Sell the "Sizzle", Not The Steak

Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak

You ever walk into a Mexican restaurant and someone’s just ordered fajitas? That moment when the server walks by with a hot, cast-iron skillet crackling with grilled onions and peppers—steam rising like a halo and every head in the room turning to look? You weren’t even thinking about fajitas when you sat down. Now you need them. That right there? That’s the sizzle.

It isn't always about what’s on the plate. Sometimes it’s about what hits your senses first. The sound. The smell. The story. That’s what gets your attention.

It’s the same with antiques, estate sale finds and vintage treasures. You might be selling an old wooden dough bowl—but what if that bowl once belonged to a woman who made biscuits every Sunday morning for her grandkids, flour dust still caught in the corners? What if that bowl saw five generations pass through a farmhouse kitchen? That’s the sizzle. That’s what makes someone reach out, pick it up, and say, “Tell me more.”

In this business, I’ve learned a lot of folks aren’t just buying the thing—they’re buying the feeling it gives them. That sense of nostalgia, comfort, & curiosity. The memory it triggers or the story they can now tell when guests ask, “Where’d you find this?” That’s the sizzle.

When you stroll through downtown Savannah or Charleston, or maybe Omaha’s Old Market, you catch a whiff of rosemary, garlic, focaccia bread baking or someone smoking ribs. You didn’t plan to eat. Now you’re on a mission. Because your senses were stirred and your heart followed.

That’s exactly what I mean by “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.”

We’re not just moving stuff and husslin' junk, We’re stirring memories. We’re evoking a time, a place, a person. That’s what gives a simple item its soul.

You ever see someone hold an old carpenter’s level and whisper, “My granddad had one just like this”? Or pick up a chipped porcelain teacup and stare into it like they’re remembering a moment they forgot they had? That’s the sizzle, y’all.

As resellers, dealers, & pickers...we are storytellers. We are the stewards of the story. As storytellers—we need to lean into that. Don’t just list an item. Don’t just price a chair, tag a lamp, or stage a vanity. Share the seasoning. Give them a reason to want it beyond the function. The steak will feed them. But the sizzle? That’s what brings them to the table.

Sometimes, I joke that I don’t need the whole pie—just give me a bite. But I’ll tell you this: if that pie comes outta the oven smelling like Strawberry or Cherry rhubarb, with a touch of burnt sugar on the crust… I’m not leaving with just a bite. I’m buying the whole damn thing.Thats what the story does, it makes you want it more.

So when you're setting up your booth, writing a post, or chatting with a customer—sell the story. Sell the experience. Sell the memory that hasn't been made yet. If buying an item, ask what the history and story is. That’s where the magic is, in the story that it tells. That’s the sizzle.

Much Love.