Panzarella's idea germinated when he was working as a repo
man in Florida. He repossessed a car that had a neon tube attached
to its undercarriage. Curious about what a neon light was doing
there, he learned the car was a custom show vehicle that was often
on display. The neon light was turned on to highlight the car and
give it an extra dose visual appeal.
Panzarella thought this was a great idea that could be applied
to ordinary cars. The only problem: The light ran off a big
transformer that had to be plugged into an electrical outlet.
Panzarella, a diehard car enthusiast, knew he'd have a great
product if he could just figure out how to build a transformer that
could run off the car battery.
Eventually, he developed a new transformer, moved back home to
New Jersey, and started his sales campaign by driving around at
night in a car equipped with Undercar Neon. "People would stop
me all the time and ask where they could get the product. It was
hot," he recalls. "Police [officers], who tend to be car
enthusiasts, especially liked it, and they stopped me all the time
to ask where they could buy their own."
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Building off that customer enthusiasm, Panzarella started
building a network of car stereo distributors and dealers who sold
his product, which he packaged in a do-it-yourself kit. He also
picked up two big mail order accounts: Crutchfield, which
specializes in car stereo equipment, and J.C. Whitney, a catalog
supplier of auto parts and accessories.
For a while, Panzarella concentrated on adding new products,
including neon lights for license plates, neon gear shifts and neon
accent tubes to install under a car's dash or seat. Once
he'd created his line of products, he wanted to attract
attention, so he launched an event marketing program.
Panzarella decided to capitalize on Sound-Off
competitions--contests to see whose car has the best stereo
system--by introducing Glow-Off competitions (not affiliated with
Sound-Off), where people bring their neon-lit cars to contests and
vie for awards. The biggest Glow-Off, sponsored by a large auto
accessory dealer, Number One Parts Inc., is held every September at
the Atlanta Motor Speedway, attracting thousands of people. Events
like Sound-Offs and Glow-Offs are the type of big attractions that
build customer awareness and keep a product's sales
growing.
In 1998, Panzarella decided the in-line skate market was ripe
for his neon lights. People skating at night want to be seen, and
safety is a prime concern of the thousands of in-line skate clubs
that often sponsor night skating sessions. Once Panzarella ironed
out the details of producing a neon light that ran on batteries, he
was ready to take on the market. His ultimate goal was to sell to
big retailers like The Sports Authority, Sportmart and Big 5
Sporting Goods. But Panzarella didn't want to just put the
product in stores; he wanted to create the same drama and
excitement he had with Undercar Neon.
He started by locating distributors that sold to roller rinks.
Why? Panzarella wanted to create a "buzz" in the market,
and this way, the visual appeal of a hot skater with neon lights
could be seen by hundreds of prime prospects. Next, he got the
endorsement of Scott Olson, inventor of the original Rollerblade
in-line skate, who felt Sports-Neon had great safety features.
Just months after its introduction, Sport-Neon's distributor
sales were way over projections. With the market buzzing, support
from the father of the in-line skate industry, and high demand from
consumers, Panzarella was talking to all the big retail chains and
lining up sales agreements. By waiting until he created excitement
in the market before approaching retailers, Panzarella gained
negotiating leverage. The proven consumer demand should produce
immediate sales once stores stock Sport-Neon.
In order to succeed, your product has to give customers a
compelling reason to buy. Maybe the product has a better design
than the competition's, is a better value, works more
effectively, or has more features to help customers meet their
goals. All these improvements require you visual communication of
how and why your product is better.
Products with dramatic visual flair are easier to sell because
people immediately notice them. In many cases, in fact,
eye-catching appeal is the main reason a product sells.
If you want to match Panzarella's success, look for product
ideas that turn people's heads and get them saying
"Wow!" Capture their attention, and you'll capture
success of your own.
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