99p. Somebody Thought of That.

What can we learn from 99p? On the surface, it’s just one penny less than a pound. But in practice, it changed the way the world priced things. Not because it tricked anyone, but because it presented value in a way that felt lighter, more approachable, more human.

In this episode, Benjamin explores a brilliant moment from Mad Men, where Roger Sterling points to 99 cents as “true brilliance in advertising.” From there, we unpack why presentation matters just as much in sales as it does in advertising.

Too often, we bury what we do in jargon and clichés. The truth is, every sales conversation and every LinkedIn post is an advert for who you are and what you bring. The question is: how simply, clearly, and intriguingly can you say it?

At Showing Up, we don’t claim to be a “cutting-edge provider of human-centric performance enablement solutions.” We just help people be great at sales. And that clarity makes all the difference.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why 99p works, and what it teaches us about presentation.
• How every word you choose in sales shapes how people experience you.
• The difference between jargon and clarity (with some tongue-in-cheek examples).
• Why simplicity doesn’t weaken your message,  it strengthens it.

Exercise
What’s your version of 99p? Write down as many simple, intriguing ways as you can to describe what you do. Aim for at least 50. Then test them with colleagues, clients, and friends. Notice which ones land. Keep those. That’s your 99p.

Links & Resources

• Learn more at showinguplearning.com
• Subscribe to access our full library of sales training modules and get free access to The 12 Traits Clients Trust Most.
• Every subscription funds a free scholarship for a young person through the Showing Up Foundation.

What is Showing Up: Very Good Sales?

A weekly micro-lesson for B2B sales teams. In each 5–10 minute episode, we share one practical idea, model or strategy for how you become brilliant at growing sales with integrity. All focused on building trust and delivering real value to your clients. Find more learning at https://www.showinguplearning.com/

Hi everybody, great to have you with us. I’m your host, Benjamin Western.
Very Good Sales is the podcast brought to you by Showing Up.
We help people to be great at sales. Head to showinguplearning.com to learn more.
And if you subscribe, you’ll get free access our module, the 12 traits clients trust most. This includes 12 super-engaging self-assessments. And now, let’s get to this week’s micro-lesson: 99p. Somebody Wrote That.
One of my favourite TV series is Mad Men, set in the advertising world of the 1960s; a world of smoky boardrooms, hard drinking, and the craft of writing persuasive adverts. One of the main characters is Roger Sterling. The charismatic, silver-haired, razor-sharp partner and head of accounts, whose always ready with witty one-liners. He’s not the creative genius like Don Draper, but he has an instinct for what lands and how to keep erratic customers happy.
In one scene, when the creative team are struggling to land the right idea, Sterling quips,: “I’ll tell you what brilliance in advertising is. 99 cents. Somebody thought of that.”
It’s such a simple line, 99 cents. Somebody thought of that, but it says so much.
Until someone thought of that, everything was priced at a dollar. Straight, round, plain. Then somebody thought of 99 cents. And the world shifted.
Here’s why. 99p feels different to £1. £149 feels different to £150. The difference is negligible, but the feeling isn’t. One catches your eye. It makes you pause. And the key is: customers aren’t fooled. They know it’s basically the same. But it’s something about the presentation. It’s clever without being dishonest.
And that’s the key point. Presentation matters. It always has.
Now, advertising people write copy. They script slogans and print the posters. But as a salesperson, you are the frontline of advertising yourself. Every client conversation, every pitch, every LinkedIn post — that’s your advert. The words you choose shape how people experience you and whether they’re compelled by what you have to say.
In a world of clichés and over-elaboration, we should continuously ask ourselves, what’s the simplest way you can say what you do? What’s the clearest way to describe the impact your company makes?
Too often, we bury it in nonsense. Imagine us saying: “We are a cutting-edge provider of human-centric performance enablement solutions that synergise behavioural insight with commercial outcomes.”
Or we could just say: “We help people be great at sales.”
That’s what we do at Showing Up. Under that simplicity sits the fuller story. We help people be great at sales by being honest, trustworthy, dependability, compelling and so on. We design programmes that help people become their clients’ most valued and trusted partners.
All of which helps you to be great at selling.
99p is so simple. A single penny changed the way the world priced things, not by tricking anyone, but by presenting value in a way people enjoyed.

And that brings us to today’s exercise

What’s your version of 99p? What’s the simplest but most intriguing way you can describe what you do? Go for a walk and write as many ideas as you can. Aim for a least 50. Share them with your team, your colleagues, even your customers. Notice which versions land, which make people smile, which spark curiosity. That’s your 99p.
And that’s it for today. Thanks for listening to Showing Up: Very Good Sales. I’m Benjamin Western, and I hope today’s micro-lesson gave you something practical to take into your work this week.
If you’d like to go deeper, visit showinguplearning.com
Our video-learning platform gives you complete access to a comprehensive library of sales training. It’s designed so you can learn on your own or as a team, whether that’s in a meeting room together or online at a time that suits you. Each module is highly practical, built around real-world scenarios, and focused on helping you build trust, bring value, and grow sales.
And for every person who subscribes, we provide a free scholarship through our foundation to a young person facing barriers to work. So, by investing in your own growth, you’re also helping someone else take their first step into the workplace.
Visit showinguplearning.com.
Thanks for listening, good luck out there, take care, and see you next time.