  “There are two chief classes of men that you will approach. “One class is ruled chiefly by reason, the other by impulses—emotion—prejudices—enthusiasm—likes and dislikes. “The first class can be convinced only by hard matter-of-fact, mathematical arguments—the kind of evidence that will pass a judge in court. The minds of these men are clear, cold, logic engines. They are impressed only by facts and figures, and will do no business with salesmen who offer them anything else. “The other class—of impulsive or emotional men—is amenable to heart sway persuasion. “You will not find it so necessary to convince their reasons. Give them the best evidence you have, but mix it with something more. “Be careful of their prejudices, watch out for the revelation of their likes and dislikes, “Sooner or later, if you know your business, you will uncover the vulnerable spot in an emotional man and he is yours. Strike him with the right kind of persuasion and you can walk out with his order. “Study your prospects. Learn to read the book of human nature. The formulas for success in selling are written on its pages.” Don’t be a slave of precedent. It is an enemy of progress. Know the technique of salesmanship, but don’t be its slave. Study men at the top and then ask yourself, “Why can’t I do what they have done?” Resolve not to be a little fellow. No matter how much you know about salesmanship your personality, your character, will be the chief factors in your success. While the technique of salesmanship is important, yet it is the man behind the salesman that does the business. It is the human power back of the mere technique that makes the sale. THREE KINDS OF SALESMENThe Heavyweight, The Featherweight, and Just plain WAIT.—Selected. “Some salesmen are not always successful salesmen—BUT, successful salesmen are always SOME salesmen.” “A master salesman is a self-made salesman—BUT a self-made salesman isn’t always a master salesman.” Always keep in mind the man at the other end of the bargain. If he does not make a good bargain you will lose in the end, no matter how much you may sell him. Follow your prospect’s mind. Let him do much of the talking. If he sees you are trying to push him and expecting to change his mind he will brace up against you. THE SALESMAN’S CREEDTo be a man whose word carries weight at my home office, to be a booster, not a knocker, To believe in my proposition heart and soul; to carry an air of optimism into the presence of possible customers; to dispel ill temper with cheerfulness, kill doubts with strong convictions and reduce active friction with an agreeable personality. To make a study of my business or line; to know my profession in every detail from the ground up; to mix brains with my effort and use method and system in my work. To find time to do everything needful by never letting time find me doing nothing. To hoard days as a miser hoards dollars; to make every hour bring me dividends in commissions, increased knowledge or healthful recreation. To keep my future unmortgaged with debt; to save money as well as earn it; to cut out expensive amusements until I can afford them; to steer clear of dissipation and guard my health of body and peace of mind as my most precious stock in trade. Finally, to take a good grip on the joy of life; to play the game like a gentleman; to fight against nothing so hard as my own weakness and to endeavor to grow as a salesman and Salesmanship is the ability to sell the largest possible quantity of goods, to sell an increasing quantity of goods, to get the greatest possible results from the advertising done by his house, to make a regular customer of a new buyer, and to hold the friendship of a regular customer.—H. E. Bowman. Never sit down or stand, if you can possibly avoid it, below where your prospect is seated. The man who is the highest always has the advantage, the superior position. Many salesmen can do better standing while the prospect is sitting. Approach your prospect as a professional, not as an amateur, not as a little fellow, or almost a salesman, but approach him with the air of a professional. Give him to understand that you are no third-rate salesman. Your manner will have everything to do with the impression you make. Establish confidence as quickly as possible. Business men are constantly dealing with mean, tricky men, unscrupulous men, hypnotizers, bull-dozers, but when they strike the real article, the genuine man, they will give him their confidence. Remember your whole success will often turn on the first two or three minutes of your interview. Just here your knowledge of human nature is a tremendous factor. You must size up your man quickly and find the line of least resistance, the best approach to his mind. Not only his temperament but his health, the frame of mind he happens to be in, all must be taken in at a glance. Be a tactful salesman. You will often be told that tact cannot be cultivated, that it is a quality that is born in one, but remember that every man is tactful when he is courting the girl he is dead in love with. If you are dead in love with your work and bound to win you will be tactful. Make it an invariable rule never to use any influence or to say anything in the presence of a prospect which will lessen your self-respect. If you do, you lose power. You are not paid for being less than a man. A real salesman sells goods. Fakers sell customers. Don’t be a mere order-taker; be a salesman. ANOTHER “SALESMAN’S CREED”“I believe in the goods I am handling, in the company I am working for, and in my ability to get results. “I believe that honest stuff can be passed out to honest men, by honest methods. “I believe in working, not weeping; in boosting, not knocking, and in the pleasure of my job. “I believe that a man gets what he goes after; that one deed done to-day is worth two deeds to-morrow, and that no man is down and out until he has lost faith in himself. “I believe in to-day and the work I am doing; in to-morrow and the work I hope to do, “I believe in courtesy, in kindness, in generosity, in good cheer, in friendship, and in honest competition. “I believe there is something doing somewhere for every man ready to do it. “I believe I am ready right now.” Do you ever go to see a prospect expecting to be turned down—to meet unanswerable arguments or deep-rooted prejudices that you can’t overcome? If you do, it’s pretty likely that that’s what happens. Half-knowledge is worse than ignorance.—Macaulay. This is one business man’s motto: “Nothing pays like quality.” There is a whole sermon in this motto, for what is there that pays like quality? There is no advertisement like it. Quality needs no advertisement, for it has been tried. Talk quality. A high-class salesman tries to convert his prospect from a lower to a higher grade, for there is not only greater Did you ever realize that when you are working for another you are really selling yourself to him, that your ability, your education, your personality, your influence, your atmosphere—everything about you is sold for a price? Every time you sell goods you are selling part of yourself, your character, your reputation, what you stand for—it is all included in the sale. Progress depends upon what we are, rather than upon what we may encounter. One man is stopped by a sapling lying across the road; another, passing that way picks up the hindrance and converts it into a help in crossing the brook just ahead.—Trumbull. Fate does not fling her great prizes to the idle, the indifferent, but to the determined, the enthusiastic, the man who is bound to win. How true it is, as some one says, that true salesmanship consists in selling goods that Winning back a customer who had quit buying of your house because you have offended him, or because he thinks the house did not treat him right, is a tough proposition. It is not every salesman who can successfully tackle such a job as this. It takes great tact and a lot of diplomacy, and yet a diplomacy that does not show itself. The art of arts is to conceal art. A great diplomat leaves no visible trace of his diplomacy. It will pay to acquire the art of the diplomats. It will pay better to avoid offending customers. “We broke all output records to-day.” This was the message Andrew Carnegie’s superintendent sent him one day. “Why not do it every day?” wired back the ironmaster. Why not beat your sales record every day? You don’t know what you can do until you try. “The salesman that tries to sell, without using his upper story, has a lot of good loft space unoccupied.” To be a conqueror in appearance, in one’s bearing, is the first step toward success. Walk, talk and act as though you were a somebody. Let victory speak from your face and express itself in your manner. Every dishonest trick, every deception, every unfair transaction, is a boomerang which comes back to hit the thrower. You should make your prospect feel that you are a real friend, that you are something more than an ordinary seller of merchandise, that you are trying to be of real service to him, The “selling sense” is to the salesman what the “nose for news” is to the journalist. No knowledge, however profound, of mere technical salesmanship will make a salesman of you if you lack selling sense, into which many factors enter,—such as tact, spirit of kindliness, good fellowship, good judgment, level-headedness, horse sense, initiative, courage. Like the good things you eat, a superb quality leaves a good taste in the mouth. The article that is a little better than others of the same kind, the article that is best, even though the price is higher, “carries in its first sale the possibilities of many sales, because it makes a satisfied customer, and only a satisfied customer will come again.” Staying power is the final test of ability. The real caliber of a man is measured by the Where is your giving up point, your breaking point, your turning back point? This will determine everything in your career. If you represent a large house, make a careful study of the top-notchers and cracker-jack salesmen in your firm. Study their history, their methods; get at the secret of their great success and their big salaries. The study of men above you will whet your ambition, will sharpen your perceptions and will make you more ambitious, more determined to win out, and this will enable you to make an impression of progressiveness upon your firm. They will see that you are growing, that you are reaching out, that you have no idea of getting into a rut or becoming petrified in your methods. Thomas Brackett Reed, the famous Speaker of the House of Representatives for many years, used to say that one-half of the battle in Congress is to get the speaker’s eye. Get your prospect’s eye first of all, and then you will not only get his attention, but you will interest and hold him. No other feature has such power to command and hold as the eye. It is said that the moment a wild beast tamer shows the slightest signs of fear when he enters a cage of wild animals his game is up. They will leap upon him and kill him. The animals watch the trainer’s eye and they can very quickly tell when he has lost his courage or shows the slightest sign of fear. Remember that suggestion is the soul of salesmanship. The first thing you should do when you go into a prospect’s office is to suggest harmony, good will. Antidote all possible antagonism, kill prejudice. A pleasing personality is all suggestion. Suggestion is the soul of advertising, and to sell you must advertise. A salesman must be his own advertisement. “JUST KEEP ON, KEEPIN’ ON.”If the day looks kinder gloomy And your chances kinder slim; If the situation’s puzzlin’, And the prospects awful grim; And the prospects keep pressin’ Till all hope is nearly gone, Just bristle up and grit your teeth, And keep on, keepin’ on. Fumin’ never wins a fight, And frettin’ never pays; There ain’t no use in broodin’ In these pessimistic ways. Smile just kinder cheerfully, When hope is nearly gone, And bristle up and grit your teeth, And keep on, keepin’ on. There ain’t no use of growlin’, And grumblin’ all the time, When music’s ringing everywhere, And everything’s a rhyme. Just keep on smiling cheerfully, If hope is nearly gone, And bristle up and grit your teeth, And keep on, keepin’ on.—Selected. All salesmen may take to themselves the following advice on promises, printed by Gimbel Brothers, for the benefit of all employees of their New York store.— “Make no promises which you cannot fulfill.” “Every individual connected with this establishment is hereby instructed not to make promises which cannot be absolutely satisfied. “You must fulfill at all costs those promises you do make; in behalf of this business.” “He who is content to rest upon his laurels, will soon have laurels resting upon him.” “A sour clerk will turn the sweetest customer.” “A real salesman is one part talk and nine parts judgment; and he uses the nine parts of judgment to tell when to use the one part of talk.” Whenever you say “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” or “Good evening,” let your words be not only cheerful, but sincere. The only was to be genuinely sincere is through cultivating a genuinely friendly disposition. It is hard to fake sincerity. Many salesmen think they can, but they only fool themselves. “Never explain the nature of your business on the door-step—that is, before you are advantageously placed in the presence of your prospect.—Expect to get in, and you will.” These are the words of an expert in salesmanship. Every expert realizes how full of truth they are. A salesman must be self-possessed, which means that he should have no fears. Keep before your mind constantly these facts: You are all right; your goods are all right, and your house is all right; therefore you have no cause for fear; you have every reason to be serene. Keep your samples out of sight as much as possible, even for your regular trade. Many salesmen leave their samples at the hotel, and call first on prospective customers, making an appointment for a certain hour. This is very effective, where possible. The display of goods is, unquestionably, very helpful in selling, Carrying a cigar or a cigarette, even though freshly lighted, usually detracts from a man’s appearance. A tooth-pick in evidence is always very bad taste, and often it has been fatal to sales. Newspapers stuck into pockets, or carried in one’s hand, suggest that a man is not all there, that he is thinking more of the topics of the day than of his business. They are evidence of lack of concentration, and more often than the salesman may think he handicaps himself by having these in sight. Jake Daubert, the well known authority in baseball, has concluded an article on his specialty with these strong words of advice: “Always know ahead of time what you must do with the ball after you get it.” To a salesman I would say—think out all possible difficulties that may arise during the progress of a prospective sale. Be prepared for every Seizing the psychological moment is of great importance. Admiral Dewey seized it very effectively when he gave the command, “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley.” A salesman can win by “firing” at the right moment. He can, likewise, and should, stop “firing” and close the deal at the right moment. It is all psychological—a matter of mind meeting mind. Avoid as much as possible technical terms, unless you are talking to customers who, you are sure, understand them. For instance, a Life Insurance salesman makes a great mistake ordinarily, to talk about “legal reserve,” “accrued dividends,” “extended insurance,” “paid-up values,” “accelerative endowments,” “expense ratios,” “percentages of increase,” etc. As a matter of fact, it is quite probable that a large number of those to whom he talks will not understand even the words “liabilities” and “assets.” Many a salesman has been ruined or seriously injured by carrying a side line. All of the great things of the world have been accomplished by concentration upon a specialty. A good tip to both young and old salesmen is, to study the business producers both in your firm and out of your firm. Examine their methods; learn to do what they have found effective; benefit by their strong points; but beware of their weaknesses, for even the most successful salesman will be found to have certain weak points, at times. You can quickly and conclusively recognize these. Guard against them. While you can learn much from older and more experienced salesmen, never be a slavish copy of any one. Whatever you do be yourself. Every time a man who is trying to hold an audience turns his eye from it he cuts the magnetic current which is flowing between them and if he does this often the people will get uneasy; they will begin to move in their seats and he will lose his power over them.—His magnetic connection with those he addresses Just here is a hint for the salesman. It is imperative that you should keep this current between yourself and your prospect flowing freely. An attractive personality added to the constant flow of magnetism through your eye will rivet his attention and add immensely to your selling power. THE SALESMAN’S IDEALI want my Selling Talk to be a Service Talk—one that will be worth others’ time whether they buy my goods or not. I want it to tell only the truth, and that as fully as may be. To be a perfectly human statement easily understood by others. To show simply and plainly how both I and my goods can serve. To contain Wit only as that conforms to Wisdom. To be presented in full view of the fact that every man’s time is his property—only to be secured by honest methods. To result from personal self-persuasion, as I would wish to persuade others. To prove of such real value to patrons that my goods shall be always to the fore rather than myself. To so demonstrate the Merits of my goods and service, that others will crave them when in need of either. This is my ideal.—Selected. WHY THIS SALESMAN DID NOT SUCCEEDHe was too anxious. He could not read human nature. He did not know how to approach his prospect. There was not a real man back of the solicitor. He scattered too much; could not concentrate his talk. He knew enough, but could not tell it in an interesting way. He tired the prospect out before he got down to business, and could not see when he was boring him. He went to his prospective customer in the spirit of “I will try” instead of “I will.” He could not take a rebuff good-naturedly. He ran down his competitor and disgusted his prospect. He did not believe he could get an order when he went for it. He tried to make circulars and letters do the work of a personal canvass. He unloaded cheap lines and off-style goods on one customer and then bragged about it to the next. He did not thoroughly believe in the thing he was trying to sell, and of course could not convince others. He was too easily discouraged; if he did not secure orders from the first man he solicited, he lost heart and gave up. He did not concentrate on one line. He carried side lines. He thought if he could not sell one thing, he could another. He did not have enough reserve argument to overcome objections. He lacked resourcefulness. He had to spend most of his time trying to overcome a bad first impression. He gave the impression that he was a beggar instead of the representative of a reliable house. He did not look out for the man at the other end of the bargain. He overcanvassed. He said so many good things about the article he was selling that the prospect did not believe they were true. He was polite only while he thought he was going to get an order, but when turned down, got mad and said disagreeable, cutting things. He lacked tact or the power of adaptability; he always used the same line of argument, no matter what the man’s position, degree of intelligence, temperament or mood might be. He did not have a proper appreciation of the dignity of his work. He thought people would look upon him as a peddler. He did not like the business; his heart was not in it; and he intended working at it only until he could get a better job. He never liked to mix with people, and therefore was not popular. He did not organize himself, could not work to a plan, had no program. He introduced politics and his fads in business. He didn’t realize that every sale is an advertisement for or against the house. He was always gloomy and despondent. He carried his samples in a hearse. He did not believe it paid to be accommodating. WHY THIS SALESMAN SUCCEEDEDHe thoroughly believed in the things he was trying to sell. He was tactful and knew how to approach people. He did not waste a customer’s time but was quick to the point. He concentrated on what he was selling. He was reliable and gave one the impression that he stood for good merchandise. He approached a customer with the conviction that he would win his order and he usually did. He worked hard. He was always looking out for the man at the other end of the bargain. He stopped when he had convinced his prospect and did not raise doubts by boring him. THE END |
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