Marketing tips are everywhere. I found several this weekend when I drove to Cincinnati to shop at Jungle Jim’s. If you have never been there, you are probably wondering why I would drive almost two hours to shop at a grocery store.

But this is no ordinary store. It contains the most amazing collection of obscure food. While most grocery stores have a few shelves of barbecue sauce, they have an entire aisle. They have rows and rows of produce from around the world and an entire wall of nothing but blue cheese.

If you have a favorite brand that you can’t find in your local grocery, you can bet you will find it at Jungle Jim’s. But what if you don’t have a favorite brand? How do you decide what to buy?

Like many grocery stores, Jungle Jim’s relies on the food demos. These stations give shoppers a quick taste to stimulate their appetite and encourage them to buy. The demos also give shoppers serving suggestions.“Yes, that spicy honey barbecue sauce is interesting, but what to serve it with? Wow it goes great on a crocodile steak!”

This marketing strategy is not reserved just for grocery stores. Helping consumers visualize how to use your product increase your chances of making a sale. That is why builders have show homes and department stores have mannequins.

When I was a floor manager in a department store, I knew if I wanted to reduce the overstock of  ugly purple shirts, I needed to put one on a mannequin with great pants a fun purse and a cool belt. The shirts would fly out the door, very often accompanied by the pants, purse or belts. The customers needed a visual example to help them see how that shirt would fit into their wardrobe.

How do you use this marketing strategy  even if you are not in a visual business? Instead of telling prospects about your skills, look for ways to show examples of your products in action. As a rule, we really like case studies. These short summaries in the voice of a customer demonstrate you capabilities  and allow other potential customers to imagine how you could do the same work for them.

Regardless of the product or service it boils down to showing, not telling. Want to increase your sales? Find a way to demonstrate what you do.

So what do you serve with crocodile? I am not sure, I was busy tasting the kangaroo.