| "Get into selling and make your fortune" the | | | | intention to make a sale, but simply because |
| headline shouted at me from the classified | | | | I was actually very impressed with the |
| page. It went on to explain how anyone could | | | | technology.However, a strange thing happened: |
| become rich by learning how to sell.As a | | | | People started buying fridges. Each day more |
| gullible young man just out of the Air Force | | | | people came to me to ask about them and more |
| and looking for a job, I was hooked on the | | | | sales resulted. Weekly deliveries of fridges |
| idea of a sales career despite suffering from | | | | to this single store out of 365 stores |
| a general lack of confidence. On top of that | | | | alerted the Head Office due to the unusual |
| my near panic at the thought that now I had | | | | delivery rate.Incredibly, the company |
| to survive in the big outside world on my | | | | extended the premises to accommodate more |
| own. No morning bugle call to kindly let me | | | | fridges. I have often wondered how they |
| know that breakfast was being served.No more | | | | filled the space when I moved on to pastures |
| shouting in my ear about the condition of the | | | | new.So there I had learned the two most |
| nice suit of clothes they give you to wear. | | | | important ingredients for selling which if |
| No more marching in parades to a destination | | | | mastered will enable anyone to be proficient |
| unknown, you need only follow the leader and | | | | in sales.Just these two for starters: |
| wait until you hear the order to halt.Worst | | | | Enthusiasm and Product Knowledge.The third |
| of all, no more free meals and a bed, the | | | | ingredient will be borne of the above two |
| reason I joined up in the first place. I had | | | | which is "confidence"Armed with enthusiasm |
| become institutionalised. From that point | | | | for a product and thorough Product Knowledge, |
| forward I would need to think for myself for | | | | you will surely brim with confidence. Most of |
| the first time in years.Solely on the merits | | | | your prospects will not see you as just |
| of my Air Force discharge papers, I landed a | | | | another Sales Person but as an expert they |
| job as a trainee salesman with a well-known | | | | can trust. Why will they trust you? Because |
| office machine manufacturer. They kindly sent | | | | as you should have discovered yourself in |
| me to sales training school for a whole month | | | | life that it is always patently obvious when |
| after which you are supposed to be a whiz at | | | | someone knows what they are talking about, |
| selling. Not so for me, because after a | | | | You know instinctively when a person is |
| couple of months I had managed to sell . . . | | | | telling you the truth. You also learn to know |
| nothing.Hugely embarrassed and demoralised, I | | | | instinctively when someone is talking |
| resigned. However, I continued to hold to the | | | | nonsense.Now here is a truth:People will only |
| belief that "selling can make your fortune", | | | | buy from those they trust. The emphasis is on |
| perhaps because as a kid I had been quite a | | | | the ONLY.Since then I have sold just about |
| successful street urchin.My ideas about | | | | everything under the sun, including double |
| selling as a career were reinforced when by | | | | glazing, windows, home improvements and |
| chance I read a news item about a janitor who | | | | several years in Life Insurance. I learned |
| became a commission salesman. Two years later | | | | some truly fascinating secrets on selling and |
| he bought the apartment block where he had | | | | how to sell effortlessly.Truly "Selling" is |
| previously been the janitor.I must try again | | | | easy, when you know how. Look out for my |
| to become a salesman, and I did without much | | | | article entitled "Selling effortlessly by |
| success. Most of the direct selling outfits | | | | Numbers" you could be amazed.Naturally, I |
| simply gave me a pre-typed script to learn. I | | | | moved up in my sales career and bought my own |
| tried the scripts, but several of my | | | | stores. Selling the very product I found |
| prospects simply asked me how long had I been | | | | impossible to sell just a few years earlier, |
| doing the job. One asked me why I was | | | | Office Machines.I can never forget a major |
| speaking so unnaturally, I wasn't aware of | | | | sale I made a few years ago to the Managing |
| it. Perhaps I speak with a different tone | | | | Director of a large corporation. He bought a |
| when reading out loud from a script.Perhaps I | | | | very expensive product and gave me his |
| could learn to sell by trying retail in-store | | | | company cheque there and then without |
| sales, I pondered. So onto the retail | | | | question. However, just as he was leaving he |
| circuit. The Company boss had a store for | | | | mentioned that one of my competitors WGS was |
| each day of the year 365 stores. He sent me | | | | selling the exact same product at ten percent |
| as a trainee to a store where I was asked to | | | | less. Being a bit puzzled, I asked him why he |
| push the sales of some fridges that had no | | | | did not buy it from WGS."Because I preferred |
| motors. I was astonished. How can a fridge | | | | to buy from you" He repliedThere you have it, |
| not have a motor? I asked the store manager | | | | as you must surely know deep down, even from |
| for a brochure that might help my | | | | your own experiences: People will only buy |
| understanding of a fridge with no motor, so | | | | from those they trust.Feel free to reprint |
| he dug around under the counter and thrust a | | | | this article in its entirety in your ezine or |
| buch of grubby papers into my hand."You're | | | | on your site as long as you leave the |
| supposed to sell them, not read about them" | | | | author's copyright in place and the links in |
| he complained.Anyway I did read about these | | | | place, do not modify the content and include |
| fridges, and discovered that not only did | | | | our resource box as listed below.© Harry S |
| they have no motors but the energy | | | | RichardsResource Box: |
| consumption was less than an ordinary light | | | | |
| bulb. I found it all quite extraordinary. and | | | | Article by Harry S Richards. Founder of |
| simply voiced my amazement about them to | | | | Beauforts PC Trading. |
| everyone who entered the store. Not as an | | | | |