Masonry Magazine January 1968 Page. 31
SMOOTH SELLING
by George N. Kahn, Marketing Consultant
YOU'RE ON STAGE
The scene is a murder trial several years ago. A young defense attorney takes up the alleged murder gun, slips a bullet into the cylinder and places the revolver to his head. Then, as jurors and spectators gasp in horror, he pulls the trigger.
There is only a harmless click. Because of a faulty firing pin, the gun will not discharge. The lawyer knew it would not fire. He had tried it countless times outside the courtroom. The defendant was acquitted.
That lawyer could have dragged all the gunsmiths and weapon experts in the world to the witness stand to affirm the gun would not fire. Their testimony would not have been nearly as effective as that demonstration.
Drama! Showmanship! These are what swung the jury and they are the same techniques that will make a buyer out of your prospect.
Showmanship Sells
A well-timed dramatic touch gets the attention of the prospect and holds it.
A buyer can listen to you for an hour and not absorb a third of what you said. His attention span is short. But take out a Yo-Yo and twirl it a few times and he'll take notice in a hurry. Almost any product or service has the potential for demonstration. Salesmen have jabbed pens into the floor, painted buyers' walls and taken articles apart piece by piece to gain attention.
Sometimes the demonstration is a pure attention getter, having nothing to do with the product's merits. Look at today's television advertising. A car rental agency shows a man dropping out of the sky into the driver's seat of an automobile. An investment firm pictures a lion prowling Manhattan streets. A brawny arm emerges from an automatic washing machine.
Aids to Selling
You can stage an equally effective performance without resorting to hocus-pocus. Simply use two things: (1) your imagination and (2) the selling aids provided to you.
© 1967 George N. Kahn
Virtually every product or service has the possibility of demonstration. Anytime you create action your presentation becomes more interesting. The sales aids or tools supply the means for such action. These props include charts, graphs, mock-ups, models and slides. They give lift and buoyancy to your presentation. Here is what demonstration can do for you:
1. Catch the buyer's interest
2. Fortify your argument
3. Help the prospect understand the proposition
4. Stimulate your own interest in the product
5. Cut down objections
6. Help close the sale
There's nothing hypnotic about a demonstration. The buyer may not be convinced by your sales talk, but the demonstration often will swing him over.
Tools Need Personal Touch
Dramatic demonstrations are used effectively by some of the most influential corporations in the United States. No doubt your company has furnished you with similar aids.
But how are you using these aids? The most elaborate equipment in the world is of no value to the salesman who is unprepared. If you don't know, don't show.
If props are used, you must be familiar with their operation so the performance will run smoothly. Check out the equipment before using it. An inept demonstration can kill a sale.
Nothing can chill a prospect's interest more quickly than a screen that doesn't pull down, a set of charts in the wrong order or an assembly model that has parts missing. And don't forget that extension cord.
Demonstrations that drone on too long may also be your swan song. Keep them short.
Feeling of Confidence
Demonstrations or showmanship give the customer a feeling of confidence in the product. They can do the same for you. The manipulation of charts, graphs, slides, etc. give you something to do with your hands while you are talking.
REPRINTS FOR YOUR SALESMEN this is a condensed version. This lesson is available in an expanded form, in a 4-page brochure, size 8½x11, printed in 2 colors on white glossy paper and is 3-hole punched to fit any standard 3-ring binder. Each subject in this expanded version is fully and completely developed in comprehensive detail and includes a self-examination quiz for Salesmen. Prices are as follows:
1 to 9 copies (of each article) 50 cents each
10 to 49 copies (of each article) 37½ cents each
50 to 99 copies (of each article) 30 cents each
100 or more copies (of each article) 25 cents each
The entire series may be pre-ordered or individual articles may be ordered by number address orders to the George N. Kahn Co., Marketing
A good salesman is enthused about his sales aids. He thinks of them as keys that will unlock the door to higher earnings. He knows that his firm gave him these tools to use, not to discard in his basement.
Personal Showmanship
Showmanship is more than props and gimmicks. Your voice, personality, manner, dress, tact and sense of timing are as vital to your salesmanship as they are to an actor on stage. The handling of the product, for example, can be turned into a supreme act of showmanship that will melt the hardest buyer. Hold the product as if it were precious and the prospect will think of it that way. Remove samples from your case as if they were rare jewels or paintings. But later, if you want to show the toughness of your product, fling it against the wall.
A salesman who dresses quietly in good taste and who cultivates a charming voice and smile is a walking example of showmanship.
Showmanship also may be in some personal "prop" like a handsome cigarette case or walking cane. I once worked with a man who wore a fresh boutonniere every day.
Whatever you do in the way of showmanship, do it in your own style. Imitate others when it fits your personality, but shun imitation if it doesn't fit. Here's a little exercise to help you determine whether you are using enough showmanship in your selling. "Yes" answers to at least nine out of thirteen puts you on the passing side.
Is Your Sale Showing?
1. Did your last interview include a demonstration? Yes No
2. Do you know where your sales aids are right now? Yes No
3. Would you ever think of getting a prospect's attention by asking him if he had ever seen an alligator? Yes No
4. Do you think of selling as playing a role? Yes No
5. Have you ever timed your demonstration in practice? Yes No
6. Have you ever asked other salesmen about their use of tools, aids, etc.? Yes No
7. Do you remove samples with loving care from your case? Yes No
8. Do you put them back the same way? Yes No
9. Are you aware of the impression your appearance makes on a prospect? Yes No
10. Do you note advertising techniques? Yes No
11. Do your sales aids work? Yes No
12. Do you move around much in a prospect's office? Yes No
13. Do you boldly use drama in your sales talk? Yes No
Consultants. Sales Training Division, Department TP, 212 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Listed here are the titles of the first 12 lessons in the "Smooth Selling" Sales Training Course,
1. The Salesmanis V.I.P.
2. Are You A Salesman?
3. Get Acquainted With Your Company
4. You're On Stage
5. You Can't Fire Without Ammunition
6. You Are A Goodwill Salesman, Too
7. Closing The Sale
8. How To Set Up An Interview
9. Relaxing Between Rounds
10. The Competition
11. Taking A Risk
12. Playing The Short Game
When ordering, please mention the name of this publication.
masonry
January, 1968
31