Rockland couple gets deal with 2 'sharks' on ABC's 'Shark Tank' with The Snorinator
Lloyd and Sue Ecker have been working on a special pillow that allows for sleeping while sitting upright to minimize snoring, ever since Sue kicker Lloyd out of the bedroom four years ago because he snored "louder than a buzzsaw."
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A Rockland couple is flying high after scoring a deal with two of the "sharks" from the hit ABC show "Shark Tank."
Lloyd and Sue Ecker have been working on a special pillow that allows for sleeping while sitting upright to minimize snoring, ever since Sue kicker Lloyd out of the bedroom four years ago because he snored "louder than a buzzsaw."
The Eckers went into the "Shark Tank" in June, looking for an investment and helping with marketing.
The episode premiered last Wednesday.
"Look Sue. It's the sharks," Lloyd said with giddiness as the couple started their pitch before the five sharks.
Three sharks — Barbara Corcoran, Kevin "Mr. Wonderful" O'Leary and Robert Herjavec — immediately shot the Eckers down.
"The two of your are beautiful," Corcoran said, "but not the product. Unfortunately, I'm out."
The two sharks who actually tried out the pillow — Lori Greiner and Michael Strahan — were interested enough to offer a combined $100,000 for 25% of the company.
"When they both got in it, and they liked it, they loved it, I mean, that was the moment of truth," Lloyd said as he rewatched the segment Wednesday at the couple's home in Pomona.
The Eckers almost have the full package.
They have a big idea, a deal to produce the pillows in Hong Kong, a large profit margin, a patent and a catchy old-school jingle.
They do not have social media skills.
They were more interested in enlisting sharks for their expertise in digital media marketing than the monetary investment.
"Being 72 years old, the only thing I know about posting involves an envelope and a stamp," he said. "The reason we wanted them was because we had no knowledge of that and that's how we want to explode."
"They can reach people we can't reach, although we are doing amazing since the first week, since it aired," Sue said, resting in a "Snorinator" on the couple's bed. "Sales are going off the roof, but we want to maintain that."
Though winning over two sharks is impressive, Lloyd was hoping for a rare sweep.
"Somebody asked me backstage, 'Well are you happy? You got two sharks.' I said, 'Yeah, but I was hoping for five," he said.
"This is from the man whose motto is that it's never enough," Sue added.
With the deal and the exposure that comes with it, the Eckers think "Snorinator" sales could rise from $214,000 a year to millions over the next year.
The couple said that since the episode's June taping, they have been working closely with Lori and Michael's teams on sizes, acquiring new customers and fun material for their social media campaign.
