Masonry Magazine March 1972 Page. 10
SMOOTH SELLING
by George N. Kahn, Marketing Consultant
GETTING UP FROM A FALL
Abraham Lincoln suffered many defeats, both in his private and public life, before he became president of the United States.
Louis Pasteur and other great scientists endured failure after failure before they made their world-renowned discoveries.
And the world of business is well documented with the stories of men who attained the heights over a route strewn with bad luck, bankruptcy and ruin.
For example, the first store of Frank W. Woolworth, founder of the dime-store empire, was a complete flop. Woolworth was already a man of middle-age but he believed in his idea and stuck with it.
Rolling With the Punch
All of these men had one thing in common: they knew how to roll with the punch. Devastating as their setbacks were, they didn't count themselves out. They were hurt but not beaten.
This is the lesson the salesman must learn. The further you extend yourself in selling the more apt you are to take a tumble. People who don't move ahead in life are not in danger of falling back. It's the high achiever who runs the risk of a reverse.
Analyze the Foll
A fall or reverse in fortunes should be an occasion for taking stock of the cause. Even if the reason is beyond your control, you should attempt to gain some insight into the forces which triggered your tumble. The less mysterious the cause becomes, the more likely you are to fight your way back.
There is also the possibility that you can do something about it. After a sharp analysis, you may see all kinds of loopholes that should be plugged in your method of selling.
Federal aviation authorities investigate every airplane crash in the minutest detail. Why? So they can find the cause and thus prevent a future accident.
During military maneuvers, Army commanders hold critiques on the various exercises. This is to uncover flaws that could be the cause of casualties under actual war conditions.
If an advertising campaign fails, the company and the agency try to find out why. The answer will help them guard against a repetition.
In each case, analysis is the key to knowledge. It can be your key.
Self Pity Is Self Indulgence
Self pity is one of the cheapest emotions. The time you spend in feeling sorry for yourself could be put to much better use. Some salesmen indulge in self pity so often that it becomes a kind of crutch for them. Instead of indulging themselves in this pastime, they would do much better to get back to work.
This reminds me of a young man who came home from World War II minus a leg. In the hospital he brooded so long that he was in serious danger of becoming a mental case as well. His depression was so profound that he refused to talk to members of his own family.
"What kind of a job can a one-legged man get," he lamented to his doctor.
One day the ward nurse announced that the patients would be entertained by a show business personality. She then brought in a lively individual who told jokes, sang and danced with a female partner. The man then did a tap dance that drew big applause. After the performance a doctor took the entertainer to the amputee's bed. The man then rolled up his pants leg to reveal an artificial leg.
"I lost my leg in the first World War," the fellow said.
"Okay, but I don't want to be a dancer," the boy replied.
"That's not the point," the man said. "You can be anything you want to be if you'll stop feeling sorry for yourself. You have your whole life to lead."
The young veteran nodded thoughtfully. In a few months, he left the hospital and enrolled in college under the G.I. Bill. He became a brilliant architect.
This story illustrates that there is nothing to be gained by self pity and a lot to lose. Adversity is part of life and the sooner you learn to live with it, the sooner you will surmount it.
Watch That Temper
Don't inflict your temper on your boss, your competition or your customer. You will succeed only in lowering yourself in their eyes. I learned this from bitter experience.
Years ago, when I was a cub in selling, I got the idea that a good customer of mine had dropped me in favor of my competitor. The orders he gave me were getting smaller and smaller. I figured that most of his business was going elsewhere.
One day I charged into his office and accused him directly of trying to unload me. I was red-faced with anger and my whole body trembled.
"At least," I shouted, "you could tell me you were switching to somebody else instead of just nibbling away like this."
The customer looked at me astonished. He was an elderly man and he got up slowly from his chair.
"George," he said sadly, "I'm sorry you feel this way. You are wrong. The truth is that our business has slipped so badly that we are on the verge of liquidation. We're treating all our suppliers the same way. We're just not buying, except for a very few items."
I wished then that the floor would have opened up and swallowed me. I was humbled, humiliated and sick with shame.
I never lost my temper again before a customer.
In summary, remember that adversity, reverses, foul breaks, etc., are handmaidens of selling. They will happen sooner or later. How you take them and bounce back is the important thing.
To see how you rate in this department, try this little group of questions. If you can answer "yes" to at least seven of them, you are doing nicely:
1. Do you expect at some time or another to suffer a setback?
Yes No
2. Do you feel you are capable of recovering from it?
Yes No
3. Chances are you already have experienced a fall, Have you learned from it?
Yes No
4. Do you take stock of the cause?
Yes No
5. Do you avoid self pity in these cases?
Yes No
6. Do you avoid looking for someone to blame?
Yes No
7. Can you keep a curb on your temper?
Yes No
8. Do you plug loopholes in your selling methods to avoid future downfalls?
Yes No
9. Do you regard a setback as merely an episode in your life? Yes No
10. Do you find inspiration in the examples of others who have gone down but came up swinging?
Yes No
REPRINTS FOR SALESMEN this is a condensed version. Each lesson is available in an expanded form, in a 4-page brochure, size 11, printed in 2 colors on white glossy paper and is 3-hole punched to it any standard 3-rine binder. Each subject in this expanded version is fully and completely developed in comprehensive detail and includes a self-examination quis for Salesmen, Pricex are as follows:
1 to 9 copies (of rach article) 50 cents each
10 to 19 copies of each article) 371% cents each
99 copies of each article) 20 cents each
140 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 Consultants, Sales Training Division, Department TP. 212 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Listed here are the titles of the first 24 lessons in the "Smooth Selling Soles Training Course,
1. The Salesman is a V.I.P. 5. How To Set Up An Interview
2. Are You A Salesman? 9. Resting Between Hounds
3. Get Acquainted With 14. The Competition
Your Company 11. Taking A Risk
4. You're On Stage 12. Playing The Short Game
5. You Can't Fire Without 13. Selling An Iden
Ammunition 14. Buying Committees Are
6. You Are A Goodwill Here To Stay
Salesman, Too
7. Closing The Sale 15. The Automated Salesman
16. Samples Can't Talk
17. The Unexpected Letter
15. Prospect or Perish
15. How To Dislodge A
Prospect From An
Existing Supplier
20. Making Salesmen of
Customers
21. Repeat Orders Are Not
Accidental
22. Room At The Top
23. You Must Give More To
Get Mure
21. Running Into The Rude
Bayer
When ordering, please mention the name of this publication.