Masonry Magazine January 1967 Page. 55
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.
Do Them A Service
As every good salesman knows there are two ways to win good will-and sales. The first is to ask the prospect to do you a service. The second is to do him one. And both work equally well as a man named Lew Preston learned.
As he tells the story: One Saturday afternoon I needed some ice cubes. I drove down to the only cube-dispensing machine in Teaneck, N. J., and deposited a quarter in the slot. A faint click but no activity. I dropped in another quarter. Still no results.
The machine was located in front of a store so I went in to see the attendant. He offered to refund my two quarters.
"I don't want the money," I said. 'I want ice cubes. The man came outside and opened the machine. I quickly memorized the name of the manufacturer, the John Brown Co.
"Bright and early Monday morning I paid a call on John Brown himself. As a salesman, I knew I had as much chance of talking to Mr. Brown as to the Duke of Edinburgh, but as a discontented customer that was another matter.
"Brown graciously granted me an interview and within a short time we had a lively discussion going about the service needs in the North Jersey area. I pointed out that a single dispensing machine in a town like Teaneck was inadequate; the potential existed here and in several other towns in the area for several units. I produced some population figures to back up my statements.
"Brown's interest mounted. He was obviously impressed that I had traveled a considerable distance to do him a service and what I was saying made sense.
"You use switches in your machines, don't you?" I asked.
"Indeed we do," he responded and promptly took me to his chief engineer where another provocative discussion was soon in progress.
Today John Brown is one of my most important accounts and one of my closest friends. Surprising what can happen over a few ice cubes.
Call In The Old Man
Approximations don't sell but specific statements facts, figures, testimonials which are believable, do.
That is one of the reasons why good salesman call in what one of their number has named "Old Man Specific to help make sales.
"Whenever things are going bad in a sale," says he "I call on the old man for help."
An early American business genius, usually and always erroneously referred to as a "gambler," could teach everyone wishing to deal more successfully with people a needed, a valuable lesson: BE SPECIFIC.
His name: John Gates. His nickname: 'Bet-a-Million Gates. His occupation: making millions in businesses of various sorts. His lesson: BE SPECIFIC.
When he was dealing in large sums of money, Gates always reduced the amount he would sell for or pay for a property to dollars and cents, never to round figures.
Thus he would say: "I believe this property to be worth $5,456,728.13." His reason for doing that was that when a thing is reduced to its lowest terms, its specific terms, you win confidence, while round numbers destroy it.
Another man has been extremely successful in all his dealings for the same reason. Starter of new enterprises, civic leader, business executive, he is a man who apparently can command whatever he wants in life.
Some of the men who envy him say that he was unquestionably born with a great gift. But this is not altogether so. He does have the gift of persuasion, only he won it it did not just come to him. He acquired it. And to this day he follows just a few simple rules in persuading others.
If you were to have these rules couldn't you use them and become successful yourself? No reason why not, it there?
All right. Here is the first rule, right from the life of John Gates: BE SPECIFIC. Always be specific. Don't use words like "approximately," "about," "around," but come out boldly and state your terms and quote figures down to inches and half inches, nickles and pennies, but always be specific.
Second rule: MAKE EVERYTHING CLEAR.
People do not believe what they do not understand. The man you have just read about, the civic and business leader, will frequently interrupt himself to inquire: "Is everything clear?" He knows that if it is not his cause is as good as lost. So he makes sure as he goes along.
Third rule: USE THE EXAMPLES OF OTHERS.
There are not many things in persuading people stronger than the examples of others which you cite as you go along. In selling this is known as the testimonial. It holds an honored and a high place among salesmen, advertisers, and those in any walk of life who have to persuade in order to live.
You merely tell the person you are trying to persuade what someone else preferably someone he knows and admires did, and he sees himself doing what that person did and enjoying the same rewards.
These are simple rules, but by their use you can win from people practically everything people have it in their power to give you.
Cut out this article and future articles and place them in your business file for further reference.