Billy Mays

Infobox Person


image_size =
name = William D. Mays
caption =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1958|7|20|mf=y
birth_place = flagicon|USA McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
home_town = McKees Rocks, PA
spouse = Candace
other_names = Billy Mays
known_for = OxiClean,
Orange Glo,
Kaboom,
Engrave It,
iCan,
Mighty Putty,
Hercules Hook,
AwesomeAuger,
Steam Buddy,
Zorbeez,
Big City Slider
occupation = Commercial & infomercial salesman

William "Billy" D. Mays (born July 20 1958) is a television commercial and infomercial salesperson most notable for promoting OxiClean, Orange Glo, and other cleaning, home-based, and maintenance products. His signature yelling approach to pitching an array of products, along with his recognizable beard, have gained Mays a substantial amount of recognition.

Biography

Mays was born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school, he began his career as a salesperson on the Atlantic City boardwalk, selling the "Washmatik" portable washing device to passersby. Working alongside many seasoned pitchmen, he developed his trademark style of salesmanship.cite news |first=G.G. |last=Rigsby |title= As seen on TV: Billy Mays hawks it all for a price - TV king: Mays builds fame, fortune through infomercials
url=http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2002/05/06/story8.html |publisher=Tampa Bay Business Journal |date=May 3 2002 |accessdate=2007-04-21]

Mays later traveled to home shows, auto shows, and state fairs across the United States for a period of twelve years, selling various maintenance products and tools, including cleaning products and food choppers.

Rise to prominence

At a Pittsburgh home show in 1993, Mays struck up a friendship with rival salesman Max Appel, founder of Orange Glo International, a Denver-based manufacturer of cleaning products. He was then hired by the company to promote their line of cleaners, OxiClean, Orange Clean, and Orange Glo, on the Home Shopping Network in St. Petersburg, Florida."Company sold, local pitchman keeps his job," "St. Petersburg Times", July 24, 2006]

Customer response to Mays' sales pitches were enthusiastic, with a sharp increase in sales after his first day on the network, although some reviews were poor. He is very well known for screaming in lieu of talking during infomercials and regular life. For example, "Washington Post" staff writer Frank Ahrens called him "a full-volume pitchman, amped up like a candidate for a tranquilizer-gun takedown".cite news
publisher = Washington Post| date = 2004-09-26 | pages = F01 | title = Miracle Infomercials - TV's Hard Sells Are a $256 Billion Business | last = Ahrens | first = F | url = ]

Following the success of the Home Shopping Network campaign, a line of successful television commercials and infomercials for the products was produced, featuring Mays demonstrating the effectiveness of the products to viewers hands-on. He typically begins such commercials with: "Hi! Billy Mays here for [advertised product] ." Their success led to OrangeGlo International being named among the top ten privately growing companies from 1999 to 2001 by "Inc." magazine, and its eventual buyout by Church and Dwight. Appel credited Mays' salesmanship for much of the company's success.Fact|date=July 2008

Mays is the CEO and founder of Mays Promotions, Inc., based in Dunedin, Florida. His services as a pitchman became highly sought-after, and he has appeared in commercials for many diverse "as seen on TV" products. Mays claims to be an avid user of the products he promotes.cite news |first=Mitch Stacy |last=Associated Press |title= As seen on TV, pitchman Billy Mays cleans up with shtick - In-your-face salesman peddles fixes for car dents to cleaning products.|url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/12/29/biz_billymays29.html |publisher=Cincinnati Enquirer |date=2002-12-29 |accessdate=2007-04-21]

Mays was named the new voice of iCan Benefit Group, LLC., "the first company offering Health Insurance Billy Mays has been excited to endorse". The TV commercials, featuring Billy Mays telling "the iCan story", began to air nationally in May 2008.cite web | url = http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/05/prweb959594.htm | title = "Billy Mays - The New Voice of iCan"^SM | publisher = PRWEB | date = 2008-05-21] He is quoted as "The King of Infomercials".

Mays currently resides in Odessa, Florida, northwest of Tampa in a US$1.8 million home built in 2005.cite web | url = http://www.hcpafl.org/perl/re2html.pl?str
]

Products advertised

*Aquapel
*Awesome Auger, Ground Aug, Weed Auger, and Power Extender gardening tools
*Bedazzler
*Big City Slider Station
*Black Swan Furniture
*Bloomin' Onion Maker
*Buddy Putty
*Calcium Lime Rust
*Currie Motors Chrysler Credit Hotline
*Cutco Kitchenware
*Ding King automotive dent remover
*Easy Off Bam!
*Energize energy supplement
*EngraveIt
*FixIt car scratch remover
*FoneFree wireless cellphone headset
*Foodsaver
*FreeFone wireless phone holder
*Gopher reach extending tool
*Handy Switch
*Hercules Hook wall hangers
*iCan Benefit Group, LLC
*Kaboom
*Lint-B-Gone lint brush
*Liquid Diamond car waxing product
*Mantis Roto-Tiller
*Micro-Men Duster
*Mighty Mend It
*Mighty Putty
*Never-Scrub tile cleaner
*Orange Clean, Orange Glo
*OxiClean
*Quik Strip wire stripping tool
*Ragazzi's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria
*Samurai Shark knife sharpener
*Sandstrom OnTV
*Sealtite Tire Sealant
*Simoniz Fix It Scratch Remover
*Slider Station Burger Maker
*Steam Buddy
*Street Options Auto Accessories
*Swiffer SweeperVac
*Tommy and Rumble
*Turbo Tiger vacuum cleaner
*Vidalia Chop-it
*Vidalia Slice-it
*Vidalia Slice Wizard
*Zorbeez absorbent towels

References