Ever wondered what it would be like to go through a one-day TV bootcamp and then get the chance to be a shopping channel product expert for QVC? Well Mark Wilson, recently went through the process and got his chance to go on air and has written about the experience for fastcodesign.com.

His goal was to be paired with an experienced QVC host and provide product advice on a phone charger on offer to late night viewers on the number one home shopping network in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.  Before getting near the camera however, he had to go through training at QVC’s $100 million complex located in the wooded business park near West Chester.

The first step was to meet his mentor for the day, Mark Lubragge, a nine year veteran host for QVC who gave him a great piece of advice, “don’t memorize.”  He then let Wilson into one of the secrets of TV shopping channel presentations, practice answering the questions that the show’s host might ask. This is sage advice and key to the welcoming and relaxed style of QVC, an approach that has kept revenues at QVC growing long after the popularity of U.S. malls peaked in 1990.

QVC does not focus on simply regurgitating the slogans and catch phrases provided to it by the sales reps for the massive range of products that it offers. Instead, QVC hosts personalize the product to the audience who are sitting at home on their sofa relaxing while eagerly looking for an innovative product to spark their interest.

This formula has managed to generate revenues of over $8.8 billion a year worldwide and QVC is still growing with plans to expand into China. The company is also keeping up with the times by not only continually increasing its number of younger viewers, but also by managing a smooth transition from landline callers to smartphone users. This has made it the fifth largest mobile retailer in the world.

When it was time to go live for his eight minute segment together with his QVC host, Albany Irvin, Wilson remembered another piece of advice from Lubragge, “If you go up there with the intent to sell, it’s all going to come crashing down around you.” In the end, he managed to control his nerves and get 105 orders for the Halo 3000 charger during his time on air, a relatively small amount compared to the 330,000 chargers sold when it was a featured as ‘Today’s Daily Deal,’ but still without a doubt, an interesting and rewarding experience