Tested Direct Selling [1 ed.]

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Cthrartrs

SOCIAL SCIENCES

READING ROOM

1

TESTED DIRECT SELLING

TESTED DIRECT SELLING By

ELMER WHEELER PRESIDENT, TESTED SELLING INSTITUTE

OF

NEW YORK

CITY

Author of Tested Sentences That

Sell;

Word Magic;

Tested Public Speaking; Sizzlemanship; Tested Telegrams; Tested Retail Selling

In

E.

Collaboration with

W. PROCTOR,

VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE GUILD

New

JR.

COMPANY

York: 1942

PRENTICE-HALL, INC.

Copyright, 1942, by

ELMER WHEELER All Rights Reserved.

No

Part of This Boo\ May Be Reproduced in or Any Other Means, Without

Any Form, by Mimeograph

Permission in Writing from the Author.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Approved by

The National

Association of

Direct Selling Companies

\

FOREWORD

IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE A COMPREHENSIVE BOOK HAS BEEN written on the application of the technique of salesmanship to direct selling.

There has been great need for such a book

covering this streamlined method of distribution as

on today. Elmer Wheeler with

it

is

carried

his lifetime of experience in sales

"trouble shooting" and sales analysis

was the person

to write

it.

It

can be studied with

of salesmen

and

profit,

not only by the great army

executives in this field, but

by those in any

other field of selling, for the principles are the same, the applications only being different.

Here the reader

will find valuable ideas "put across" so

entertainingly that the

book reads itself. There need be no hesitation in saying that the person interested in any type of selling, who fails to read it, misses an important opportunity for betterment. J.

M. George

General Counsel, National Association of Direct Sell-

ing Companies.

CONTENTS

PAGE

Foreword

vii

,

SECTION

A

Magic Moments Before You Ring a Doorbell CHAPTER

Introduction 1.

2.

It Isn't

1

What You

Sell, It's

How You

Sell It

...

.

7

Pick a Product up Your Alley and Don't Get Off on Side-Streets

15

SECTION B

Tested 3. "Is

Your Mother

Ways in,

to Get the Interview

Miss?"

May

Still

Be a Good Door

Opener! 4.

23

Elmer Works His Way through School Selling Vacuum Cleaners

5.

34

Salespeople Aren't Supposed to Pull Jack Rabbits out of Hats

.

41

SECTION C Sizzling with the Wheelerpoints 6.

"Don't Sell the Steak point

7. 8.

9.

10,

Number

—Sell

—Wheeler-

the Sizzle"

53

1

—Telegraph"—Wheelerpoint Number "Say It with Flowers"—Wheelerpoint Number 3

"Don't Write

.

If—Ask Which"—Wheelerpoint Number Watch Your Bark—Wheelerpoint Number 5 "Don't Ask

.

ix

.

.

2

59

.

66

4

72

.

78

x

CONTENTS SECTION D Sizzleful Salespeople

Know

Their Sizzles

CHAPTER

PAGE

Who

11.

"Halt!

12.

Most Mules and All People Are from Missouri

13.

You Can't Sell Shoes to a Legless Man Seven Times Is Not too Many to Ask for the Order

14.

Goes There?"

SECTION

Remember, 15.

16. 17.

It's

37

....

94 102

114

E

the Order You're After

When Buyers Hesitate—Don't You Hesitate .... How to Detect the Prospect's "Ready-to-Buy" Signals Eight Types of Women—and How to Handle Them .

.

125 131

138

TESTED DIRECT SELLING

INTRODUCTION

Y ou

can't get rich quick in direct selling.

up a good, substantial income. If you work and improve your technique, you can make a great deal of money. That means that you must

You can

build

are willing to

be able to profit by the experience of others.

The

function of this book

methods of you are

just

selling that

is

to bring

you successful

have been tested and will work.

If

beginning as a salesperson, this book will help

you over some of the rough tablished, this

spots.

you are already

If

book should help you

es-

increase your profits.

THREE THINGS YOU OFFER

A

hundred years ago people did much of

from peddlers who

food,

stays put, usually,

and other

items.

compete with these

and people go

To some

stores,

For

instance,

let's

Today, the to

him

The store-

for clothes,

extent direct salespeople

but they have three advantages

to offer: (1) service, (2) education,

kitchen strainer.

buying

traveled through the countryside.

peddler brought his store to the home.

owner

their

and (3) convenience.

say that you're selling a flat-bottom s

When

you bring the 1

strainer to the

home

INTRODUCTION

2 of Mrs. Smith so she can study

kitchen, you're

you prove that the

when

strainer won't roll over

own

in her

When

offering a special service.

bottom

it

she puts

it

flat-

down

in

a hurry to answer the telephone, you're offering education.

When work

you demonstrate

how

this strainer will lighten

her

so she can get out of the kitchen earlier every day,

you're offering convenience.

BOTH DEALERS AND SOLICITORS MAKE MONEY

When and

I

mean to include both dealers make the sale, deliver the it. As a solicitor, in the great

refer to salespeople I

As

solicitors.

a dealer you

merchandise, and collect for majority of instances, you

Some

posit plan.

sell

on the C.O.D. advance-de-

who have

dealers

a line of small items

often carry stock which they purchase at wholesale prices.

But dealers sometimes

who

sell

handle such goods as groceries or furniture

from samples or catalogs, send and deliver it.

in their orders,

receive the merchandise,

As a solicitor you would normally collect a deposit, which would be your commission, and send in your order to the manufacturer for shipment, C.O.D., direct to the consumer.

Such products suits, shirts

as

women's

and shoes

Both plans are good. the dealer for

all

method

concerned

dresses, paint, nursery stock,

are usually sold

Some

products lend themselves to

of operation; others

when

make money under

men's

on the C.O.D. plan. seem

the other plan

either setup, but

is

to

work

used.

how much

better

You can will de-

pend upon you.

WHAT

IT

TAKES

Sometimes you hear that a person has to be a born

man

to sell successfully.

I

have trained

many

sales-

people and

I

INTRODUCTION

know

that anyone can

training rules.

do a good

and experience

Of

if

more

are

They do not

Self-discipline.

successful than

and go on

They keep

their

tempers

selling.

They do not quit when they haven't They know there's a batch of all day.

Perseverance.

made

an unfriendly house-

tell

wife what they think of her.

2.

with the right

he or she follows certain basic

some people

course,

selling job

That's because they have these five qualifications:

others. 1.

3

a sale

orders just ahead.

They

3. Fact-ability.

across in

an

get the facts about their products

intelligent, interesting manner.,

They know what

objections are

4.

Objection-handling.

5.

coming up, and how to handle them. We will have more to say about this later on. Sympathy. They have a real interest and sympathy in the problems and lives of their customers.

That's

why

they get such big "repeats." If

you have a boss with a whip over you, you won't do

well in direct selling.

of the

you're a clock watcher, get a job

If

The

in a grocery store.

successful direct salesperson

most independent people on

both security and advancement. earnings are not restricted. customers,

who

faithfully.

He

His work

can't be fired.

one

offers

His

has an established group of

him and who

comes and goes

as

he

will deal

pleases,

with him

but he

knows

he uses his feet in the beginning of his career,

more more he can use

that the

the

belong to

He

earth.

He

is

It's

his

Foot

head

later on.

Wor\ That

Counts.