· introduction noth er brief review. firs t, the s tudent is now thoroug hly familiar with the...

The

SC IENCE OF BUS IN ESSBEING

The Philos ophy of Succe s s ful H uman ActivityFunctioning in

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SALESMANSH IP

By

Ann -ma FREDERIC" Snnwou

LESSON ELEVEN

S"NTH ESIS — TH E SALE I

CH ICAGO, U. s . A .

1917

TH E SCIENCE OF BUSINESS

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S"NTHESIS— THE SALE I

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INTRODUCTION

NOTH ER brief review . Firs t, the s tudent isnow thoroug hly famil iar with the fact that

four fundamental factors enter into l ife ’s relationship . We Shal l not state them here , but the authorrequests the student to pause a moment and statethem to h imself .Second. He is famil iar with the fact that s uccessin l ife is built upon one fundamental principle .Third. He knows what that principle is and thethree elements entering into it .Fourth. He knows that four primary laws exist ,related to that fundamental principle, to l ive inharmony with wh ich means success , the progressiverealization of a worthy ideal .Fifth . He has studied three of these four fundamental laws and Should know them by heart and beable to state them in the exact language of theS cience .

S ixth. If for any reason he cannot do so , heshould pause at this point and School himself todo so .

He wil l find the statement of the first primarylaw at the beginning of Lesson Three . The secondprimary law is stated at the beginning of Lesson

8 THE SCIENCE OF BUSINESS

E ight . The statement of Nature ’s third primarylaw of successful human conduct wi l l be found atthe beginning of Lesson Ten .

We are now about to consider the fourth primarylaw,

related to the one fundamental principle uponwhich success depends . Less ons E leven andTwelve wil l be devoted to an amplification of thislaw and certain tributary laws related to it .This law has to do with the fourth factor entering into life ’s relationships : the meeting of theminds of the party of the first part and the party ofthe second part in common agreement . From thestandpoint of practicabil ity there is no matter in l ifemore important than this very theme which we areabout to consider .The failure of minds to meet

,or

,having met

,the

fai lure to harmonize and hence to " stay met” is thecause of untold failures and of nameless misery inthe world . The hel l of wars and strikes and hopeless homes is caused by the failure of human mindsto agree

,to say nothing of countless salesmen to

s eH good s .

The author fee ls that his discovery and formulation of what is known and designated by him in hisprevious writings as the Mental Law of Sale is

among the greatest and most distinctive achievements of business science . Its appl ication to salesmanship has resulted in notably increased commerc ial success of many thousands of students , but its

INTRODUCTION 9

beneficial results have by no means ended there .

Ministers of the gospel , lawyers and barristers atthe bar, as well as people from almost every othervocation , have al ike applauded the value to them ofan understanding of this law . It has harmonizedhomes;it has settled disputes;i t has enabled humanminds to meet human minds in almost countlesscases .It wil l be perceived by the student that the application of the law is as broad as are human relation ships . That is the reason why the author nowdesignates the law as the "Mental Law of Acqu irement ,

” rather than the "Mental Law of Sale ,” which

latter term would seem to indicate its l imitationto purely commercial pursuits .It is with the greatest pleasure that we now pointthe student to the fourth and last grand division ofthe S cience of Bus iness ,— the subj ect of Synthesis ,together with a study of certain universal principlesof the human m ind as related to the importantproblem of m ind meeting mind .

S incerely,

TH E AUTH OR.

LE SSON ELEVEN

S"NTH E S IS

CH APTER I

MEETING OF TH E MINDS

ELOW is a s tatement of the fourth Primarylaw of s uccessful human conduct . It pertains

to the fourth and final factor entering into l ife ’srelation s h ip ,— the meeting of the minds of the partyof the first part and the party of the second part .

Other thing s being equal, the power of theindividual to render permanently s atis factoryS ervice varies directly with his power to

bring about permanent mental ag reement

withthos e withwhom he communicates .

Confidence— attention — interest — appreciationdes ire— decis ion— action— satisfaction . These eightwords represent eight concepts with wh ich everystudent of th is Sc ience has been made thoroughlyfam i l iar .From one v iewpo int , the whole purpos e of this

course of study may be summed up in thesewords — each ind iv idual to render s uch s atis factory

S"NTHESIS— THE SALE I 11

S ervice in his special cal l ing that he is ab l e tocreate these e ight mental states in the minds of

those with whom he comes in contact .We have already defined these eight mentalstates . We have referred to them repeatedly in thecourse of our studies .Every line studied thus far has a bearing directly

or indirectly upon the matter of enabling the student to increase the percentage of cases in which ,when in contact with his fe l low man , he shal l beable to bring about the first seven of them , to s o

fit himself for subsequent service that the last one ,satisfaction

,sha l l be induced and made permanent .

The capacity to do this is the final and best testof mastership , regardless of vocation . B riefly

, the

instructions of Business S cience thus far given onhow to accompl ish this , we might sum up in thi sway

1 . Bui ld the constructive intel lectual powers .2 . Build the constructive sensibil ities .3 . Build the body .

4. Build the vol itional power .5. B ecome an expert in finding the customer .6. Learn to read human nature;determine the

types and temperaments of men .

7. B ecome a master analyst of the goods .8 . Dress in right language the points arrivedat as a master analyst .

We have seen that to do these eight things well


involves knowledge,feel ing

,decision

,and action

p ertaining to many other things . Then , too , wehave studied not alone the what to do but the howo f doing these eight things , and l ikewise the whatand the how of many other things treated underthese general headings .One more genera l inj unction now becomes neces

sary . It is this : B ecome a mas ter of s ynthes is .

B ecome a mas ter of s ynthes is . One may do the

other eight things wel l , but if he forgets this last

thing, or s l ights it , he must not expect to reach thehighest possible degree in mastership as a businessbui lding salesman .

What is this important thing,synthesis " The

student wil l remember that analysis is the scienceo f separating into parts;it

" is picking things to

p ieces , as it were .Synthesis is j ust the opposite of that;it is putting

the parts together again . The method of synthesisto be studied in this lesson is the putting togethero f those mental arrows which are made with themachine of analysis

,in the best way

,in the most

logical way , in the most sensible way , in the mostnatural way

,in the most convincing way , in the

way which wi l l , in the highest possible average of

cases,cause the seven business-building menta l

states to take place in the mind of the one to whom

you are speaking, a condition essential for the

g etting of the initial patronage of the patron .

S"NTHESIS— TH E SALE I 13

It is quite possible to analyze , even s o thoroughly as to find a l l the points concerning a propos ition . It is possible to pol ish al l these po intssplendidly with the implement of correct expression . And it is possible, even then , with these twofactors of persuasion

,analysis and expression , taken

care of, to fai l in persuasion unless this questionof right synthesis is well looked after .The question of synthesis has to do with the mak

ing of sales . It hasO

to do with the persuasion of

the human mind . It has to do primarily , therefore,with the first six of the seven mental states necessary for the securing of progressive ly profitablepatronage .It is of course taken for granted that each student

of the S cience of Business wi l l permeate his synthesis with the motive of the S ervice idea, and thu sdirectly persuade and afterwards render S ervice insuch a way that al l of the e ight mental states wi l lbe the resu lt .Each is bound to do this in accordance with the

first law of Nature— self—preservation— for the reason that he who looks no farther ahead than thepresent is mental ly bl ind . The individual whotransacts his business without regard to the law ofmutual benefit and the universal principle of confidence is unwise and never becomes a master .The volition of the party of the s econd part is

reached through his intellect and his fee l ing s . In


considering the subj ect of synthesis as related topersuasion there is one truth with which the s tu

dent is already famil iar to which attention is cal ledat this point that the problem of synthesis may b estudied with this general truth clearly in mind .

We refer to the fact that the human will , or thesum total of mind , manifests itself in three ways "

(l ) knowing, (2) feel ing, and (3) volition .

Your obj ect as salesman is to persuade the oneto whom you are speaking . Your obj ect is to gethim to decide and act as you want him to decideand act . To do this you must make him know thegood points about your goods . You must alsomake him fee l that he wants them . In other words ,to put it in a very homely way, you must reach thedecider and actor of your customer through his

knower and feeler . The sensibil ities are the feeler.

Or, again , we might put it in this way : Youm ust enter the citade l of his vo l ition through the

doors of his intel lect and his feel ings . The intel lect

is the outer door;the fee l ings are the inner door .You must pass through both in order to reach the

vol ition .

The vol ition of the party of the second part, then— that power of the wi l l with wh ich it decides andacts— is the target at which the party of the firstpart is aiming his mental arrows . It is the mainport of the Port Arthur of mental ity wh ich the


salesman wishes to capture . H is purpose is tobring about its surrender .He is not going to take it by the assault ofhypnotic method

,which would rather stifle the

power of vol ition and leave it powerless . I

He is there to render S ervice to his cl ient,his

customer . H is victory must be won through a

rational and peaceful surrender— indeed,through

will ing surrender .But there are obstacles in the way . A lthough ina position to serve the customer well

,he may not

see it that way .

Possibly this is an in itial deal, and the salesmanfeels confident that once completed

,it will be but

the beginning of most pleasant and profitable traderelationships .To return to our figure , the vol itional power ofthe party of the second part which you are seekingto reach has the two sentine ls , intellect and sensib ilities , and also has certain outlying defenseswhich must be captured before you can reach it .These are four in number1. The fortress of attention , including confi

dence , which as we have seen must be an

element in favorable attention .

2 . The fortress c f interest .3 . The fortress of appreciation .

4. The fortress of desire .


H ence you have, in all , five fortresses to masterbefore accomp l ishing the sale

, which is the obj ectof your efforts— favorab le attention , inc luding confidence, interest , appreciation , des ire , and action .

The art of eff ecting sal es is control led by naturallaw as fixed and inviolate as any which relates tohuman activities . Indeed , it is a law which hasoperated in every sale since the world began ,though

,so far as we know, it was never formu lated

unti l discovered by the author and made a featureof th is S cience . In fact, this , the mental law ofacquiring , may be regarded as the keynote of thewhole instruction in the S cience of Business .H ypnotism has no place in s c ientific bus ines s .

We have said that in your work of sel l ing youroffi ce is not to deaden or render inoperative thevo l ition of your customer by hypnotic methods . Itis to enl ighten the intel lect and en l iven the feel ings ,thus leading the wil l to intel l igent choice andaction , through the vo l itional power .Th is 18 so important a distinction that we mustpause here to explain it .Hypnotism as such has no place in legitimatebusiness . On ly a few cou ld real ly hypnotize the ircustomers if they tried

,and those who wou ld if

they cou ld are deserving of both business and socialostracism .

To hypnotize means to dethrone the vo l itionalpower, in fact to paralyze the whole wi l l , to the

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Remember, we are referring to cases of difficu l tpersuasion;to those cases where the party of thefirst part is in a posit ion to render real S erv ice anddesires to do s o, but the party of the second partdoes not s ee it that way .

Function s of the four div is ions . In such a casethe function of the introduction

,the work which

you are to accomplish with it , i s to get favorableattention . This is also true of the introduction inal l cases .The function of the primary se l l ing talk is toexcite interest , arouse appreciation , cause desire,impel decision , and bring about favorable action .

The function of the secondary se l l ing talk is thesame as that of the primary se l l ing talk .

The function of the tertiary sel l ing talk is thesame as that of the primary and secondary sel l ingtalks .Mark those last three sentences well . The function

,the work which each one is intended to do,

i s to make the s ale. This is one thing which converts diffi cult cases into easy ones . "

According toyour faith be it unto you .

” Have faith that you aregoing to make the sale . The demon of doubt haskil led mil l ions of sales .The party of the first part expects his primary,or first

,se l l ing talk to make a sale in every case ,

but if it does not,and he is master of synthesis , he

has a second sell ing talk at his command .


He expects that to effect the sale , but if the caseproves very diffi cult he stil l has the tertiary , orthird

,sel l ing talk to bring to bear .

Let us now consider these four natural divisionsof a s ell ing talk , each in its order .

Summary

Firs t . Four fundamental factors enter into l ife’s

relationships .S econd . Success in l ife rests upon one fundamental principle .Third. There are four primary laws related to the

one fundamental principle .Fourth. The first of these primary laws is statedin Lesson Three;the second is stated in LessonE ight;the third is stated in Lesson Ten;the fourthis stated and amp l ified in this lesson .

Fifth . The fourth primary law is : Other thingsbe ing equal , the power of the individual to renderpermanently satisfactory S ervices varies directlywith his power to bring about permanent mentalagreement with those with whom he communicates .S ixth. There are eight mental states necessary

for permanent mental agreement— confidence, attention , interest , appreciation , desire , decision , action ,satisfaction .

S ev enth. The capacity to bring about the firstseven of these

,and to induce and make permanent


the last ,"

in a high percentage of cases , is the besttest of mastership .

E ighth. To the goal of mastership there are ninestages : (1) develop Abi l ity;(2) develop Reliab ility;(3) develop Endurance;(4) develop Action;

(5) analyze the fie ld;(6) analyze the customer;(7)analyze the goods;(8 ) right use of language;(9)correct synthesis .Tenth. Synthesis is the natural , logical , convineing

,persuasive putting together of the points

obtained by analysis .E leventh. The obj ect of the salesman ’s synthesisand presentation of his proposition is to persuadethe customer to decide and to act .Twelfth . In order to persuade it is necessary tocause the customer to know the goods and feel thathe desires them .

Thirteenth. The salesman ’s aim is at the customer

’

s vo l ition .

Fourteenth. The way to the fortress of vol itionis through intel lect and fee l ings .Fifteenth. In order to reach decision and action

(volition ) there are four outworks to be captured— attention

,interest

,appreciation , and desire .

S ixteenth. Business-building salesmanship findsno p lace for hypnotism .

Seventeenth. Hypnotism dethrones vol ition . Ifaccompli s hed in fact

,a sale made under the circum

stances would not be an honest trans action .

SYNTHESIS— THE SALE I 21

E ig hteenth . We are to consider synthesis as afactor in securing attention , exciting interest , arousing appreciation , causing desire, impel l ing decision ,and bringing about favorable action .

Nineteenth. The sel l ing talk when logically puttogether has four parts : (1) the introduction;(2)the primary talk;(3) the secondary talk;(4) thetertiary talk .

Twentieth. The purpose of the introduction is toget favorable attention .

Twenty-firs t. The purpose of the primary sell ingtalk is to excite interest

,arouse appreciation

,cause

desire , impel decision , and produce favorab le action .

Twenty-s econd . The purpose of the secondarytalk is the same as that of the primary sell ing talk .

Twenty-thi rd . The purpose of the tertiary talk isthe same as that of the primary and secondarysel l ing talks .Twenty-fourth. Each talk is intended to eff ectthe sale .

Twenty-fifth. Doubt not,but believe that you

wi l l prevail .

CH APTER II

FAVORABLE ATTENTION GETTING:TH E

INTRODUCTION

TTENTION has been previously defined .

For convenience,however, let us have it

right before us as we study this subj ect , and herelet us define it in this way : Attention is " theactive direction of the mind to an obj ect of senseor thought , g ivmg It relative or absolute prominence;it may be either voluntary or invo luntary.

”

Again,it is " the power or facu lty of mental con

centration .

E ither of these definitions wil l answer us verywel l at this point in our studies .The gist of this l ies in the fact that the mindconcentrates or app l ies itself in a given directionon a given obj ect or thought;and natural ly , insalesmanship , this means the direction in which thesal esman wishes his customer to be interested

,for

interest is the next stage of the fourfold mentalprocess , the next fortress to be captured .

With his introduction he is to capture the firstand outlying pos t leading to the c itadel of vol ition .

Other thing s being equal, the power of theindividual to bring about mental ag reement

22


varies directly with the excellence of his ihtroduction, the function of which is to

s ecure favorable attention .

Attention mus t b e to the thing for s ale . It is thatwhich the salesman is sel l ing to which he wishes

,

or should wish , to attract the customer’s attention

,

and in which he wishes to arouse interes t .The salesman is not sel l ing himself. He is off er

ing something to which he wishes to transfer theright of ownership .

Remember, however, and this is a very importantpoint , that the party of the first part , the salesman in commercial transactions

,is the medium

through which the attention of the l istener mustpass to the thing upon which his attention is aboutto be centered .

Remember, too , that the attention which begetssales is favorable attention , and that in order to wina high average of cases it must be the kind of attention which immediately begins to inspire confi

dence .Power of pers onal ity in getting attention . Howtrue it is , then , that the attractive persona l ity, bornof the eduction of the positive qualities of themental and physical man , is a practical help and amost potent one in capturing this first fortress , ins ecuring attention "The student shou ld bear al l -this in mind as he


studies again the lessons on Abi l ity Development,Re l iabi l ity Development

,and Action or Vol itional

Deve lopment;a lso the instructions on EnduranceDevelopment . He wi l l then see , and possib ly morec learly than at the time of his first study of theselessons

,the intimate relationship of man bui lding

to the very first principle of the sale— attention getting .

However, he must be careful not to fal l in lovewith himself -s o thorough ly as to be thinking of

himself and the splendid impression he i s going tomake upon the buyer instead of having his thoughtscentered upon his proposition and the sp lendidimpression it is going to make upon the mind of thecustomer .Great art dwel ls in the abil ity to immediately orvery quickly transfer this primary attention fromone ’s self to that which he is sel l ing;and this mustbe the salesman ’s aim .

And right here is where a great many of thepeacock brands of salesmen fal l down . They strutboth inte l lectual ly and physical ly . One must becareful l est the impression of the buyer is that ofthe man who said to a certain individual ,

"Youmust be a very happy man .

” When asked why,he

answered,

" because you are in love with yourse lf,and have no rivals . ”

There are two extremes among sa lesmen in thi sparticular

,and neither is desirable . The one is s o


what the salesman has to s ay. The m ind of thel istener must be at a tens ion— stretch ing out to theproposition , the goods, the thought which the partyof the first part is explain ing to the one who islistening.

As has been aptly stated , Any one can cal l upona prospective buyer and go away again ,

” but thatis a diff erent thing from capturing even the firstfortress of attention .

Let the reader look back again over his experi

ences . How many salesmen , or rather order takers,have called upon you who never secured your attent ion at all"They cal led, talked a l ittle , possibly much , and

went away again; but their arrows were not

pointed enough to secure even genuine attention .

When each had departed you could remember nothing he had said .

What wonder is it that such people do not s ucceed in making many sales"Get attention before proceeding. As a businessbuilding salesman rather than an order taker, one

must real ize that before he gets to the top of thehil l he must take the first step at the bottom . The

party of the first part must have the kind of attention he can hold in order to present his propositionin such a manner that his suggestions may bearmental fruit in the form of a sal e .If given but momentary or pass ing attention one


might better have made no approach unti l a happier season .

If, on the firs t approach , the salesman does notsucceed in capturing the fort of attention

,he must

use common sense and not assail the other worksuntil he has first mastered this fort . In other words ,he must not state his case;he must not make hisfirst or primary sell ing talk , as outl ined in the nextchapter, unti l , by his introduction , he has securedthe right attention . He must be tactful enough to

g et away gracefully s o that no unp l easant impress ion wil l remain in the prospect ’s mind when hecal ls the next time .Attention both a thought-s piller and a thought

filler. Attention is an intel lectual thing;it belongsto the knowing part of the mind . It is through theknowing or intellectual part of the prospective

patron’s mind that he comes to know about the

proposition being presented .

It is through attention getting that the s alesman

g ets the customer to quit th inking about otherthings and begin thinking about the subj ect orobj ect which he wants him to think about .The introduction , therefore , is a

" thought- spi l l ingthing” first of all . Its first function is to spil l otherthoughts out of the customer’s mind . It thenbecomes the beginning of a thought-filler, the smal lend of a funnel-shaped thought-filler, as it were ,the big end of which is made up of the sel l ing talkswhich will be outl ined in succeeding chapters .


B efore me as I write there is a glass fil l ed with

water .Mark wel l the statement . It is filled— it is ab s o

lutely full .This being true , I cannot pour more water into

it unless I first sp i l l a part of the water alreadyin the glass . The more of it I sp i l l , the more of

a fresh supply can I put into the goblet .This glass now in front of me is a good il lustration of the mind of the average business man whenapproached in the usual way by the salesman .

This is especially true of conditions usual ly prevail ing with the specialty salesman , the whol esalesalesman

,and the promoter

,referring now to the

specific work of trade relationships . Manifestly iti s true that the same conditions often prevai l insocial and other relationships all through life .

The mind of the one to be persuaded , especial lythe business man , i s fil led with thoughts of his ownbusiness . These may be , and more than l ikely are ,quite foreign to the thoug hts which the salesmanwants him to think about;the thing he has to sell .The business-bui lding salesman ’s first step

,then

,

is to Spil l present thoughts from the customer’smind . He must do this by means of his introduction .

The five s en s es in attention-

g etting . A s has j ustbeen stated

,attention is an intel lectual thing . It

had to do with the knowing part of the customer’smind .


In an earl ier lesson we learned that knowledgeenters through the medium of the five physicalsenses— seeing

,hearing, feel ing, tasting, and smel l

ing . It is therefore obvious that , since attention isan intel lectual state of consciousness , the introduction which gets it is intimately related to the senses .The fact is that the more of the customer’s sense sone can favorably appeal to

,the more devoted the

attention obtained .

The first sense to be reached , as a rule , is thesense of sight . The customer generally sees thesalesman even before he hears him speak and beforehe sees the goods handled by the salesman . The

next sense to be reached, as a rule , is the sense ofhearing. With some propositions these are theon ly physical senses of the customer through whichhis mind is reached .

In the case of sales over the telephone , the senseof hearing is the only one reached .

In the case of mail-order sales , unless samp lesare sent , the sense of sight is the only one appealedto .

In the case of personal contact between buyerand sel ler al l of the senses may be utilized in someinstances , as in an interview with a coffee and teasalesman , when the customer can hear the salesman expound the merits of the tea or coffee , hecan see it , he can handle it and therefore touch it ,he can taste it , and he can smell it .


In the case of the sale of fabrics the buyer can

hear the salesman talk about them,he can see the

goods , he can touch them , and therefore examin ethem as to texture , and so on .

The great truth to be observed in this connectionis th is : The more of the customer’s physical sensesthe salesman can bring into operation

,the greater

will be the impression upon that customer ’s mind .

The customer is rightfully entitled to the ful lestpossible information concerning the goods he maybuy . The interes ts of the party of the first partand the party of the second part are thereforemutual in this matter . The richer the sensations ,the richer the images;the richer the images , thericher the concepts;and the richer the Concepts,the richer the thoughts .Many salesmen

,or would- b e salesmen , seem to

think it is quite sufficient to appea l alone to thecustomer ’s sense of hearing. They talk

,and talk,

and keep on talking,and do not give the customer

a chance to sensate the goods even when the circums tances make that possible .

It is true that,before - the sale is made in the

diffi cult case we are considering,much of the s en

sating of the goods through the various physicalsenses must needs be done in the course of thesell ing talks which fol low the introduction , notablyin the tertiary or third sel l ing talk .

Getting attention through tas te and smell and


s ight. It is true , however, that a knowledge of thefact j ust made plain can oftentimes be util ized as ameans of securing attention through the introduction .

For example , a salesman for a new cereal oncegained the writer ’s attention to it by handing him afew kernels and asking him to eat them . Throughthe one sense of taste he not only secured attentionbut excited interest, aroused appreciation , andcaused desire . He also brought about action inbuying that particular cereal— a thing which I havebeen doing more or less ever since he gave methat firs t taste .

Odd as it may seem,a certain successful book

salesman attracts the attention of his customer toa set of volumes in sheep binding by handing tothe prospective customer a samp le of the bindingearly in his introduction and asking him to smel lof the leather

,remarking

,

"You can easi ly discernthat to be genuine leather .While this method was s uccessful with him , i twould not be with everybody . Whether this salesman knew it or not

,the thing he real ly accom

plis hed was securing attention through the senseof smel l .One scientific shoe salesman whom we knew hasgreatly increased his sales— in fact , more thandoub led them— since he awakened to the necessityof first securing attention .


He carries a large line of samples in his trunks .Formerly it was his practice to leave al l these atthe hotel and go around among his trade, seekingto induce customers to cal l at the hotel or to al lowhim the privilege of sending his trunks to theirstores .When he caught on to the idea of the necessityof first capturing the fortress of attention , he procured a beautiful velvet sample case to serve asan elegant background or setting to his shoes . Thiscase has several pockets, in each of which is placedone of his daintiest samples , and when he nowvisits the stores , immediately after his greeting oropening remarks he spreads out this l ittle velvetsample case . At once it produces a psychologicaleff ect which he states secures attention a lmostinvariably .

This is done , of course , through the sense of

sight, and" see ing is believing .

” In the absence ofhis hand samples he would be driven to the necess ity of securing attention through the sense of hearing alone, j ust by tel ling the customer about hisgoods .It is certainly more diffi cu lt to gain attention inthat way , but in any case he now has two of thephysical senses through which to convey s ug g es

tions instead of one .

Analys is for attention-getting introduction . Itwil l be remembered that in Lesson Ten,

on


human nature , a general sense of the fitness of

things,and abil ity to adapt one ’s self to time

,p lace

,

and circumstances .The salesman may often find, however , that oneor more of the mental arrows previously manufactured in his process of analysis wil l come intosplendid play .

Yet he must not be dismayed in the least by thefact that his introduction must often be spontaneous and original . The human mind is capable ofthe quickest action of any force in the universe .With sense highly trained

,with the ab i lity to sen

sate images and form concepts quickly,with power

of perception developed , so that he can instantlyform correct j udgments and clearly see re lationships between thoughts and things

,with imagina

tion high ly trained , with memory good , with allhis facu lties on the alert

,the trained salesman who

has followed and is following the instruction s contained in Lessons Four, Five, S ix and S even wi llbe able promptly to manufacture fresh arrows tomeet any obj ection , whi le his quality of tact wi l lenable him to put them to instant use .

This , to be sure , is all a gradual process to theindividual not already highly , trained in o the processes of self- education

,but the principle of correct

nourishment plus correct use appl ied to the constructive capacities , faculties , qual i ties , and powersalways results in the gradual growth

,unfoldment ,


and development of them , and among them are theessentials j ust mentioned .

"us t prai s e . Another p rinciple to be observed inconj unction with attention-getting introduction isthat of j ust praise .Avo id flattery . If there is anything that wi l lnauseate a sensible business man it is the glaringflattery of the professional jol lier . Please do notmisunderstand . There is a great diff erence betweenflattery and j ust praise . One is sincere and theother is insincere;one is genuine and the other isa sham .

We often hear it said that every one is s u s cep

t ible to flattery . The saying should be,

"Every one

is susceptible to j ust praise .” But even just praisehas to be administered with care and tact

,for

,how

ever sincere,it may be mistaken for flattery .

If one is real ly looking for good rather than evi l,

for harmony rather than discord , i t is an easy thingto see merit in everybody and in almost everything .

To j udiciously and tactfu l ly recognize merit in theother fellow whenever judgment or intuition tel lsone it is fitting, is therefore quite al lowable,whether in the introduction or in the later sel l ingtalks .

Let us as business-building salesmen,however

,

remember that confidence is the basis of trade andthat, j ust as soft soap is two thirds lye , so is thatmental " soft soap” known as flattery mostly lie,


and that sensible business men recognize it as such.

With the above principle as a guide , together

with’

the sample introductions which are given inthe textbook, the student should be able to con

struct introductions for his proposition which wi llsecure favorable attention .

In our next chapter we shal l consider the firstsel l ing talk.

Summary

Firs t. The function of the introduction is to g et

favorable attention .

Second. A ttention must be to the thing for s ale .

Third. The salesman is the medium throughwhich the attention of the listener passes to the

thing for sa le .Fourth. The attention which beg ets sale s is

favorable attention .

Fifth. Attention is primarily to the salesman .

S ixth. The salesman’s art is shown in his abili ty

to quickly transfer this primary attention to th ething for sale .

S eventh. The personality of the salesman is apowerful factor in obtaining and retaining attention .

E ighth. The kind of attention requis ite for eff ecting the sale is intense attention .

Ninth. The p rimary sel l ing talk must not b egiven until the right kind of attention has be enwon by the introduction .


Tenth. Attention is an act of the intellect .E leventh. The introduction should be (1) athought-spil l er and (2) a thought-filler.

Twelfth. The mind of the business man whenapproached is ful l of thoughts which must bespil led out, that others may be fil l ed in .

Thirteenth. A s many as possible of the customer

’

s s enses should be appealed to .

Fourteenth. The customer is entitled to the ful les t possible knowledge concerning the goods .

Fifteenth. The richer his sensations , the richerhis images , concepts , and thoughts .S ixteenth. Taste and smell are two of the stronggetters of attention .

Seventeenth. S eeing is bel ieving, and often moreconvincing than hearing .

E ighteenth. There can be no absolutely fixedform for the introduction; it must needs be as

vari ed as the w inds that blow .

Nineteenth. V ersati l ity based upon tact , knowledge of human nature , aptness , and adaptab i l ity toplace and c ircumstance, i s an essential attribute ofthe able introducer .Twentieth. The ab le introducer wil l avo id flat

tery, but wi l l not withhold j ust praise .

CH APTER III

TH E FIRST SELL ING TAL"

ITH the introduction accomplished , bymeans of which the party of the first part

has gained attention,the next task is that of arous

ing interest . In diffi cu lt cases this obj ect i sachieved by what is termed in the S cience of Bus iness " the first sel l ing talk .

Other thing s being equal, the power of theindividual to s ecure mental ag reement withtho s e with whom he communicates varies

directlywiththe excellence of his firs t s ellingtalk.

In this chapter we are studying at once the concept interest and the relationship to it of your firstsel l ing talk . For the sake of convenience , eventhough we have . previously defined interest

,i t may

be well to define it again at this point .Interes t defined. B ear in mind as you study th i schapter that interest is technical ly defined as

"the

feel ing of the need of looking into , investigating, orfinding out about a thing that already occup ies th eattention .

”

It is p lain,from the above definition , that the

state of interest is an outgrowth of the state of


attention . Indeed , it may be described as attention

s o prolonged or stimulated as to touch the springsof feel ing .

In s o far as it also signifies the impulse to findout about a thing, to examine into its merits or

attractions , we may take it as a feasible path to thewish or desire for possessing that which is of

interest .It is a l ink between attention and

'

appreciation ,the next following stag e in the mental law ofacquirement .It would be a difficult task , indeed an impossible

one , to arouse appreciation of values in the mind ofone not at al l interested in the matter being discussed or presented .

Firs t s elling talk should effect the s ale. The

salesman who has won favorable attention and can

hold it and vivify it into true interest is already faron the way toward persuading the customer to buy .

It is also evident that the process of arousinginterest or developing it from attention wil l dependon the article or goods the salesman has for disposal , and upon the subj ect matter of the thought swhich he wishes to present to the mind of hisl istener, whatever they may be .It is in his proposition that the salesman desires

his l istener to feel interested;and hence’

a mastery of the se l l ing po ints gained by analysis willclearly serv e his cause .It is true that by this first sell ing talk he may


likewise go so far as to excite interest , arouseappreciation, and bring about decision and action .

Indeed,for the sake of emphasis we again remind

the student that this is what he should and mustexpect to do with the firs t s elling talk. Remembera lways that it is by this mental attitude

,and by

extending in difficult cases the one se l l ing talk intothree variations , that the great blunder is avoidedwhich is made by thousands of salesmen ,— that oftalking too much .

The firs t s el l ing talk should b e the s alesman’

s

b es t. From this po int of view , the first sel l ing talks hould be the star performance . It is true thatb ehind it are two other talks , each adequate to thes ame result , but they are in the nature of reservesand should not be cal led into action unless circums tances demand it .Experience proves that in the making of new cus

tomers , and in the case of bringing back into linedissatisfied customers , only a small percentage givetheir initial orders or renew the ir patronage on thefirst sel l ing talk . But while this is true , the salesman must rigidly ignore that fact unti l i t is forcedupon him .

He must make his faith in his proposition , inhimself

,and in his customer such that he feels

c ertain every case wil l be easy , and that this one,the first sell ing talk , wil l alone be sufficient .Do not doubt;believe . Look for good;do not


At the outset the salesman must be careful tos elect from his supp ly of

"points” one which the

m ind of the prospective customer can readily grasp ,one to which his mind wi l l readily assent , and one

which wi l l certain ly be interesting .

Then he must see to it that the next point advanced is related in some way to the first , and s o

wi th the third,fourth , and fifth , and s o on , each

natural ly fitting into the point behind it , unti l ascientific description of the goods or proposition hasbeen comp leted .

The wedg e idea. In arranging the points in thefirst se l l ing talk

,whi le care must be exercised to

make the first few points interesting, the mostpositive or bri l l iant statements must not be

'

used .

Force the wedge in gently . Be modest and mod

erate in c laims set forth . They find much moreready entrance than c laims too ambitious .Remember that confidence is the basis of trade .

B ear in mind that it is easier to lead than to drive .

Make only such statements as wi l l be acceptedreadily by the customer as the truth .

In this way , get him into the habit of agreeingwith the speaker . Do not overstate the case . Do

not color the picture too high ly . Indeed,while

exaggeration or untruth is never permissib le in

scientific sal esmanship , it is often unsafe to beginwith claims as strong as the proposition wi l l warrant.


B ear in mind the wedge idea. It i s important ,at the start

,that the thin edge of the claims of

the persuader be presented to the mind of thel i stener . The time may come before the sale ismade

,and especial ly in the third division of the se l l

ing talk, when the persuader must drive at thewedge with a l l the strength at his command;butfirst he shou ld be sure to get the wedge well startedbefore using very powerful b lows .Do not try to force the wedge in big end first ,

or butt end to .

Those who have sp l i t rails wil l see the force of

this figure .The phi losophy of the wedge appl ied to these l l ing talk

,backed by force of character

,health

,

j udgment of men , analysis , and expression , wi l lenab le the party of the first part , whether se l l inggoods or p leading any other right cause , as theoccasion comes , to c leave asunder the very toughestobj ections and arguments .The firs t s el l ing talk mus t b e brief . B revity isone of the chief characteristics of the first sel l ingtalk . The salesman must avoid giving the impression that he is l ikely to take up too much of theprospective patron ’s valuab le time . He must al s otake care that the sel l ing shal l not confuse thej udgment with too many detai ls .The patron must not be talked into desire and

a resolve to buy , and then be talked out again . Do


not talk past the psychological moment of thel istener . There are more salesmen who talk too

much than who talk too l ittle .There are many good and sufficient reasons whythe first sel l ing talk Should be brief— though nothing is great or smal l , brief or long, except bycomparison .

The brevity or length of the first se l l ing talkdepends upon the article one is sel l ing . B e briefbut not too brief .The firs t s elling talk is a s ketch. The firstsel l ing talk corresponds to the sketch of the picture;and some peop le admire and buy sketches . Itshould be a complete skeleton of the artic le or

proposition being presented . Thu s it al lows themain sel l ing points to stand out in bold reli ef .It is a cardinal e lement that the first se l l ing talk

s hould b e g eneral in its nature. The general po in tswe have referred to shou ld al l be s et forth , but thedetai ls need not be discussed— chicfly for the reasonthat unless the salesman is an expert characte ranalyst he cannot as yet j udge what kind of detai l sare most l ikely to impress the customer’s mind .

While stating the points in a general way in thefi rst talk, a carefu l mental note should be made as towhich seem to interest the customer most . Thi sknowl edge wi l l be valuable later;however, i f th el i stener is already interested in the outl ine

, thes peaker is more than likely to carry him rig ht


a long and the recital of detai ls wi l l not be foundnecessary .

Do not bother with detai ls unti l they are actual lyneeded .

Do not talk too much .

These two points are to be kept ever in mind .

At the same time , the firs t s elling talk Should b ecomp lete in a general way . It shou ld inc lude manyfeatures or claims of a prominent character thatcan be deemed strong se l l ing points . Thus itshou ld give to the customer a rounded or wholesaleview of the proposition , one that of itself is calculated to interest him , arouse his appreciation of

values , and, if possib le , cause desire in his mind tothe extent of moving his volition to the purchase .

It may wel l be cal led an epitome or general summary of the sel l ing points .Selection of points for the firs t s e l l ing talk. Letus suppose that the salesman has analyzed theartic le or proposition to be sold in accordance withLesson Ten on various fundamental l ines ofinquiry . Under each of these he has found a number of c laims and merits

,facts and features

,sug

gestions and possibi l ities which shou ld serve , oneand al l , to commend it to the prospective buyer .It is also his duty as a business-bui lding salesmanconstantly to study these , to search for new ones ,and to dress them up in the best possible words .


I f there are a dozen such diff erent claims,let u s

s ay , under the title of qual i ty , quantity , or uti lity

(mode of use) , it should not be diffi cu lt to selectone , two , or three that are essential or striking andwhich therefore wou ld make good material for thefirst se l l ing talk .

Often it wi l l be found that one such leading pointimp l ies the presence of lesser ones . Sometimes itmay be in itself a novelty of use or excel lenceof qual ity that was never previously known in asimi lar article .Claims l ike this are accordingly what may betermed the s trong s elling points or s al ient features .

They are al l s o many distinct inducements to . buy

the artic le,and hence have a rightful p lace in the

description of it .If grouped and set forth in an orderly manner bysynthesis

,according to the law of association of

ideas,each c laim or statement leading up natural ly

to another and al l bearing on the desirabi l ityof the purchase , they are the right material andthe only material needed for the first se l l ingtalk .

H armony and conci s enes s . It is for this veryreason , because it consists entire ly of the vital and" catchy sel l ing points which need to be statedalike to every customer, that they shou ld al l beb lended into one harmonious and connected talkwhich can be repeated offhand natural ly and forci


bly . When thi s is done , the s alesman will beenab led to po l ish the sel l ing talk into the mostconcise and eff ective language .

If one then reads and heeds Hamlet’

s s en s ibleadvice to the players , he may learn how to

"s peak

his speech s o that every po int shal l have themomentum of a piledriver . It is then that the

sharpened arrows wil l be driven straight to the

mark . They wil l then aff ect both the intel lect andthe emotions of the listener

,and through them the

vo l ition,the decider

, and the actor of the l istener,the target at which they are aimed .

This is a question of so much importance thatwe shal l return to it a l ittle later . Meanwhile letus discuss briefly the clos ing points of thi s firstse l l ing talk .

The" terminal fac ilities of the firs t s elling talk.

Let us now take it for granted that the s alesmanhas logica l ly

,lucidly

,graphical ly

,and forc ibly pre

sented the salient features of his proposition , all ina brief synthetic description . Even s o, the first sel ling talk would not be comp lete without giving the

customer an opportunity to decide and act;thatis , to make the purchase . Right here is where manys alesmen fall down . They haven ’t what may betermed the proper " terminal faci l i ties . ” Here let usrelate a story to i l lustrate what we mean by terminal faci l ities .Ex-Senator Mason , of I l l inois , is noted for his


wit . He was once on his way by train throughthe state of Minnesota . A s the train rol led into thetown of Red River Fal ls , Mr . Mason said to histraveling companion : "Were you ever in this townbefore"” H is companion repl ied that he had notbeen

,whereupon Mr . Mason said

" I visited this town once . I remember it verywell

,indeed . It was when "nute Ne lson was run

n ing for Congress . He wired me to come up hereandmake a speech in his behalf . "nute was a goodfel low

, s o I came up;but after I got here he tookan hour and a half to introduce me and all I hadtime to do was to make a few remarks .

"A s I said before , "nute is al l right . H e

’

s agood fel low, but he reminds me of some of thoserai lroads that run into Chicago— he lacks terminalfacil ities .And that is j ust the trouble with a great many

s alesmen , or would-be salesmen— they lack terminalfacil ities . They have no j umping-off place . Theyhave no end to the l ine of their argument . Theyj ust seem to talk, talk , and keep on talking .

By means of the first sel l ing talk, as outlined inthe preceding pages

,the salesman knows when he

has presented enough of the sal ient features of hisproposition so that the one to whom he is talkingshould be ready to decide and act .

In the words of a good business man,he has

observed the three princip les ,"First , have some

50 THE SCIENCE OF BUSINES S

the po ints concern ing his good s — the po ints ih

v olved in the first sel l ing talk . There is no hesitancy;there is no break;there is no halting .

Having run the train of his thoughts down thetrack of h is analysis of the first sel l ing talk , histrain does not stop at al l but gl ides into the roundhouse of his terminal faci l i ties and this roundhouse contains his clos ing points .

Let us suppose for instance that the propositionis one which can b e accepted upon either a time or acash basis as to total payment

,and that there is a

discount for cash . Having stated both plans ofpayment , instead of b luntly asking th"prospectivepatron to sign the order if a written order is necessary

,or inquiring whether or not he wil l accept the

proposition , the fol lowing statement or declarationwou ld be proper : "

I pres ume you would prefer to

take advantag e of the cashdis count, wouldn’

t you"”

That is where the engine stopped;and , barringinterruptions

,there should be no perceptib le let-up,

at least no comp lete stop , in the train of statementsof facts until it reached the rai l of that particularsentence or declaration .

Features of the terminal facil ities . You wi l l notein the example j ust given certain commandingfeatures of the terminal faci l itiesFirs t . That the opportunity of the customer tobuy is suggestive and indirect , rather than positiveand direct .


S econd. That the prospective patron is not askedwhether or not he wil l accept the proposition . The

salesman simp ly makes the statement that he presumes the prospective patron would l ike to takeadvantage of the cash discount .As k for a dec i s ion on a m inor point . Natural ly ,the main point at issue is whether or not the prospeet is real ly going to accept the propositionoff ered . The po int upon which decision is re

quested or suggested in the examp l e given is concerning the terms upon which the prospectivepatron wou ld like to accept . There is a wide difference .

But this point wil l be noted : When he decidesas to the terms , when he selects h is p lan of payment

,this decision real ly carries with it a decision

on the major point;and in deciding what plan of

payment he wi l l adopt, the patron has real ly alsodecided that he wi l l accept the proff ered off er .There are various minor points upon whichdecision can thus be secured .

If there are diff erent grades of the article one issel ling, he has of course stated the price of eachat the c lose of his sel l ing talk and he can thenask the prospective customer which he prefers .This is a positive though indirect suggestion , al

though quite different from asking him if he wantsany of them .

Again , a salesman may sometimes ask the cu s


tomer for his initials;or, if not an ordinary name ,as k him how he spe l ls his name .Usual ly there is a b lank in the contract or agreement for the insertion of the customer’s nameb esides the p lace where he is expected to sign .

This blank may be fil led in by the salesman as

fitting ly as by the customer . Indeed, it is properthat the sa lesman should fil l it in .

In diffi cu lt cases , or in cases that might otherwiseb e difficu lt , it is sometimes much eas ier to get acustomer to Sign his name after the detai ls haveb een written out than it is to get the signaturefi rst .The suggestions j ust given for the terminal

faci l ities” idea, the closing of the order, are ofcourse es pecial ly applicab le to the work of thespecialty sa lesman and promoter, and in s ome degree to the work of the commercia l traveler .The same princip les wi l l i'eadily be seen as applicab le to al l re lationships in l ife where the functionof persuasion enters , the work of getting some oneto think as the speaker thinks and do as he desires

the party of the second part to do, where it iss imp ly a case of mental agreement , a case of mindmeeting mind

,even when the signing of a contract

is not necessary , customary , or even advisable .In retai l sa lesmanship , where no order has to besigned

,the tactful salesman

,having presented the

merits of his goods through a brief first sel l ing talk ,


possibly one involving on ly two or three points , cangeneral ly c l inch the purchase by indirect s ug g es

t ion,something l ike this : "

Shal l we send this out ,Mrs . B lank, or wi l l you take it with you"

”

Or, in cases where the goods are not del ivered ,

when the salesman feels that the psychologicalmoment has arrived he can pick up the article atwhich the customer has been looking, s et it to ones ide, and inquire ,

"What else do you desire to-dayA student in the retai l business sends us the

fol lowing suggestions which clearly i l lustrate thisthought . It wil l be noted how his plan helped tomake better sales and to save much time :

"

A s a shoe salesman in a store , when a customerwas deciding between three-do l lar—and-a-half andfour-dol lar shoes , I would pick up the four- dol lar

pair and say ,"

Shal l I wrap them in a paper or putthem in a box"’ This closed the deal every time Itried it .

"

A s a c lerk in a grocery store , when a customer

was deciding between a seventy-fiv e—cent and adol lar article, I would pick up the dol lar articleand tear a piece of paper off a rol l at my side .Without my saying a word , the customer wouldalmost invariab ly s ay,

"I ’l l take that one ,’ pointing

to the one in my hand .

These and l ike indirect suggestions can be profitably used by the retail salesman at the c lose of

his first sell ing talk .


About committing to memory . Opinions diff er asto this . In his earl ier teachings— and we refer hereparticularly to The Science of Salesmanship out ofwhich this , The Sc ience of Bus ines s , or the Phi

los ophy of Succes s ful H uman Activity, has grownthe author unhesitatingly and unqualifiedly ad

vised the pol icy of committing the sel l ing talk tomemory, notab ly in his instructions to the specialtysalesman .

"uite an extensive experience in teaching hasled the author to some modifications of this advice .Emphatical ly

,however, there has been no change

of views or advice as to the advisabil ity of committing the s ynthes i s of the points to memory.

The points in the first sel l ing talk must be logical lyarranged . Each must follow the other in naturalorder.True it is , with the mu ltip l icity of points at hiscommand , there may be several which could bemade natural ly to fol low any one given point

,but

in any event the memory of the salesman shou ldbe rich with points or thoughts concerning his

propos ition . Each shou ld be distinct .Many of these points shou ld be committed to

memory, even to the extent of committing to memory the exact words ,— the words in which the

thoughts are clothed .

There are many good business houses to-day,

notably in the specialty l ine, who coun s el and


indeed ins is t upon the ir s alesmen committing tomemory the entire selling ta lk .

With the understanding that the succeeding statements are to be fol lowed by certain amendatorycomments , let us now quote from The S cience of

Salesmanship on this point as follows"The keynote of sound science is its practicab il

Whatever is truly scientific is also eminently

practicable . The science of sa lesmanship would beof l ittle value if it could not be practical ly appl iedin commerce . Let us, therefore , take good heed tolearn wherein i t i s appl icab l e at every step .

"Perhaps there are those who might diff er with

me on the practicabil ity of memorizing their talksin s el l ing goods . I real ize ful ly that the advice Iam about to give appl ies more particularly to thes pecia lty salesman than to the other three clas ses ,and yet the commercial traveler, promoter, and

retai ler can wel l afford to study it attentively and

follow it as closely as possible .In the ful l l ight of science and experience I

unhesitatingly advise that the primary canvas s , orfirst sel l ing talk, in specialty s alesmanship , b e thoroughly committed to memory .

"Do not fear for a moment that th is wi ll make

you les s versati le or obscure your native gifts . Youhave ample p lay in these gifts even in your introduction and. as we s hal l s ee later with regard to the


third sel l ing talk , it must needs be as varied as arethe breezes of spring . But it is quite diff erent withthe first and second se l l ing talks . ”

Succes s of a memori"ed s elling talk. Let us

i l lustrate by a practical and impressive examp lefrom the current records of American industry .

"

Not many years ago, in a bu s tl ing community,a specialty business was begun on very humble andunpretentious l ines

,its location being an o ld edifice

in an obscure part of the town . The basis of theenterprise was an invention of much uti l ity in trade .It was sold by agents direct to business men fortheir own use .

"

The manufacturer prospered , and the dingy oldbui lding soon gave way to a modest factory , andthis in turn to a larger factory , which was addedto from time to time unti l now it covers severalacres of ground .

"

There came a period in its history when the

company had quite a legion of men on the road ,some good salesmen , some very poor, and manyindiff erent .In this its experience did not differ material ly

from that of almost every firm emp loying salesmen .

"Among the good salesmen was one of excep

tional c leverness who took name s "on the dottedline ’ right and left everywhere . The president ofthe concern cal led him in and p l ied him with ques


every man pres ent must commit that s el l ing talk

to memory .

"He urged that his company had a message to

deliver to the peop le about the goods they were

offering for sale :that he was prepared to put that

mes sage into the hands of al l the sale s men , and thatit was henceforward their duty as emp loyees of the

company to deliver it to everybody upon whom

they called .

"This pol icy of uniformity was then put into

force with most profitable resu lts . To-day thatcompany has an army of salesmen throughout theworld

,each one carrying his primer and having the

same sell ing talk committed to memory .

"A s I now write these l ines , there is undoubtedly

a demonstration of this machine go ing on in San

Francisco , Chicago , New York , London , Pari s , andB erl in , but each and every salesman , no matterwhere he may be, is stating the exact points and

in somewhat the same terms as a l l the others ."And that company has ever since been most

phenomenal ly successful . It has swept competit ionout of the way ,

has practical ly attained a monopolyin its line of goods , and I understand its annual s al esamount to ful ly twenty-five mil l ion dol lars .

"Now let me ask you : Does it not seem as if

there was benefit in committing sel l ing talk s to

memory " Does it not also look to be entire ly practicab le


Succes s of retail s alesmen who memori"ed.

Lately I met a retail clerk sel l ing hardware,who

had once worked for this company and learned theirmethod . He was applying the same princ iple to

the sale of stoves ."A s soon as he secures the customer’s attention

he starts a regular synthetic talk , embodying thechief points or suggestions which he wishes toimpress on a purchaser and, as he put it to me, hes tarts at the bottom of the stove and goes to the

top , and then turns round and goes back again .

He told me that in demonstrating the value ofhis stove he makes the same talk to everybody

,

and his success is considered almost phenomenal .He sel ls more stoves than any other salesman whoever worked for the same house .

"Permit me to ask another question . Does it not

seem as if this method would work even in connection with numerous articles that are sold at retai l"And i f it wil l apply here , why not in many caseswith the commercial traveler, not so much forstaples on close margins

,but for specialties that

yi eld large profits to the house ""

Remember that salesmanship is the sel l ing ofgoods for profit . There are thousands sel l ing goods,or taking orders for them , who are mak ing but l ittl eprofit for their firms . They don ’t succeed with thespecialties , and real ly to sel l specialties— not merelytake orders for them— demands a special sel l ing


talk committed to memory, a talk that reveals tothe buyer their chief merits c learly and convineing ly .

”

Great’

orations and lectures memori"ed. I havebut l ittle patience with those smart salesmen whothink it beneath their digni ty to commit anythingto memory .

"The most eloquent pleadings at the bar of j us

tice, the greatest lectures on the publ ic platform,

the greatest oratorical triumphs everywhere, whoseobj ect is to enthuse or influence the human mind,are invariably the result of painstaking preparation ,even to the extent of committing to memory .

"You should never forget that the purpose ofyour talk to your customer is identical with thatof an orator addressing an assembly . The intentionin each case is to influence the wi l l . The orator hasan audience of many, you have an audience of one;that is about the on ly diff erence .

"The orator’s introduction varies with his audience

,his design being to put that audience in tune

with him , but once the introduction is made , attention being thus secured

,his speech is virtual ly the

s ame

’

to one audience as to another .

"And s o it should be with the statement of your

case . It can be the same to the president of therepublic as to B i ll "ones or "im Smith , s o far as

your first sel l ing talk is concerned .

"There is a best way to state any given proposi


tion . It is your business logically to arrange yourstrong sel l ing points and then , as a means of happyexpression , economy of time , and favorable results ,to write out and commit to memory the presentation of your case . ”

About interruptions . But how about interruptions some wil l ask .

"

Suppos e the customer interrupts me with a question , or otherwise;or, supposehe himself is interrupted by some one or something else"’

"There are exceptions to every rule , of course ,

and it is not the purpose of these counsels to makea machine of any one;but the rule is that , given astrong persona l ity, as the fruitage of our teachingsin earl ier les sons , the salesman can hold the floor

and compel the customer to stay silent while thecase is presented . This is the program exactly as it

s hould be and which you must do your best to carryout .

" It is true that interruptions are possible at anymoment in any one of your se l l ing talks .

" I know full well the dangers and annoyance ofthem and, without any view to belittle them , I wishto advise you earnestly on this point . It is herewe can often uti l ize to best eff ect the great rule ofl ife that "

Every seeming disadvantage may be converted into a real advantage .

’

"To i l lustrate : It is re lated of "ames G. B laine,

an orator who was almost peerless in his abi l ity


to influence others , that he was once making aspeech in a country town and in a hal l locatedvery near the rai lroad .

"

In the midst of a greatargument

,when he had his audience under perfect

control , a long fre ight train came thundering by .

The orator had to stop . The interruption wouldhave been embarrassing to most speakers , but withhis usua l tact Mr . B laine turned this seeming disadvantage into a real advantage . He waited smi ling ly unti l the noisy train had rol led by , and thenpromptly said

,

"

H ow fitting it is,ladies and gentle

men,that we should be interrupted by this roar

of commerce, this emphatic proof of our country’s

great prosperity, made possib le , fostered , and protected by the wise Repub l ican administration , inwhose behalf I am p leading with you .

’

"From this,he went on with a brief but e loquent

eulogy of his party and then resumed his argumentin the original ly prepared discourse , taking it up

at. the p lace where the fre ight train had cut him off .

"Possibly you know that Mr . B laine v

’

Vas once asalesman , and no doubt a most successfu l one .

”

Examp les of hand l ing interruption s .

"How oftenI have seen this princip l e exemp l ified in sel l ing "Perhaps the interruption is due to the entrance ofa customer, or a l ittle child running in to the fatheror mother , j ust at a point when you feel that the

psychological moment is close at hand .

You know that the incident is l iab le to turn it


aside , and you would be glad if the intruder might

s tay away a little longer, j ust a l ittle longer ."Have you ever been there"I have met these annoyances many a time and

I know full wel l the sentiments that are l ikely towel l up in the human breast at such a moment .But I also know well that if we p leasantly bow tothe inevitable and us e proper tact , we can often turns uch inc idents to our advantage . Not always , it istrue , but very many times if we really try .

"

The merchant may be pleased by a complimen

tary remark about his customer , and there is nomore certain road to the good will of parents than al itt le praise of their children , especially if it doesnot savor of too much flattery .

"Tact is always ready-money , and it is j ust at

t imes like those that you need a supply of such cashon hand .

"

After an interruption of this kind it is easy to

p ick up the thread of your talk by some such re

mark as :"Let me see , I be l ieve I was stating this

point when we were interrupted .

’ Here you goright on with the presentation of your case as ifnothing had happened .

”

"eeping the cus tomer on the track. In conclus ion , j ust a word as to interruptions caused by thecustomer himse lf. E ither a very live ly interes t onthe part of the customer, or e lse , on the other hand ,a lack of appreciation shown by levity or s l ighting


remarks,may tend at times to cause you interrupa

tions . For the most part these can be parried by anagreeab le smile and a polite "

Excuse me please , Ishal l come to that point in j ust a moment .

"

Of course , there are occasions when such acustomer must be humored

,but a fata l mistake

with many salesmen is in permitting a customer tolead them off the track in general conversation ,and s o render impossib le a ful l statement of theircase . In this way the customer fai ls to get a cl earor adequate view of the salesman ’s proposition , andhence there is fai lure to accomp l ish the sale .

"

The handling of a nervous , talkative customersometimes reminds me of landing a gamy bass . A

good angler never j erks him off the hook;he letshim run a littl e , but not into the weeds . Gently putthe pressure on the reel and don ’t let the customerrun too far with an interruption .

”

Naturalne s s . I know wel l how tiresome a setspeech is if it is not properly felt and del ivered .

" I know how flat it fal ls if it has the mere j ingl eof a piece you have memorized to speak .

" I advise it only for those who have the intelligence to digest and assimi late the talk s o thorough ly that it becomes a part of them . When thusabsorbed it is spoken as if spontaneous

,and I

believe you can so master it , if you are not too lazyor too indiff erent to your own success earnestly totry .

The proper rendition demands of you close study


memory the canvass or se l l ing talk furnished inprinted form by the house you represent

,above al l

if it is logical ly arranged and the points are wellstated .

"Meanwhile do not be so "smart ’ as to ignore theadvice of the house , printed or oral . Do not treatit l ightly , but use it as a foundation and proceed asrapidly as possib le to manufacture sel l ing talks ofyour own and vitalize them with the force andflavor of your personal ity .

”

About s tating the price. The mention of price andterms should not as a rule be discussed unti l theclose of the first se l l ing talk .

We know one successfu l advertising sol icitor whomakes it an absolute ru l e not to mention his ratesuntil he has first presented the whol e case , nomatter how urgent may be the customer ’s interruptions in seeking to learn the cost .He answers , We shal l come to that pretty soon;l et us treat the merits of the case first . When youhave heard the facts concerning my medium

,pos

s ib ly you would not want the advertising at al l;on the other hand , perhaps you wil l want it no matter how much it costs . You will certainly find theprice satisfactory , and if you wi l l excuse me , weshal l come to that point in a moment .”

The genera l rule,then

,is not to discuss prices

unti l the c lose of the sel l ing talk . The exceptionto this p lan may be when the cheapness is so re


markable as to enhance the force of every otherse l l ing point as stated and to hasten the ripening ofinterest into the fee l ing of appreciation of values;but even then it is often wise to leave mention ofthe favorable sel ling price for a happy surprise atthe close . It is sure that the salesman cannot

wi sely discuss the cost or value of an article untilthe other party to the transaction is informed onall of its leading merits .But when the case has been succinctly and com

pletely stated , then the se l l ing talk can be broughtto a close and the opportunity extended to buy,somewhat l ike this : "

Now,as to. price and terms ,

the'

total price is only dollars and the terms

(in case of an instal lment off er or time bil ls ) are

very l ibera l indeed (here state theThere is a great deal in the way you say such

words as " only .

”

B e pos itive;do not waver. Many salesmen act atthis point as if they doubted the customer ’s wi l l ingness or abil ity to pay the price . If the salesmanthus doubts , the customer is very apt mentally toecho his doubt , and then the customer wi l l alsodoubtThe sa lesman must be positive , not on ly ob jec

tively but subj ectively . He must permit no doubtto enter his mind or to be reflected in his voice ormanner in any way.

With these general principles in mind for the

THE SCIENCE OF BUSINESS

governing of the making and del ivering of the selling talk, and with special emphasis on the terminalfac ilities , let us now turn our attention to the s econd sel l ing talk . This we s hal l do in our nextlesson .

Summary

Let us review briefly what we have learned inthis lesson :Firs t . This whole course in the S cience of B usiness is designed to help the student increase thepercentage of cases in which he , in contact with hisfel low men

,shal l be able to bring about in th e

minds of those with whom he communicates theseven mental states of confidence , favorable attention

,interest

,appreciation

,desire

,decision , and

action,and then to render such satisfactory S ervice

that satisfaction shal l result,and thus the securing

of progressively profitable patronage be made an

accomplished fact .Second . In order to do this, one must bui ld hisintel lect

,sensibilities

,body

,and vol ition;become an

expert in finding customers;learn to read humannature;become a master analyst of his goods, a

master of expression , and a master of synthes is .

Third . Synthesis is the putting together, in the

most eff ective way, of the points brought out b yanalysis .

Fourth. In the actual making of the sale , on ly


confidence,favorab le attention , interest , apprecia

tion,desire

,decision , and action are necessary ,

while satisfaction on the part of the customer is

necessary for progres sively profitable patronage .Fifth. The customer’s vol ition is reachedthrough his intel lect and feel ings .S ixth. The scientific sal esman

’s desire is to servehis customer, therefore hypnotism has no place inbusiness-building salesmanship .

Seventh. The sell ing talk is naturally divided intofour parts : (1) the introduction;(2) the primaryor first sel ling talk;(3) the secondary or secondsell ing talk;and (4) the tertiary or third sell ingtalk .

E ighth. The functions of these four divisions ofthe se l l ing talk are as follows : The function of theintroduction is to get favorable attention; thefunction of the primary or first sell ing talk is toexc i te interest , arouse appreciation , cause desire,impel decision , and b ring about action;the functionof the second sel l ing talk is to intensify apprecia

tion of values and desire and thus bring aboutfavorable action;the function of the tertiary sell ingtalk is the same as that of the secondary .

Ninth. A ttention is defined as" the active direc

tion of the mind to any obj ect of sense or thought ,giving it relative or absolute prominence . It maybe either voluntary or involuntary .

”

Tenth. While the attention of the customer mus t


be directed to the thing for sale , and not to thesalesman , yet the personal ity of the salesman is a

very strong factor in getting favorable attention .

The great art l ies in transferring the attention

quickly from the salesman to the thing for s ale .Eleventh. Intense , undivided attention is theth ing wanted, and it must be gained before proceeding with the primary sel l ing talk .

Twelfth. Getting attention involves spi l l ing the :

o ld thoughts out of the mind of the customer andfi l l ing his mind with new thoughts .Thirteenth. Attention is gained by appeal ing to

one or more of the senses of the,customer— the

more senses one keeps busy, the less l ikely is attention to wander .Fourteenth. In his analysis the scientific sales

man must forge many arrows for his attention-getting introduction , for it must be as varied as the

winds that blow— spontaneous and original , adaptedto the pers onal ity and environment of the customer.

Fifteenth. "ust praise of the customer, his business , or his class of trade is often a good attentiongetter .S ixteenth. In the first or primary sell ing talk the

first obj ect is to arouse interest, which is defined as" the feeling of the need of looking into , inves tig ating, or finding out about a th ing that already occu

p ies the attention .

S eventeenth. Interest is thus a link between at


tention and apprec iation of values and a direct roadto desire

,which is the next step , and which is to be

fo l lowed by favorable dec ision and favorable action .

The obj ect of the primary sell ing talk is to close the

s ale;therefore it should be the salesman’s star per

formance .

E ig hteenth. The law of synthesis in building the

first sel l ing talk is the law of association of ideas .

Let each po int in the talk suggest the next .Nineteenth. In the primary sel l ing talk the firstfew points must be made interesting, but not tooforceful . The wedge of the argument must bepushed in gently .

Twentieth. The primary sel l ing talk must be relatively depending as to its length upon the articl eor proposition being presented .

Twenty-firs t. The primary sell ing talk must be inthe nature of a sketch , but complete in a generalway .

Twenty-s econd. The primary sel ling talk musthave " terminal facil ities — that is , should close bygiving the cu s tomer an opportunity to buy, butnot to refuse .

Twenty-third. The opportunity of the customerto buy must be made indirect and not direct , andapproached by getting decision on some minorpoint first .Twenty-fourth. The salesman must memori"e

his points, if not his whole sel l ing talk .


Twenty-fifth. Interruption s are handled in such away as to turn a seeming disadvantage into a real

advantage .

Twenty-s ixth. The customer must not be permitted to control the interview— he mus t be kept onthe track .

Twenty-s eventh. A s a general rule, price shouldnot be mentioned until terminal fac i l ities have beenreached .

Twenty-eighth. The party of the firs t part mus tbe pos itive;he mus t notwaver.

· introduction noth er brief review. firs t, the s tudent is now thoroug hly familiar with the...

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