There is a great deal...
Illustration
There is a great deal we can learn about inviting people to church from the salesman's manual. First, we need to know that only one in ten "cold calls" (that is, a sales call made on someone who has shown no previous interest) will buy whatever we have to sell. So, the salesman has to learn that there is no such thing as "a good time" to sell. One gets up every day, and gets on the phone or out the door, and makes those calls. Do not let a "no" undermine your confidence, or convince you that you are no salesperson. Persistence is the thing that sells, even if the salesman has no great flair for words.
But persistence alone is not enough, especially when selling what the sales professional calls "a big ticket item" (that is, an expensive or life-altering sale, such as a major appliance, car, house, or dating service). Sales manuals counsel the use of a variety of techniques, approaches and arguments for the customer's need of whatever it is we're selling. And, the saleswoman is told, don't be afraid to call back; after thinking it over, the customer may decide that this house is exactly the one that will accommodate his family plans. Your timing may be lucky --their old car just stopped dead on the freeway --and the sale will be made immediately. But even if the person says "no" a second or third time, the fourth or fifth time may be the day the sale is made. Patience in answering questions and meeting objections, persistence and a knack for listening to what people do not say, all help to make the sale.
- Herrmann
But persistence alone is not enough, especially when selling what the sales professional calls "a big ticket item" (that is, an expensive or life-altering sale, such as a major appliance, car, house, or dating service). Sales manuals counsel the use of a variety of techniques, approaches and arguments for the customer's need of whatever it is we're selling. And, the saleswoman is told, don't be afraid to call back; after thinking it over, the customer may decide that this house is exactly the one that will accommodate his family plans. Your timing may be lucky --their old car just stopped dead on the freeway --and the sale will be made immediately. But even if the person says "no" a second or third time, the fourth or fifth time may be the day the sale is made. Patience in answering questions and meeting objections, persistence and a knack for listening to what people do not say, all help to make the sale.
- Herrmann
