Hey all you insomniacs out there, how would you like to clean your house with the latest gadget or product? If you've ever bought OxiClean or had a restless night and turned on the television at 2:00 a.m, you probably know Billy Mays. With it in your face advertisements, he has sold a number of products that are supposed to make life better for many years. When the world gave birth to the infomercial, he was at the forefront of the industry. Now, all of us, not just people suffering from insomnia, get to hear Mays yell at us through his 30 second commercials as he persuades us to buy products. So, where in the world did this pitchman with the loud voice and heavy beard come from? It was hard to find biographical information about him, but here goes.

He was born William Mays on July 20, 1958, in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Being a pitchman was in his blood, and soon after graduation, he became a salesperson on the Atlantic City boardwalk. According to Wikipedia, his first product was a portable washing device called the "Washmatik." He learned his signature style by observing the techniques of veteran pitchman.

Mays later took his show on the road, so to speak. He traveled around the country to home shows, auto shows and state fairs for 12 years, selling products as diverse as maintenance products, tools, cleaning products and food choppers.

In 1993, he started a friendship with Max Appel, a rival salesman, at a Pittsburgh home show. Appel was the founder of Orange Glo International, one of the products Mays is known for pitching. This friendship was the first step in creating his current persona because the company hired him to promote OxiClean, Orange Clean and Orange Glo on the Home Shopping Network.

Customers responded to Mays' selling style, sharply increasing the company's sales on his first day. Some people were not too fond of him. Washington Post staff writer Frank Ahrens referred to Mays as "a full-volume pitchman, amped up like a candidate for a tranquilizer-gun takedown." Nevertheless, the criticism did not stop his career from growing.

After his success on the Home Shopping Network, Mays was featured on a series television commercials and infomercials for a variety of products, with him demostrating the effectiveness of the products as viewers watched. Mainly due to the success of Mays' ads, between 1999 and 2001, OrangeGlo International was named as one of the top ten privately growing companies by Inc. magazine.

Mays founded his own company, Mays Promotions, Inc., and serves as CEO of the Dunedin, Florida-based enterprise. Companies that need someone to pitch their products call Mays to promote them. Mays has become the "as seen on TV" man because of this. He also claims that he uses the products he advertises. Currently, he has expanded from pitching cleaning and household to advertising for iCan Benefit Group, a company offering affordable health insurance.

Mays makes his home in Odessa, Florida. His overall success is apparent in his $1.8 million home.

Source:

http://www.wikipedia.org

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