Sell ​​a refrigerator to an eskimo

Traditionally, this line has been used to indicate a cunning salesperson who uses every trick in the book to sell things to people they don’t want. But isn’t this talent going to be great for you if you’re going into business?

How do you sell a fridge to an Eskimo! That challenge has always been the symbol of the ultimate in marketing a product to someone who just doesn’t need it. There are amusing answers that come up, which also represent dubious practices in advertising.

“Tell him it contains alcohol” is a kind of surrogate advertising. In reality, his intention may be to sell you alcohol, so he sells you a fridge full of whiskey bottles. “Tell him it will feel warmer” is a partial truth, because technically speaking, the temperature inside the refrigerator can be adjusted to be higher than the sub-zero cold outside!

But let’s revisit that original statement: That challenge has always been the symbol of the ultimate in marketing a product to someone who seemingly doesn’t need it. That will lead us to ask: is there possibly a reason why an Eskimo would need a fridge? The answer is another simple question: Why do you sit at the dining room table eating a plate of salmon with a fork and knife? Why aren’t you in the jungle spearing the fish and grilling it over a raw fire? Product development, advertising, and marketing are the driving forces of civilization and convenience.

The Eskimo needs a cooler because he no longer wants his wife to bury the reindeer roast under a pile of snow. And, here we come to another factor in advertising, he wants it too because his neighbor bought it for him!

That’s it! We have sold a refrigerator to an Eskimo without tricks, tricks or lies. We have simply met the three needs of a good product for Eskimos: a product that meets a need, great looking, high quality, well marketed.

That wasn’t very difficult, was it? Now, will we try to sell bottled water to millions of people who have easy access to clean water through taps in their kitchens? That’s probably harder than selling an Eskimo a refrigerator!