3. Methods of securing suggestions.—The sales manager can secure much information in informal talks with his men. He can obtain some from the salesmen's daily letters. A salesman who has secured a good order should be encouraged to explain his ex perience in detail. He may do this by writing a for mal article for publication in the house organ, or he may write a letter to the sales manager, who can then edit it for the house organ. The latter is probably the better method.
Stenographic notes should be taken .of every talk that any salesman makes before a training class or at a convention. If one of tbe best salesmen is at the home office temporarily, it may be well to have the men from nearby territories. run in for an hour's talk with him. Small, informal meetings such as these have been found most inspiring and helpful. If the or ganization is working with the proper spirit, two members cannot get together without exchanging ideas and methods that will be valuable to both. Whenever possible, this getting together should be encouraged; and when salesmen are widely separated, correspondence between them should be promoted.
This securing of selling suggestions is one of those phases of sales-department work which show that loyalty is more than a name. The salesman who is disloyal, or who is a member of an organization that lacks the right spirit, will hug to himself his methods of getting business with the result that there can be no profit to other salesmen from his experience. The loyal member of an enthusiastic organization, on the other hand, will pass suggestions along without re serve for the benefit of his house, his sales manager and his brother salesmen.
4. Standard selling selling points and the selling methods may or may not be put into the shape of a standard presentation. Such a presen tation includes a well-considered talk and method of handling equipment, and is generally a composite of the best selling practice. The presentation should include a speech to be learned verbatim, and instruc tions for the handling of the equipment during the talk. Sales managers are divided as to the useful ness of a set speech in presenting a proposition. The National Cash Register Company which originated the standard presentation, at one time insisted upon their salesmen's learning the talk verbatim, but have now abandoned this method. They now instruct their
salesmen to have a thoro knowledge of the product and of all its selling points, but never to make up their minds before they are face to face with the prospect, exactly what they intend to say to him, they should rather let circumstances govern their opening remarks and selling talk. This does not mean, of course, that the National Cash Register Company has discon tinued working out the best way to present each sell ing point of their machine, or to anticipate objec tions which may be raised. The tall: -which their salesmen use today is a combination of standardized selling points.
Nothing will destroy a man's initiative more quick-ly than speaking a set piece over and over every day, and approaching every prospect in exactly the same manner. Furthermore, it is difficult for most men to mak-e a talk which they have learned by heart sound like their own, and a standard talk is useless if the prospect discovers that it is something learned by rote. It is true also that merely giving a standard talk will secure but few orders. Even where it is used, additions must be made to tie up the proposition with the prospect's interests; and certain parts may have to be omitted. Both sales manager and sales men should keep in mind that the men who have been principally responsible for the working out of the standard presentation are big producers, who would not allow themselves nor expect others to fall into the rut of saying exactly the same thing over and over again.
5. Flexible use of the standard presentation.—It is a good general rule that a standard presentation should be worked out, and standard reserve talks and answers to objections should be prepared. The printed talk given to the salesmen should have ample foot-notes. Sometimes these will be more voluminous than the presentation itself, and possibly more im portant. A thoro explanation in these foot-notes of why certain things are said and done at certain steps of the presentation will do much to persuade the sales man of the usefulness of the standard presentation and, more important still, may suggest to him other methods of accomplishing the same object which may be more effective or better suited to him personally.