How To Sell Your Products Like Jesse James & Tony Soprano

The Mob has had business tactics so good, so respected, so envied…that massive amounts of books and movies have been written and filmed about their achievements.

In addition, outlaws such as Jesse James and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid had their own special brand of business ethics. The way of the gun seems to be a common theme. Let’s explore this more!

The following analysis reveals some hidden traits of Mafia and Wild West Marketing. Here are a few ways you can use some of the same tactics to be wildly successful.

“I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse”- Godfather

Many copywriters and marketers talk about the Irresistible Offer,- an offer so good, people just have to take you up on it. This is what the Godfather meant when he said it- having someone threaten to kill you would probably convince you buy their product, right? But because laws stop us from doing that, what other ways can we use the Irresistible Offer to strike gold?

Here’s two easy ways to use the Irresistible Offer:

1. Actually make in irresistible offer like Dominoes does with their 30 Minutes Or Less offer- that will make your reader pick up the phone and dial. Just look at companies like Holiday Inn- kids under 12 eat free! That would make you go eat there if you had kids under 12. They probably sold food on the back-end or tried to up sell their guests on something bigger-they might have even lost money and made it up with long-term sales of new customers who came in because their Irresistible Offer :)

2. Your Guarantee can also make your offer irresistible by calming your prospects fearful mindset. In short, you go from a crook to their brother-they start to trust your word. Obviously this comes with some risk but it’s worth it when you see your revenues go through the roof, Godfather style!

Here are 7 Types Of Persuasive Guarantees that make your offer bullet-proof!

This quote is from A Bronx Tale, where Sonny gives C dating advice:

Sonny: Alright, listen to me. You pull up right where she lives, right? Before you get outta the car, you lock both doors. Then, get outta the car, you walk over to her. You bring her over to the car. Dig out the key, put it in the lock and open the door for her. Then you let her get in. Then you close the door. Then you walk around the back of the car and look through the rear window. If she doesn’t reach over and lift up that button so that you can get in: dump her.
Calogero ‘C’ Anello: Just like that?
Sonny: Listen to me, kid. If she doesn’t reach over and lift up that button so that you can get in, that means she’s a selfish broad and all you’re seeing is the tip of the iceberg. You dump her and you dump her fast.

One great way to put The Door Test into practice is to look at your business purchases or other financial decisions and see, “Does this make sense to me?” If it doesn’t pass The Door Test, dump your idea or business plan and find a product that you can believe in, promote, and stand behind.

Butch Cassidy: Kid, there’s something I ought to tell you.

I never shot anybody before.

Sundance Kid: One hell of a time to tell me.

Make Sure You Are Ready To Sell

One thing I loved about Butch Cassidy and Sundance was their complete honesty- sure they tried to cover it up with bravado but in the end, they knew their fate. A great lesson to learn from them is, don’t take on more than you can chew in the first couple of months in developing or selling your products. Be honest about it’s flaws and improve them so that no one sees through you or your product.

“My pistols, however, I always kept by me”-Jesse James

Ol’ Jesse was always prepared- some would say even too paranoid, which led to his eventual assassination. Either way, the business lesson we can learn from him is to always have a back-up plan- see things through, be good at details, do what you are good at, and let others worry about the rest. Yet, never be too careful. Jesse always seemed to be one step ahead of the competition- Federal cops and other people who wanted to kill him.