All sizzle and no steak

I took up business when I was in college. Marketing 101 is what attracted me to the field of business. Philip Kottler’s required textbook contained so many cases and anecdotes that made marketing interesting. It was my dream come true when I was allowed to sit beside this world-respected marketing guru dubbed “The father of modern-day marketing” the first time he visited the country. Then, the more incredible honor came years later when I was invited to be one of the speakers featured in their Global EWS session two years ago. The lessons I learned from his book stuck with me. 

Back in the 1970s and ‘80s, marketing’s buzz phrase was to “sell the sizzle, not the steak.” Compared to Kottler’s 4Ps, this definition was a stroke of genius. Kottler’s book, of course, taught us that the 4 Ps or the 4 Pillars of marketing were product, price, place and promotions. 

This line of thinking acknowledged that there was much more to the product than the product itself. It understood that most purchases were based on emotion – not logic. It raised concepts like perception versus reality – where perception was the brand and reality was the product. It pointed out that people were buying the perception (i.e., the brand) while most companies remained insistent on selling the reality (i.e., the product). 

Notwithstanding its good intentions, the “sell the sizzle” concept is a bit too glib and too focused on the immediately gratifying element of marketing. It grew out of a short-sighted and short-term approach to marketing designed to grow topline sales with little regard for the bottomline growth that only a long-term relationship can bring. 

And then there is the platitude from the ancient times (meaning the 80s and the 90s): “There is no business until a sale is made.” But in all my years of business experience, I will have to revise this line and say, “There is no business until repeat sales are made.”

I am appalled by the falsified claims of “trainers” and “motivational speakers” who promise the moon and the stars and cannot even deliver a decent speech or presentation. They sell the sizzle, but they cannot deliver the steak. Today, this anomaly is built on a scale as you find pseudo or fake gurus in social media peddling their stuff. There is so much sizzle but very little on the steak part. We need to deliver on our brand promise, identify and meet the needs, provide more than expected and delight the customer in every interaction. 

In doing so, we engage the client and earn their trust. Even when the “salespeople of sizzle waltz into the client’s offices or utilize their digital spaces posting, flaunting, promising, and sizzling their fantastic features and attractive benefits, clients will not even entertain the idea of straying because they see beyond the surface.

Clients and prospects today are intelligent and more informed. Once in a while, they may be duped by “sizzles,” but the encounter and the engagement will be a one-off thing, and there will be no repeated sales.

True and long-lasting success is not built on perceptions or sizzles but on the quality of the service or product delivered. When not accompanied by competence and content, all those personal brandings, persistent media exposure and humble bragging are mere sizzles with no steak.

Just look at how the world frowns upon this. Some people say:

• “He talks a big game, but when it comes to action, it’s all sizzle, no steak. Maybe he’s a vegetarian in the world of accomplishments!” Go Vegan!

• “Her Instagram is a feast for the eyes, but her work ethic is like ordering a steak and getting served a lettuce wrap. All glamour, no substance.”

All the sizzle and no steak are not honest and authentic. You know the line. We want people who walk the talk and talk the walk, and those who are so good with “Sizzle Marketing” will never earn an essential element needed for long-term success, which is trust. 

Business philosopher Jim Rohn reminds us of many years ago. He says: “Success is not what you have, success is not what you do, success is what you attract because of the kind of person you have become.” Now, that is a lot of sizzles with more steak you can trust.

(Francis Kong’s podcast “Inspiring Excellence” is now available on Spotify, Apple, Google, or other podcast streaming platforms.)