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In matters of money you either give interest to get dollars, or give dollars to get interest. In either case, it is give and take. The same principle applies to people. It is mutual. To get dollars from the prospect, you must yield interest. You must be interested in listening, which is paying close atten- tion with the purpose of hearing what the prospect has to say. Many sales have been lost by salesmen who failed to listen to what the prospect had to say. On the other hand, many sales have been made by salesmen who listened to what the prospect had to say. Speaking of interest, in Philadelphia I have one of the THE SECRET POWER OF CHARM 177 finest bootblacks in the world. In fact, I think nothing of walking four blocks out of the way to have my good friend Salvatore Martorano shine my shoes. In addition to his ex- cellent qualities as a bootblack, Salvatore is the essence of charm. He is always humble, gentle, and polite. He is well informed and pays strict attention to every word you tell him. You can tell from his gracious manner and friendly attitude that he really likes you, and this naturally endears him to you. He makes you feel that his life would have never been complete had he failed to have met you. His whole philosophy of life and selling is: "You gotta treat a people right." He is a good lesson in charm, and everyone who sells can use his sales slogan to great advantage. Interest, kindness, and humbleness are always a part of charm. They are the teeth of charm. Speaking of teeth, my good friend E. Barclay Powell, one of America's great steel salesmen, tells the story about an old Negro woman who was bitten by a dog on his brother's plantation in Georgia. His brother had many dogs and there was some trouble in deciding which one had bitten her. "Which dog bit you?" she was asked. "Was it Nero, Prince, Damon, or Neptune?" "I don't know," she groaned. "The name ain't bothered me none, it jis the teeth." So it is the "teeth" you put in charm that count in selling, says Powell. Therefore, demonstrate interest with a spirit of kindness and humbleness; it will in- tensify your charm. |
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