Masonry Magazine August 1966 Page. 22
THE SELLING PARADE
by Charles B. Roth, America's no. 1 salesmanship authority
The Selling Parade by Charles B. Roth is another new feature added by Masonry. Watch for it in all future issues of the magazine for the entire Masonry Industry. Cut out this article and future articles and place them in your business file for further reference.
Become A Wantmaker
The brilliant salesman and observer of salesmanship and exponent of salesmanship, Arthur H. (Red) Motley, of New York City, has his own notion of what a salesman is. He says a salesman is merely a professional wantmaker. Note the definition and particularly the word wantmaker. In Motley's conception he isn't a need-filler. He is a man who makes wants. Salesmen have long recognized the difference between needs and wants, have concluded that primarily the difference is this, that needs are static, while wants are dynamic.
A prospect, for instance, can need a new shirt but want a bottle of wine, so what does he buy? you know without my asking you.
The way a salesman creates wants is by selecting and using what is called the right appeal. What you are striving to do is to find what appeals to the wants of your prospect strikes a responsive chord, touches a live nerve, pushes a hot button; to give you some of the current popular definitions of how you make the prospect want to buy what you are offering him.
"Pass It Up"
There may be times and if you believe a certain expert whom I have known for a long time and quoted elsewhere in my books, you should always do it there may be times when your best tactic is to pass the objection up entirely.
But it is time to bring on my expert. He is Morris I. Pickus, now of Los Angeles, and I think he knows as much about handling objections as any man alive. Morris advice is always the same: "When the prospect brings up objection-PASS IT UP."
The Pickus technique for handling objections is as interesting as his philosophy of passing up every objection the first time it shows.
The first step, avows Morris Pickus, is to agree with the prospect- always agree with him. Then bring in a "friendly third party," another prospect who voiced the same objection as your present prospect. Show him that this third party is about the same size, had the same problems.
Then tell him what happened to this third party. He bought. He was satisfied how he was satisfied! And how glad he is he bought!
Now your stage is set for the final step ask for the order.
High Price Expectation Technique
A nifty way to make the price of the goods one of the best arguments for buying them is to use the technique known as "high price expectation."
This is the way it works: In place of quoting the price your goods will cost, you implant in your prospect's mind a price which is a good deal higher-high price expectation.
As you talk you say: "How much would you expect to have to pay for an instrument with all the quality and the features of this one? Would $300 be too much? Or even $400? Or even $500?
The buyer, a bit shocked, says, no, he guesses not-$500 for all that seems a bargain-what is he saying. after saying to himself that $125 is all he would ever pay for a set, there's no set worth more, besides he hasn't. got more than that to his name.
Then the salesman plays his ace card. He says, quoting you, "We agree for an instrument of this kind that a price up to $500 wouldn't be too much, don't we? The prospect agrees, if weakly.
Then the price master says: "But I've good news for you. You do not have to pay $500 for this instrument. You do not have to pay $400 for it. You do not have to pay even $300 for it. Because of efficient production methods, this set was produced to sell for only $250" which is double what the prospect told himself he would pay, but what, now, is only half of what it is worth. So he pays the $250 gladly-almost.
When You Meet Sarcasm
Every now and then, it is inevitable -you find yourself face to face with the sarcastic prospect. He is the bird who tries your confidence and puts your courage to the test. He either upsets you so much that you lose your equipose, and do something rash, or he makes you so downcast that you're no good for the rest of the day.
You will recognize the sarcastic prospect for what he is, a poor weakling who never grew up, who is burdened with an inferiority complex, who has to take out his malevolence toward life on everyone else-salesmen preferred.
The way to handle the sarcastic prospect is simple enough, if you're enough of a man to do it. The rule is face up to him.
Remain calm. Cool. And don't fight sarcasm with sarcasm. But don't run.
Cut out this article and future articles and place them in your business file for further reference.
All rights reserved. AUGUST 1966 CHARLES ROTH.
MASONRY
August, 1966