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One of the best means to improve the power of creative selling is to start thinking about what you are doing. This kindles the imagination and generates enthusiasm. You have a desire to improve the technique of your own selling ability. Every improvement in selling is brought about by imagining something better. You ask yourself: How can my selling imagination be improved? Think of every consideration in the sale at hand in relation to your planned presentation. This starts a chain of thought; one idea blends into another, and soon a new and better way to do it unfolds before you. Very few selling plans are perfect, and they can all be im- proved upon. It will pay you to think how you can improve your present sales technique. As an example, here is a story that will interest you. In July, 1920, the life insurance business was rather quiet, and I undertook to sell an advertising proposition. In order to make this proposition profitable, it was necessary to sell it out within a period of six weeks. My imagination went to work, and, after visualizing the proposition, I decided that it could be sold by a telephone campaign. Upon this decision I proceeded. I visualized the advertising proposition over the telephone by means of a prepared Sales Plan. I drafted a Plan in line with the findings of my imagination and went to work. Six weeks later, the advertising proposition was IMAGINATION YOUR JUNIOR SALESMAN 147 sold out and my bank account showed a handsome new bal- ance. This experience inflamed my imagination with the results that could be accomplished in selling by using the telephone. My imagination instructed me that, if I could visualize an advertising idea over the telephone, I could also visualize a life insurance idea over the telephone. I heeded this instruc- tion, and as a result of that idea, sponsored by my imagina- tion, I sold $10,000,000 worth of life insurance over the telephone. In fact, I sometimes sold as much as $50,000 worth of life insurance without ever seeing the prospect. This idea is completely unfolded in my book, How to Sell by Telephone. How do you know what the imagination can do to help you to improve your sales technique? How do you know what you can do for the prospect until you begin to analyze and visualize the possibilities of his business? As you gather material for the benefit of one customer, it helps you to visualize the needs of another customer. All businesses are basically alike, and the improvement of one usually reflects itself in the improvement of another. Therefore, try to visu- alize how to improve your customer's business or service. The only way to do this is to visualize the various character- istics of each customer or prospect in conjunction with his business. Ask yourself: Is there any way to improve the busi- ness of the prospect? Is he fully aware of his present oppor- tunities? Is there anything lacking in his present procedure? Then ask yourself: Can I offer him a suggestion or an idea that will improve his present business? How can I obtain additional business from him? Have I only half sold him, and left the field wide open for my competitor? Many times you fail to get additional business because you underestimate the capacity of the prospect to buy. Stay with him until he yields all, but by all means deserve it by rendering him a genuine service. 148 IMAGINATION YOUR JUNIOR SALESMAN As you journey along, try to heed any suggestions made by your imagination. They may come through hunches or intuitions, but always remember that ideas are very much like lightning: They only strike once in the same place. The time to act upon an idea is when it strikes; if you do this, you will be amazed at the many different angles, slants, and ideas that you will get to aid you in getting additional busi- ness. Ideas will not only come to you on how to improve your own sales technique, but ideas will comes to you on how to improve the service of your prospect or customer. All of this means more sales for you. 3. |
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