SMOOTH SELL'NG

. by Georse N. Kohn, Marketins co:::o:::::",r, N. Kaht

Taking A Risk

Several years ago I knew a young advertising man who quit his job to open his own advertising agency.

My friend, Don Larick, was Iong on drive and imagination but shon on capital. He needed at least one big client to really get on a firm footing.

Then his chance came. He bid for the account of a leading cofiee firm.

But Don's heart sank at his first interview with the company's advertising manager. He learned that other agencies, including some of the city's largest, had submitted elaborately prepared presentations. Don, who was barely meeting his rent, could not hope to duplicate them.

He thought fast.

o'I don't work with elaborate portfolios," he told the ad manager casually.

"But how else can we tell if you can do the job?" the manager asked.

Don knew that the final decision would be made by the company's board of directors.

"Do you think your board would appreciate a good idea if they heard it?" he asked.

Assured that it would, Don requested an audience with the board.

My friend made a brilliant oral presentation with the aid only of a few notes on the back of an old envelope! He got the account and went on to become one of the most successful advertising practitioners of his time.

Don acted boldly, a might well emulate.

Are You Ploying

step that salesmen

lt Too Sofe?

The old adage "nothing ventured nothing gained" is a good one for a salesman to remember.

It's easy to play it safe. In this way you attain a nice level of mediocrity. Your children may not be able to attend college or you won't get that Bermuda vacation, but you will be safe. Too many salesmen seek this way out. The pity is that this is supposed to be a dynamic profession. Our whole economy literally moves on salesmanship.

The "safe" salesman rarely if ever breaks new ground in his territory. He never goes after the really big ticket if it means sacrificing any time from his "tried and true" routine. He is fearful of pushing a new product that may have great potential. He would never dream of correcting a customer, even though the latter would have more respect for him. He dreads taking over a new territory.

Nqture of the Risk

The risks I suggest are along the line of intelligent business practice. Of course it may be safer to spend two hours with an old and assured account, but sometimes devote one of those hours to calling on a tough but potentially productive prospect.

It may be safe to stay with proven principles, but new selling ideas are being developed almost every day. Experiment with some of them. k may be the best thing you ever did for yourself.

Some salesmen are so faint-hearted they won't even take a chance when they have nothing to lose.

Bart Hartman once took over a well-established territory. He had been told that one particular customer, ABC Company, had been buying l0 gross of the product every call for many years. At his first call on the firm, Bart introduced himself, mechanically wrote up the order and departed.

The next day he was called at his home by his irate supervisor who said he had received word that the ABC outfit had purchased 100 gross of the product from a competing firm.

When Bart checked back the next-day with the ABC firm the explanation was frustratingly simple.

"I was district manager then," Nick recalled. "with a force of 25 men."

"We had been angling for years without success to get a big department store which was buying thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from our competitor. Their appliance buyer was as firm as the Rock of Gibraltar in refusing to even listen to our presentation.

"One of my freshmen salesmen, Ted Marrison, decided one day to gamble with an idea. He marched into the appliance buyer's office and announced:

"Mr. Spinner, I'm determined to get an order from you by the end of the month. I'm temporarily dropping everything elseo my other customers, prospects-to work on a presentation for you."

"The buyer was dumbfounded," Nick said. But he finally managed to say to Ted:

"You're taking an awful chance, young man. My onswer will probably be no after vou've made your presentation."

"Ted went ahead anyway," Nick continued. "For the next month he gave up a virtually assured income to research and prepare a bangup presentation for Spinner. When it was ready, he called for an appointment and was told to come around the next day.

"Ted delivered a masterful presentation," Nick went on. "He knew that department store inside and out and made such convincing points that Spinner could not help but give him an order-and a whopping one, That store was our customer from then on. And Ted tripled the income he had loet in that month. He took a gamble and won. But the stakes were big and he knew it."

This is the kind of courage and cool headedness that pays ofifora salesman. Even when you're taking a beating, donot be afraid to try something new or take a chance.

Here is a self test to let you see if you crease my order," the purchasing agent are sufficiently aggressive to take a risk said. "Your competitor did." if the situation cails for it.

"You didn't ask me if I wanted to in-

In Bart's case there was no element of v^.- ^L^..rr ^^t ^1 risk. He merely had to ask a simple ques- .*l:: should get at least five "yes" antion. But.it's surprising hor,v often this sim- l. Do you occasionally vary from your sales rou- ple question doesn't get asked by salesmen. tine? iis n -ifo n Woy to Advoncemenl

The bold and enterprising salesman will

2. Does the .idea of taking a gamble interest you?

3. il|t yF, ,}fi,rF*r, te1 a prospect 0r customer always catch the eye of his superiors. that'he's wrong? ' ' Ves I -tto tr

Nick Kalb, sales manager for a huge

4. Qo yglt ever make a really hard .stab at getting Mid-West appliance manuflacturer, tells "of r. n: ilfl ilXiti. new suggesrionleL?,olt*, H one bright lad who scooped up an order - salesmansliip? - .Yes D No .tr from under the nose of veteran colleagues

6. Do you emulate successful salesmen ttny5 who had been trying for years to snag it.

REPRII{TS FpR YOUR SALESMEN each arflcle ln thls sertes ls ex- panded to approxlmately 2000 words-lncludes a self-evaluauon qulz- l8 prlnted ln 2 colors In a 4 pase format. on whlte slossy DaDer and ls 3-hole punched to flt any stdndard 3-rtng blnder . .-. pribe3 dre as fol- towa: I to 0 coplor (of each ortlclo) ...-....-....-60 ccDts oaoh

!g to 40 coploi (of oech arficlo) -..-_--.._57+h coats 6aoh 60 to 99 coplos (of esch art|cl€) ..-_-..._...._t0 conts ea.Gh

IOO or moro coplc. (of oaoh artlclG) ...........-25 c€ntr oaoh

The enttre serles may be Dre-order€d or tndtvtdual arflcl$ may be oltered by number address orders to Gcorge N. f,ahn Co.. Markattng

Z. tjo yol avoid playing it safe? i;; - i6 E coqr-sgrtan-t-s, sqles_'flql!l4g_Plvlstg!,_ Selrfce Department, Emplre state Buuding, New York, N.Y. 10001. Artlcle tlues area l. Tho Saleuan li . VJ.P.

2. Ate Iou A Sa,lGsm.ant

8. Got Acoualntcd ltrlth

Your Cdmpany

{. You're On Stoso

5. Iou Csn't FlrC llylthort Ammunltlon

6. You Are A Goodwlll Salcrmra. Too

7. Cloilna Tho Salc t. Eow Te set Un Ar Irtcrylcr

$. f,6ll:lag Betriecn Boundr

10. Th€ Comoetltlon

11. Taklnr .{Rlsk

12. Ployin? Thc Short Gamc

When orderln& ples3e mentlon. fhe i[€Fchant.

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