Feed Him

Bv Jock Dionne

Yeqrs qgo a big city newspaper offered c generous ccsh prize to the womcn writing the best esscy on "How to Win cmd Hold c Husband." And the winning article contcined iust two words crnd no more. But they were mcgic words: *FEED HIM." The author w6rs ci'nply lollowing tersely the world'old crdcrge thct the shortest wcy to tr mcn's hecrrt is through his stomqch.

And when y9u come to think of it, ihose scme two wor& would mqke c prize formulc lor wiruring cmd holding customers, crnd therelore should be ot much interest to sqlesmen of cll kinds. FEED ElvL In this ccrse crnd sense not necessqrily fine vicnds and thick steaks-clihough with mqny men thcrt IS c short-cut to order-geiting-but whatever it is thct lhe custorrer is hungry for. Beccruse, you lorow, cll men cre hungry for something crll the time. Men hunger lor mcury ihings, cnd lor c vcrriety ol things; The ideq is lor the salesurcn to discover the wecrlrnesg or wecknesses ol the prospect, cnd leed hirrr clong thcrt line. Lots oI custoners who wouldn't let you buy him cr drinlc or cr mecl either, cre neverlheless hungry lor other things thcrt you CAN lurnish hirn, and which would cost the scrlesurqn nothing. I'm tcl<ing crbout those intcngible things ol lile that cll men hunger for, every mcm hcving his own pcrticulqr sort ol cnr crlrpetite.

Some men like lunny stories, some like prccticcrl inlonnction, some hcve their hunting, golfing, fishing, motoring, cnd other hobbies too nuurerous to mention" aome men like sympcrthy, prcrise, understcnding, cffection, trnd other intcrngibles; FEED filEM To TTIEM. Do it diplorncticcrlly. Never let them see the hcnrdle oI the lork or Epoon, or reqlize thcrt there is deliberqte leeding going on

Remember thct only cbout 5 per cent oI the people ol this country-cmd thct goes for customers everywhere-recrlly THINK; crnother l0 per cent get by lcirly well by imitcrting the 5. And 85 per ceni believe everything they recrd cnrd hecr. The sclegmqn who lorgets those ligures is pcssing up worthwhile scles cnrmunition. Selling is crn educcrtional process. Humcns genercrlly qre interested in nine fundcrmentcrls. All others are sub-titles. These generclly qre inierested in nine lundqmentcrls. Atl others crre sub-titles. These nine qre love, money, cdventure, religion, politics, entertcrinurent, Iood, clothing, <rnd shelter. These crre crll good worlccble subiects but hro-politics qnd religion. Never tclk politics unless you <rre cbsolutely certcrin ol your ground,. never tcrlk religion crt crll-it's dyncmite.

I recrlly hcrte to write ihis fincrl pcrcgrcph on the subject of leeding prospective cusiomers, but the lcct remcrins-regcrrdless oI my distcrste lor crdmitting it-thct FTATTERY is still one oI the most lethcl wecpons in the crsenal oI the sqlesmcn. Thct old humcn lrcilty thcrt hcrs come down to us trom Fcther Adcrm-to the 85 per cent ol us mentioned qbove, ct lecst--still remcrins cr supercrbundcmt humcn lciling. Yes, it is scle to scy thct 85 per ceni of cll customers cnd prospects lcll lor llcrttery iI it is well hcrndled. So, feed thai to 'em, crlso.