Constant Solicitation

Bv Jack Dionne

An old friend said to me the other day:

"Your editorial on 'Leg Workt was the only article on the science of salesmanship that I ever read that did me some REAL good."

Fine! As I said in that editorial, any article or talk on salesmanship that does not leave the interested party something definite to use in making sales is ttThe Bunk.tt ltConstant solicitationtt must necessarily be hinged directly on ttleg work,tt and solicitation, in the true senae of the word, must mean more than the formal call, and the formal query. It must mean that the salesman shall know his goods, know their value and their uses, and know how to explain to the other fellow just what they mean to HIM.

A ruly great lumber salesman said to me once: ttOrders come as the result of CONSTANT SOLICITATION, and not because customers drop in and ask for things." Under all normal conditions, this is true of building materials.

The average man is NOT interested in your goods, eimply as GOODS. He is interested in what he can do with them, what he can use them for, and how make them a thing of profit, or pleasure or satisfaction to HIM.

It seems to me that successful solicitation means applying tfie needs of the OTHER FELLOW to YOUR goods, and making the application to that other fellow in such an interesting manner that his desire for YOUR GOODS is greater than his desire for his OWN MONEY.

THAT'S successful solicitation.

The buyer knows that his money has value. And you only get that money when you show him that something which you have for sale, or something that can be built from what you have for sale, is of GREATER value to him than his money.

That means the use of BRAINS. Vith your applied intelligence you must use every effort to SEE in the light of your tradets needs and desires, and make those needs and desires the connecting link between your business and the consumerts pocket.

Use LEG WORK and CONSTANT SOLICITATION for the first fundamental of your selling effort. And for the second half of the campaign, learn to skillfully apply YOUR goods, to the other fellow's NEEDS.