One of the basic principles involved was expressed recently by a salesman for a printing house. He had put up a long, earnest and masterly talk to secure a large contract for his concern and had been turned down only because the prospect thought that another house with larger equipment would make quicker de liveries. It was difficult, of course, for the salesman to accept defeat smilingly, especially after having lost by such a small margin. But, after recognizing that his cause was lost and before preparing to leave, he sought to relieve the tension of the interview by ex changing with the prospect a few short remarks not especially relevant to the subject that they had been discussing. He lapsed quickly into a story that illus trated a point; the prospect responded with one which illustrated another ; and when both were laughing heartily, the salesman prepared to take his leave. The buyer looked at him admiringly. "You are fairly cheerful, considering that you have just lost a sizable contract." "Mr. Prospect," returned the salesman smiling, but in earnest, "if I should ever start to leave your office without a real smile on my face, call me back and give me the opportunity to leave in the right way." 4. After the sale.—Very often after the sale has been made, the order has been signed and the sales man has gone, a reaction occurs in the buyer's mind. In the very nature of things, he bought at the high est point of enthusiasm. With that first enthusiasm dying down and the domination of the salesman re moved, the old objections may arise and confront him once more. The replies that the salesman made to these objections have lost some of their force. In short, the prospect begins to doubt the wisdom of his purchase. He needs strong reassurance or there will be danger of a cancellation. If one of his big objec tions to buying was that he was overstocked on the particular line of goods offered, the salesman, after the order is taken, should recapitulate to him the plans proposed for moving the goods. If an exclusive agency has been taken or if a piece of real estate has been bought, the salesman will do well to remind the prospect that another person was after it and stood ready to sign if an opportunity offered; such a re minder will do much to reassure the wavering pur chaser. I f there is literature that describes the propo sition, the salesman should leave it with the buyer. Once the buyer has undergone this reaction and emerged from it reassured, there is very little proba bility of a subsequent change in his attitude.
5. Furnishing helpful there is a great deal of detailed information which the buyer should have about his purchase but which would seri ously confuse the presentation. The time to go int() these matters is after the order has been closed; they should then be fully treated. Of course, when an article is to be resold, a great deal of explanation will be needed. The dealer must know why he bought, so that he may know how to sell. Most of this explana tion can be saved to advantage until the sale is con cluded. It may seem to the man who has never sold that no intelligent person will buy before he knows all about the purchase. The fact remains, however, that practical men of business do so. Very often their buying is based on nothing more than a general outline of the proposition offered, coupled with confi dence in the salesman.
At the close of the sale is the point, too, at which the salesman, especially if he deals in a specialty line, gets that valuable cooperation which leads him to the buyer's friends, who are the best possible prospects for him. And this is the point at which the retail salesman adroitly draws the buyer's attention to other things and effects further sales.
6. The right impression at leaving.—The salesman should always leave the buyer with the assurance that he, personally, will give the order attention as far as possible, and that he will drop in to see whether the goods have come promptly and in good condition. In short, to leave a right impression is quite as im portant as to gain an audience.
Whether or not a sale has been made, the matter of making a dignified exit is important—and also diffi cult. The salesman's methods of handling his sam ples or his equipment should be such that within a very short space of time after the interview has termi nated, everything will be packed up and he will be prepared to leave. The man who has turned the salesman down and is anxious to get at other things, but who is too courteous to do so until the salesman has taken his leave, is disconcerting as he sits with his hands on the arms of his chair watching the salesman fumble for different pieces of his equipment. The embarrassment is likely to be almost as great where a sale has been made. The salesman, therefore, should have a definite system that will enable him to get away the moment he terminates the interview.
This brings up another point. A very successful business man said recently that he has made it a rule of his life always to be the one who terminates the interview; to be the first to rise when negotiations are concluded or an interview has accomplished its pur pose ; and invariably to dismiss the other fellow before the other fellow dismisses him. If the salesman. ap plies this principle in his work he will have done much to make his exit a dignified one.
When a salesman thanks a prospect—after a sale has been accomplishcd—while he should do so in such a way as to leave no doubt that the order is appre ciated, he should, at the same time distinctly give the impression that a mutual benefit is involved. "Thank you—and you will thank me," tho extremely hack neyed, expresses the principle. Some such formula as this might be used: "I want to thank you, Mr. Prospect; I am glad to have this order, and when the goods arrive I am sure you will like them, even better than you think now." 7. The "bill starter."—A big wholesale dry goods salesman said recently: "Whenever I have a buyer in my sample room out on the road, I lead him immedi ately to the article for which he asks, or which I know he needs. That starts the bill. It seems an easy matter to get other items on the order once the ice is broken.
"When a man comes into the house and asks for a particular article, however, I show him that article last. I lead him to the article for which he has asked in a roundabout way, stopping casually to show him things and quoting prices as we go along. Many times, I have a half-dozen items on the bill before we have arrived at the particular thing that he asked for when be came in. The idea here is, that if he were led immediately to the item he came in to buy, he would buy it and, deciding that his errand had been accom plished, would leave without looking at other things in stock." In discussing the subj ect of attention, we said that the man handling a varied line should make his approach on one particular commodity. He should stick to that particular commodity until he has either sold the prospect or discovered that the latter abso lutely will not buy. In other words, the making of a sale right at the start will make the adding of items to the order easier and more rapid than under any other conditions.