Selling America

[Music] [Applause] [Music] there there you see how you contradict yourself you see where your pretty reasoning leads you i i presume not in the right ben franklin resume unquestionably i'm in the right i was in the right in the beginning i've been in the right all along i'm always right thou hast won the disputation ben franklin but i won't concede it to thee won't concede today why my friend pretty why because ben thou are not content with being in the right thou has to be overbearing and insolent as well who date with these hats well good day mr franklin [Laughter] did you win your argument benjamin hey what your child i say did you win the argument with your quaker friends win [Applause] win did i win ben franklin the great american diplomat and philosopher one of the greatest salesmen that ever lived he began life an inveterate arguer but when his quaker friend drove home the awful truth then took it on the chin and asked himself a few questions he did some powerful thinking and he came to the conclusion that you don't win arguments by arguing but what is more important then did something about it he decided to correct his faults he determined to change his method of working with people he formulated some rules to govern his man-to-man relations virtue is obtained rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue put on the humble inquirer argument is productive of disgusts and perhaps enmities in answering an opinion observe that in certain cases the opinion would be right or bear all direct contradictions to the sentiments of others and all positive assertions lose no time but let each part of your business have its time they are simple these rules but they helped make possible ben's long and illustrious career of selling america they helped make ben one of the most effective salesmen of all time now ben wasn't what we would call a natural born salesman but by applying these rules he sold the people of pennsylvania his ideas for clean streets people weren't attracted to ben just the opposite in fact but despite this he sold his ideas for a volunteer fire department and a public library by nature ben didn't have the knack of getting along with people yet he put over his ideas for a free hospital and state university ben was a poor speaker but he carried his points he sold america to the french and secured many millions of dollars in loans loans which made possible the victories of general george washington as an old man ben went to the constitutional convention and sold america on signing the supreme law of the land selling america wasn't a hit or missed proposition with ben it all came down to the simple rules he established for himself early in life and which he applied throughout the length and breadth of his long selling career now this is all very well and good but the modern salesman says how do ben's rules apply to modern selling what kind of a salesman would ben make today times have changed customers today are different selling america today isn't like selling america back in the 18th century you're quite right sir times have changed the modern customer is different in dress in manual living the modern tempo is faster you are quite ricer in your selling you offer services undreamed of in my time you answer needs that never existed before what you sell america is entirely different but how you sell it is something else the methods of influencing people to buy are more or less universal they are based on human nature which is perhaps the one thing in all the years that has remained constant then you think i can sell well refrigerators ranges automobile tires anything at all that's modern by some of those rules indeed i do say well then you'll have to show me that will be a pleasure sir all right ben what's your first rule again my first rule sir is virtue is obtained rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue uh put on the humble inquired which in up-to-date english means get the prospect to talk ask questions hey ben right sir but then does that always apply isn't it a good idea to let the prospect know that you know what you're selling yes indeed but there's a time and a place for all that after you have found out just what you're selling the salesman who doesn't get the prospect to talk who doesn't ask questions is likely to monopolize the conversation and lose the sale because he never does find out the prospect's real reason for not buying the salesman who uses his tongue rather than his ears is likely to run into this difficulty while you're here mr daniels if you have time i'd like to show you our tires you'll be needing some new ones before long you know yes i know but i generally buy my tires down the street at ed's place well if it's economy and tires you're looking for mr daniels i think i can prove to you that our make of tire comes just as cheap as those down the street that is cheap when you consider the service and long life you get out of our maid well by mr daniels these tires have been put through all kinds of road tests before they were placed on the market scientifically conducted road tests by the greatest engineers in the industry and they proved conclusively that this tire has the greatest mileage of any tire you can buy today just let me i'll think it over and let you know i have an appointment pet selling points are often the reason for lost sales the salesman tries to sell something that he himself is interested in and frequently it is not at all what the prospect is interested in that's why rule number one says get the prospect to talk ask questions in that way you can find out what the prospect really wants how do you find out what his real reasons are for not buying well simplest way to do that i should say is to ask why why uh-huh let's see how it works on mr daniels while you're here mr daniels if you have time i'd like to show you our tires you'll be needing some new ones before long you know yes i know but i generally buy my tires down the street at ed's place is that so mr daniels just why do you like that particular tire well i don't know i've been using them a long time i like the way they're made in other words you like their construction well yes i guess that's it i see just why do you like that particular construction well i'll tell you i do a good deal of traveling in all kinds of weather what i like most about that tire is the tread well i don't want to be too inquisitive mr daniels but just what do you like about that tread well it doesn't skid i see that's very important an attire and i believe you'd be interested in seeing a new safety tread that our company has just developed a new tread yes i'd like to show it to you the prospect is really interested in safety in non-skid so that's what the salesman must talk about if he wants the prospect to listen not cost to the tire not mileage all the talk in the world about cost or mileage wouldn't sell that prospect when he's really interested in something else the only way i could find that out was to ask questions besides if you get people to talk it puts you on a friendly basis people like to talk okay ben what's your second rule my second rule is arguments are productive of disgust and perhaps enmities persons of good sense seldom fall into them that means uh don't argue amen right well yes ben but isn't it true that there are some people that you just can't help arguing well i know the kind you mean but woe to the salesman who gets into debate with them watch this you can't tell me it's cheap to cook with electricity somebody else maybe but not me i know all about cooking with it my sister-in-law used to have an electric range in our bills around no i don't know how much a month well mrs harrison your sister-in-law must have had a very poor rain oh no she didn't she had a very good range one of the best of course oh not a lot of money was a good range all right one of the best then probably she didn't know how to cook with her know how to cook what do you know about it what i meant was she probably wasted current used electricity that she didn't need why we've made a national survey why i have statements here to prove i guess she knows what she needs to cook with what she doesn't my sister-in-law is a good cook she was chief directionable i don't know how many hospitals before she was married cook why that little woman cooked wings around anybody i ever saw the most beautiful pies and roses well anybody who says my sister-in-law can't cook it what do you know about it what can you cook well i bet you can't even boil water can't even boil water you men are all alive you think just because your men you know all there is to know about everything all there is to know my harry is just the same doesn't think a woman knows anything anything at all about politics or anything well i want to tell you as the woman in this country counts for something in the government whether you and if you do get into an argument there's no telling where it will lead you but one thing is certain though it won't lead to a sale but how do you handle a woman like that ben well that brings me to my next rule rule number three in answering an opinion observe that in certain cases or circumstances the opinion would be right what does that mean ben well as you might put it it means answer with a yes but that's what i do with a woman like that one you can't tell me it's cheap to cook with electricity somebody else maybe but not me i know all about cooking with it my sister-in-law used to have an electric range and her bills ran oh i don't know how much a month yes mrs harrison i can understand why you feel that way many people think that about electric cooking costs some electric ranges did cost a lot to operate that's because many of the earlier electric ranges used a lot of current and because rates were high but fortunately those conditions are no longer true i know but my sister-in-law told me definitely that her range cost her seven dollars a month to operate yes i have no doubt that your sister-in-law's range did cost that much to operate but today's electric rates are appreciably lower and the modern range uses considerably less curve well it's hard to believe there could be so awful much difference yes it is hard to believe but as a matter of fact in a national survey just completed the average cost of operation was found to be only two dollars and thirty cents a month and here are some actual statements from owners right in this town well that certainly is surprising i had no idea cost so little to cook with electricity of course you know my sister-in-law did have quite an old range well ben the yes butt technique sure pulled you through on that one what's your next rule my next rule has to do with the cause of argument many of them you know the salesman himself provokes that's why i say in rule number four forbear all direct contradictions to the sentiments of others and all positive assertions don't contradict don't be too positive right for when you do contradict when you are too positive well let's see what might happen good day sir well how do you do i'm looking for one of those uh grips i didn't see what i wanted in the window one of those you know grips what do you want us for well i'm going to do a little traveling the company is sending me out in the field again i'm going on the road well in that case you don't want a grip nobody uses grips anymore they're out of style they're a back number you want one of these no i don't i want a grip i've always used the grip i don't like these newfangle bags but i think you're mistaken everybody uses these bags nowadays they don't care lips aren't any good not enough room can't keep your clothes right your suits get wrinkled you'll carry an extra suit along with you won't you yes well in that case this bag is just the thing a place for everything and everything in its place accommodates every traveling need this is what you want no it isn't i want a grip and if i can't get it here i'll you see i got off on the wrong foot right away by contradicting the prospect mind you you may be perfectly right in everything you say but if you present it that way well prospects are pretty rugged individualists sometimes how much better it would have been to handle it this way good day sir well how do you do i'm looking for one of those uh grips i didn't see what i wanted your window one of those you know grips yes i understand of course going to do a little traveling right yep i'm going on the road again here is a very nice grip genuine top grain cowhide leather hand sewed lined with imported irish linen will not scratch or soil yeah by the way here's another style of bag with many new conveniences for a person who travels a lot well i know but it probably costs too much it does cost a little more but then the savings on suit pressings would in a short time more than pay for the difference well i i never thought about one of those but you know that looks all right in other words always be sure to show them what they ask for first yes by not contradicting and getting off on the right track you're well on the way to stepping a prospect up to a better sale to what he really needs and to having a better satisfied customer all right ben where do we go from here what's rule number five rule number five is lose no time cut off all unnecessary actions let all things have their places but let each part of your business have its time don't waste time but tell a complete story right now suppose i'm selling a woman a refrigerator i find out by getting the prospect to talk that she's interested in the ice tray all right you see mrs brown a simple lift of this lever and the cubes are released instantly the quick cube tray is called here try it isn't it easy just a minute ben you find out what the prospect is interested in by getting her to talk but after you've sold her on that what do you do then ben flip out the order book and go after the old signature no i don't do that oh i give her an opportunity to buy sure but usually if you do it too early in the sale you'll find she'll hedge on you why because she's busy thinking up other things she's interested in what are you driving at ben just this i must tell a complete story not only must i sell her on the thing she told me she was interested in but i'm a seller on the other thing she's interested in that she didn't tell me about maybe she didn't even think about if i'm a smart salesman i anticipate these things a complete story gets the order because you never know what particular feature is going to make the prospect definitely decide to buy and unless you do tell a complete story you may overlook the one feature that will turn the trick one more thing ben about that order does she always sign it no no she doesn't the salesman doesn't live who can close every deal but i'll say this if she goes out with my complete story in her mind she's going to be a mighty tough prospect for any competitive salesman because if she goes out she'll know a lot about my product and that competitive salesman is going to be on the defensive every step of his contact okay ben okay thank you very much those rules of yours sure do the job they work just as well in today's job of selling america well they should after all their universal principles of human association you see they're broader than just selling alone they apply to any and every matter of content they're the rules for a better relationship of man to man and i feel that i can say this without seeming vain for they weren't new with me these rules they're as old as history i picked them up from salesmen who lived hundreds of years before my time [Music] get the prospect to talk ask questions don't argue answer with the yes but [Music] don't contradict don't be too positive don't waste time but tell a complete story use these five rules every day in every contact and you can sell america 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