Masonry Magazine September 1967 Page. 10
SMOOTH SELLING
by George N. Kahn, Marketing Consultant
THE SALESMAN IS A V. I. P.
There is a foolish idea in some circles that selling is not dignified. For this attitude we shower blame on the colleges, the professors, and anyone else within range. Rarely does anyone put the blame where it really belongs on the salesman himself.
Selling will never achieve its rightful status in the business world until salesmen start thinking of themselves as Very Important People. The salesman's image in the public's mind will improve only when he starts giving himself a higher rating. You can't convince prospects of the value of your product or your company unless you can first convince them of your own value.
Rate Yourself High
The salesman who speaks apologetically of his vocation or derides his colleagues is simply cutting his own throat. When the salesman gloats of "pulling a fast deal," he is doing great harm to himself and his profession. In short, if you talk and act like a sidewalk pitchman, that's the way you'll be treated.
Management is much quicker to recognize the salesman's importance than he is himself. Businessmen know that creation of demand is a vital factor in their profit and loss statements. These days all top executives and even technical personnel are sales oriented. Engineers must think like salesmen to design products that appeal to consumers. Even the production department must gear its effort to a sales campaign.
Salesmen Are First Class Citizens
The salesman is the key person without whom there would not be any business. But many salesmen behave like second class citizens-and too often that's the kind of reception they get in a prospect's office.
I remember running into an old friend, Jack Creswell, whom I hadn't seen in years. I asked him what he was doing. Jack smiled deprecatingly and said he was "on the road for a flooring company, adding:
"Of course, this is just until I can find something better."
He made his job sound as if he were washing dishes in a cheap hash house. "Jack," I said, "there is probably nothing wrong with the job except yourself. Before you move to what you think are greener pastures, why not give this job your best. If you think of yourself as a failure in selling you'll wind up as one. But if you see this as an opportunity to push ahead to success, your future is assured."
I think the advice took, because Jack stayed in selling with the flooring company and became a top producer with a loyal following of customers. Years later he told me: "You hit pretty hard that day, George, but you opened my eyes to what I was and what I could become."
No Room For Amateurs
In today's competitive market there is no room for amateurs and dabblers in selling. For those who really want to make selling a career, there is a rich reward. But you must be willing to work for it.
Selling has its problems, heartaches and frustrations. It's a lonely job. But these very factors are what separate the men from the boys.
Millions of people are embedded in dull, prosaic jobs that afford them little or no excitement, drama or challenge. The salesman can look forward to steady growth and can enjoy a stimulating, lively life on the way. His future is limited only by the strength of his desire to succeed.
Frontier of Selling
The trouble with many uninspired salesmen is that they don't understand the dynamics involved in selling. They are really clerks at heart whose horizons are limited.
The earnest, imaginative salesman can write his own ticket to wherever he wants to go. With faith in himself, drive and the right tools, he can make big money and climb high in his firm.
REPRINTS FOR YOUR SALESMEN
this is a condensed version. Each lesson is available in an expanded form, in a 4-page brochure, size 8x11, printed in 2 colors on white glossy paper and is 3-hole punched to fit any standard 3-ring binder. Each subject in this expanded version is fully and completely developed in comprehensive detail and includes a self-examination quiz for Salesmen, Prices are as follows:
1 to 9 coples (of each article) 50 cents each
10 to 49 copies (of each article) 37% cents each
50 to 30 coples (of each article) 30 cents each
100 or more copies (of each article) 25 cents each
The entire series may be pre-ordered or individual articles may be ordered by number address orders to the George N. Kahn Co., Marketing
But he must feel and act important to accomplish this goal. He must think of himself as one of the world's key people-a man who rates high in the scheme of things.
Act Like A V. I. P.
Do you stride boldly into a prospect's office or do you sidle in, glancing back at the door as if it were an escape hatch? Do you apologize for taking up a buyer's time? Do you feel like an intruder in his office?
If the answers are yes you are letting yourself, your family and your company down. To be a V.I.P. you must act like one. That's the only way to command respect and so sell merchandise. Only then will you earn what you are dreaming of earning.
The head of the sales training program of a big paper manufacturer once said to me:
"About the fifth day of the program my instructors can usually spot those who will be top salesmen. There's something about their attitude, they handle themselves in a certain way. They act like they are proud to be here. It's almost like getting a successful salesman ready made."
That man put his finger right on the heart of the matter. Pride. Are you proud to be salesman? If not, something is wrong. If you're not proud of your work, chances are you are not acting like a Very Important Person.
Here is a periodic Aptitude Test to enable you to find out what your feelings are toward your selling job. If you can answer "yes" to at least seven of ten questions you are probably headed for success.
If you score below seven, It's time
to take self-inventory:
1. Do I think of my job as a real opportunity?
Yes No
2. Do I discuss my work with my wife very often?
Yes No
3. Would I tell a stranger on a plane my occupation?
Yes No
4. Am I happy in selling? Yes No
5. Would I want my son to be a salesman?
Yes No
6. Do I try to improve my earning power by studying salesmanship, attending meetings. etc.?
Yes No
7. Do I let prospects do most of the talking?
Yes No
8. Do I avoid telling jokes which put salesmen in an unflattering light? Yes No
9. Do I see myself as playing an important part in the economy? Yes No
10. Have I really thought about the tremendous future that is available to me through selling?
Yes No
Consultants, Sales Training Division, Department TP, 212 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Listed here are the tites of the first 12 lessons in the "Smooth Selling" Sales Training Course,
1. The Salesman is a V.I.P.
2. Are You A Salesman?
3. Get Acquainted With Your Company
4. You're On Stage
5. You Can't Fire Without Ammunition
6. You Are A Goodwill Salesman, Too
7. Closing The Sale
8. How To Set Up An Interview
9. Relaxing Between Rounds
10. The Competition
11. Taking A Risk
12. Playing The Short Game
When ordering, please mention the name of this publication.