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Every question mark has a hook on it, and if you put out enough hooks you are bound to gather some valuable in- formation and ideas. To associate and assimilate this infor- mation in the light of your own experience feeds the imagination and enables you to anticipate the needs of your prospect. In many instances it also enlivens the prospect's imagination. It seems that the imagination of one man quick- ens the imagination of another. Some years ago, when selling life insurance by telephone, I had another experience that illustrates the value of ques- tions that stimulate the imagination. I telephoned a manu- facturer whom I had never seen. After presenting my Sales Plan, his reaction was: "I am not interested in life insurance, and I think you would be wasting your time to talk to me about it." At this point I had no more to say about life insur- ance. I turned on questions. I asked him how business was, and how he felt about things in general. This started the flow of ideas. He was anxious to talk. In the course of his remarks, he told me that his company had recently built a new addition to the plant at a cost of $90,000. I asked him if his company had a mortgage against the plant building. He told me that the company had a mortgage of $50,000. At this juncture, my imagination immediately took posses- sion of the situation and I visualized this company is placing a $50,000 ten-year endowment life insurance policy on Mr. Manufacturer's life to cover the mortgage. I pointed out to Mr. Manufacturer that, if he was living at the end of ten years, the policy would accumulate the $50,- 000 to liquidate the mortgage; if he died in the meantime, the policy would immediately liquidate the mortgage. In other words, the policy guaranteed to protect and liquidate the mortgage. It all originated through the imagination, by asking a question. IMAGINATION YOUR JUNIOR SALESMAN 151 Prospects are not dumb. They are open-minded and con- siderate. Treat them as a unit of intelligence. Sincere ques- tions provoke ideas, arouse response, stimulate interest, create a desire, and give you the inside track on how to do things. 5. |
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