weekly
With the charm of a born spiel-spinner, an eye for low-priced gadgets people will buy and a robust sense of self-esteem ("I'm now a celebrity"), Popeil, by his own account, successfully worked county-fair midways as a young inventor-salesman and, eventually, on video home-shopping channels, became a multimillionaire acclaimed on 20/20 as "the grandaddy of TV hucksters." Among his top-selling items: spray-on relief for baldness, an inside-the-shell egg-scrambler and a pasta-making machine that comes with a bagel-cutter that allows you to quarter a bagel so it will fit in your toaster. Popeil provides remarkably detailed information on product innovation and effective marketing, along with many often overlooked details of patent law, copyright, FCC regulations, manufacture at home and abroad, pricing, order fulfillment, publicity and advertising. A behind-the-scenes, fun-to-read look at the basic American business of selling. Graham is a TV columnist for USA Today. Illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Besides being grist for Saturday Night Live comedy sketches, the Veg-O-Matic and the Pocket Fisherman have become exemplars of schlock and kitsch. Long before there was a home shopping channel, Ron Popeil made millions selling these and other Ronco products to a nation of insomniacs and impulse buyers during late-night and early-morning marathon television commercial breaks. Popeil has two stories. The first is his biography as he tells it to USA Today television columnist Jefferson Graham. He relates how he got started, candidly assesses his three failed marriages, and explains how Ronco (but not Popeil himself) went bankrupt in 1984. He describes his three-year "semi-retirement" and his big comeback in infomercials and cable home shopping, a medium perfectly suited to Popeil's theatrical selling style. His second story is a pitch to those who would emulate him. With nuts-and-bolts practicality, he explains how he gets his ideas and brings them to market. Sure to attract readers faster than a K-Mart blue-light special. David Rouse

Customer Reviews

Great autobiography *and* how-to guide
If the rather egotistical title of this book doesn't put you off, you'll find a fascinating story that's really two books in one. Ron Popeil's infomercials are the stuff of pop culture legend; if you never got a chance to see them during the '60s, '70s or '80s, you surely have seen their parodies. But what's the deal behind Popeil and his "as seen on TV" success?

The first part of this book is Popeil's inspiring autobiography. Surviving a childhood filled with abuse and neglect, he discovered his gift as a salesman as a young man and went on to make a fortune. At the dawn of the television age, he saw TV's potential as an unparalleled marketing tool and grew his marketing empire even further. Ron Popeil's great contribution to retail, therefore, wasn't the myriad of gadgets he sold, but his style of selling on TV -- namely the infomercial.

The second part of the book is essentially a how-to guide for starting a business similar to Popeil's. Even if you have no intention of starting a retail business, the details of how such a business works are fascinating. Topics as arcane as patent protection, TV time buying, negotiating with retail stores for shelf space and financing (which forced Popeil into bankruptcy at one point) are all covered.

Great insight in the mastermind of a salesman
As a fan of inventors and salesmanship, Ron Popeil was at the top of his game for decades... this book demystifies some of the qualities, tenancity, and cleverness that someone needs to succeed in the world of marketing ones self and their products. The first half of this book is phenomenal because it reveals some of the secrets of Ron's success - although it would hard to emulate or recreate exactly what Ron did to start his amazing career... it illustrates that you don't have to wait for opportunity to knock, you need to create your own path, using your own talents and ingenuity. The second half is a like taking a course in basic tv marketing 101 and is a must read for those harboring fantasies of seeing their product in a infomercial or on the home shopping networks.
I highly recommend this read for anyone looking to market their own product via television.... and as someone who has hosted more than 75 infomercials myself, I put my stamp of approval on this tome!
forbes riley

Great insight!
Ron's book gives one a good overall insight into what it takes to get a product to market. His insights into selling to retail chains..., Infomercials, and getting a product on QVC are invaluable.

It's a great read with many pictures and short stories about his past hit products like The Pocketfisherman, Mr. Microphone, and GLH9 etc.

It also includes a great overview of his early life going through the school of hard knocks.