So for today I have my notes from reading How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling by Frank Bettger (this book is back from the earlier 20s… and I highly recommend it!).
This will be note style so there’s really no order, just lots of great sales information which will also help you with your marketing.
Enjoy!
How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling
by Frank Bettger
To become enthusiastic, act enthusiastic.
The most important secret of salesmanship is to find out what the other fellow wants, then help him find the best way to get it.
Dale Carnegie: There is only one way under high heaven to get anybody to do anything. Did you ever stop to think of that? Yes, just one way. And that is by making the other person want to do it. Remember, there is no other way.”
When you show a man what he wants, he’ll move heaven and earth to get it.
How do you meet objections? By Asking Questions!
Basic Principles Used in Making That Sale:
- Make Appointments
- Be Prepared
- What Is The Key Issue?
- Key Word Notes
- Ask Questions
- Explode Dynamite!
- Arouse Fear: Basically, there are only two factors that move men to action… desire for gain, and fear of loss.
- Create Confidence: People don’t like to be sold. They like to buy.
- Express Honest Appreciation of Your Listener’s Ability
- Assume a Close
- Put YOU in the Interview
See things from the other person’s point of view and talk in terms of his wants, needs, desires.
J. Elliott Hall: “I made them give me the answers, largely by asking questions.”
You can do two things with a question:
- Let the other person know what you think.
- You can at the same time pay him the compliment of asking his opinion.
“That is salesmanship. He listened until he found out what I wanted, and then sold it to me.”
The Most Powerful Word in the English Language: WHY
J. Pierpont Morgan, Sr.: “A man generally has two reasons for doing a thing – one that sounds good, and a real one.”
The importance of being a good listener, showing the other person you are sincerely interested in what he is saying, and giving him all the eager attention and appreciation that he craves and is so hungry for, but seldom gets!
Dorothy Dix: “The shortcut to popularity is to lend everyone your ears, instead of giving them your tongue.”
Henry Ford: “Anyone who stops learning is old – whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
KNOW YOUR BUSINESS and KEEP ON KNOWING YOUR BUSINESS
Benjamin Franklin: “I will speak ill of no man – and speak all the good I know of everybody.”
Praise your competitors!
How to get an “in” with a client… “How did you ever get started in this business?”
How to remember names… I.R.A.:
- Impression: Get a clear impression of his name and face.
- Repetition: Repeat his name at short intervals.
- Association: Associate it with an action picture, if possible, include the person’s business.
Overtalking is one of the worst of all social faults.
When you’re scared… admit it!
When you’re in a tight spot and scared to death, admit it! When you’re in a bad spot and you’re wrong, just admit it 100 percent.
The first, and probably the most important, step in selling anything: “Sell yourself first!”
People prefer to work by appointment!
The foundation of sales lies in getting interviews, and the secret of getting good, attentive, courteous interviews, is in selling appointments.
First, sell the appointment. Second, sell your product.
The best way to outsmart secretaries and gatekeepers is never to try!
The best time to prepare a speech is immediately after you’ve made one; likewise, a sales talk. All the things you should have said, and should not have said, are fresh in your mind. Write them down immediately!
One demonstration is worth more than a thousand words. If possible, let the customer perform the demonstration. Let the customer help you make the sale.
Never forget a customer; never let a customer forget you.
When you sell ’em, don’t forget ’em!
A new lead is sizzling hot!
Whatever happens, good or bad, I always report back to the friend who had the confidence in me to give me the lead.
Robert B. Coolidge: “Prospecting is like shaving… if you don’t do something about it every day, first thing you know, you’ll be a bum.”
Dr. Russell H. Conwell: “Appeal for action! Here is where so many otherwise good speakers fall down. They win their cause with the world at large, but fail to win the support of their audience. They have amused it; they have entertained it; but they haven’t sold it anything.”
The average successful sales goes through four steps:
- Attention
- Interest
- Desire
- Close
(Sounds like a well know copywriting formula…)
Dick Campbell: “In this world, we either discipline ourselves, or we are disciplined by the world.”
Dr. Louis E. Bisch: “Cultivate a little the don’t-care habit; don’t worry about what people may think. This will endear you to others and make you liked and loved all the more.”
These are the key notes I got out of How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Writing.
Have you read this book before? If so, what are you thoughts? Be sure to leave them in the comments below.
Now go take action!