"The biggest variable in printing is 'make-ready,' the adjustment of the plates in the press so that they will print evenly. The printers who submit the lowest bids to you will slap the plates into the press and make the run without any 'make-ready.' Those who bid slightly higher may fuss around for an hour or two making ready and then, hit or miss, will make the run anyhow. 11Iy company will keep a press standing idle a day if necessary in order to get the 'make-ready' perfect. We won't start to run until we are assured of turning out a quality job.
"Now, Mr. Buyer, we are the lowest priced quality print ers in New York. If you want the lowest price compatible with the highest quality and will award this job on that basis, I am going to get your business." When bids began to come, the differences in amount were startling. But the salesman's talk had made such an impression that this man's house, tho its bid was much nearer the top than the bottom, was awarded the job. There is probably no trade in which the price competition is more severe than in printing. Despite that, this salesman by a sincere, convincing "quality" talk was able to make price assume an im portance secondary in the mind of his prospect.
The matter of special discounts, approaching ad vances in price, possible restriction of supply and like inducements may also be mentioned by the salesman. If he can truthfully advance any such arguments as a reason for the prospect's signing up at once, he will find them to be of material aid in closing. They are not, however, necessary to the work of a good sales man.
11. "Think it over."—The only sales that pay are the sales that are closed. The salesman is paid for the orders he secures and not for the prospects that he has lined up. The "think it over" and the "call back again" are not, therefore, particularly encour aging things for the salesman to hear at the close of an interview.
The prospects who give these answers fall into two classes: those who are naturally conservative and de liberate, who never make a decision without sleeping on it, who want to make further investigations—in short, those who sincerely intend to think it over ; and those suave individuals v,ho merely take this polite method of turning the salesman doNvn. The salesman must learn to distinguish carefully between these two classes, or those in the latter class will keep him running around in a circle chasing will-o'-the-Nvisps, and so prevent him from seeing a sufficient number of new people.
"Think it over," unless the nature of a salesman's proposition is such that a sale on first interview is impossible, is born of a presentation that lacks en thusiasm, that is void of a strong appeal to the imagi nation, that does not take the "you" attitude, or that comes to a chill, dead stop at the close when all the salesman's strength should be in action.
No matter what the line, any number of arguments can be marshalled against the "think it over" attitude, and the best of salesmen occasionally allow the inter view to get to the point where they have to usg these arguments to combat that point of' view.
More often the salesman forestalls this inclination of the prospect to postpone decision. There is, after all, a very slight difference between the sincere "think it over" and the signed order. Just a little new en thusiasm, a little more snap in the presentation, a few terse stories to illustrate points, a little more of the "you" attitude and a slightly stronger close will work wonders for the salesman who is getting a large pro portion of delayed decisions.
12. The "call-back."—This brings us to the "call back." The man selling staples and calling on his regular trade is continually calling back. "Let that go over now and see me on your next trip," is familiar to his ears. There is, of course, no question of the ad visability of his calling back. He will always call on people who handle his line whether they buy or not. The specialty man is slightly different. He can call back or not, as he thinks best; specialty men are divided as to whether or not it pays to call back. One of the well-known specialty salesmen of the country says: "I seldom call back. The realization when T am talking to my man that this is absolutely my last chance at him—that I won't call back—makes me try my best to close him at that sitting." The salesman who knows when he is making his presentation that he will call back if necessary, is likely to weaken at the close and get the "call-back" habit. Most specialty men, however, while they emphasize the necessity of endeavoring to close the sale on first interview, agree that it does pay to call back in the case of those pros pects who seem to be sincere.