Old Lessons

From 1955 to 1965 I was employed by a firm in Denver as sales manager. One of the reasons the firm became immensely successful was their emphasis on constant training. There was always an ongoing or upcoming event to hone our skills. When traffic was slow, we conducted informal seminars and examined errors and successes which had recently occurred. They generously allowed persons at every level in the company to take advantage of classes, seminars, and even paid tuition for university courses. When they brought in people from outside to conduct these sessions, they brought only the best. Since every firm has a sales component for every occupational specialty, this proved a valuable asset even when I left the firm.

Obviously the purpose was to promote sales. The emphasis was not on the merchandise which was exceptional in quality; it was always centered on the prospective customer. The transactions were geared to understanding that individual and finding that which motivated him to buy. We kept daily logs of “ups” (in turn contact with people coming for the first time,) time spent, results and follow up information. By listening and evaluating each prospect, we were then armed with devastating knowledge to tailor the presentation to his individual quirks.

The strongest lesson I took from those ten years was not to confuse merchandise with the reasons people buy things. Even fifty years ago everyone really did have enough. Even newlyweds had a collection of junk acquired from relatives to sit on, dine on, and sleep on. Most often sales were developed by addressing inner desires and not routine necessity. So what was it we were selling?

Through conversation and careful listening we attempted to isolate their paramount concerns. Many folks came to us driven by ego and self esteem. Since we were on the cutting edge of modern merchandising, it was easy for that personality type to identify with our goods. They took pride in being among the elite. Our in-home advisors played to their individualism. Our presentations were peppered with words such as: unique, latest, proud, intelligent, and others which indicated they were a “cut above.” We indulged in moderate observation of their excellent choices in outfits and automobiles. In short, we played to their neighbor’s envy and their boss’s admiration.

The second general group was those persons who were governed primarily by innate fear and insecurity. Ever alert to danger and unsure of their actions we presented a front of solidarity and dependability for our goods and our personnel. We dissected each piece of merchandise to reveal its inner construction and solidity. We placed great emphasis on our guarantees and the expert handling by our delivery persons. The main thrust was to never hurry the customer and to build his confidence in the firm. Our entire staff was constantly trained in the manufacturing process of every vendor. When questioned, if a salesman wasn’t sure, he quickly called the manager for assistance. He did so without hesitation because he knew I would not contradict anything which he had said. We dealt in truth. We also realized that the more folks he met in our establishment, the more we could build his confidence.

The final category of customers was those who were primarily preoccupied with health and safety matters. Merchandise which was easily cleaned and maintained became our primary concern. Items with protruding sharp edges or which seemed frail in their construction were avoided. Heat, stain and scratch resistant surfaces were quite new at the time and frequently featured in our presentations. Maintenance features were carefully explained and emphasized. Any item which had the least therapeutic effect was shown early on.

Our entire program was designed to leave the prospects with the idea that we had a remarkable knowledge of their wants and needs. Once we had gained a rudimentary psychological profile we could proceed successfully. We did not show items; we showed people. Obviously, none of our customers exactly fit the profiles and often slipped into one of the others but in general they maintained the posture. Our sales people had been thoroughly trained for this eventuality and followed the outline to the point of even trading off customers if they discovered a conflict of personalities.

There are two reasons for sharing this essay with you. The first is to enable you to recognize just what a well-trained and alert salesperson can extract from observation and a brief conversation. This is not an attempt to identify any sort of evil in the person of a professional. If you have ever purchased something, returned home and said, “What was I thinking?” this might help to explain it. Closing the sale is much easier if the right buttons are pushed. The absolute demise of any sales presentation is pronounced when the customer says; “boy, you are sure a good salesman.” The uninitiated may take it as a compliment, but it is the kiss of death.

The second reason for the essay is to possibly apply generating interest in evangelism. If we don’t take time to understand the concerns of people we share the gospel with, why should they listen? People at large do have inner concerns which require answers. My personal belief is that we collectively have, in Jesus Christ, the solutions. Just as in sales, we need to remember that God gave us two ears and one mouth. If we can understand the necessity of that proportion, we can proceed to share our testimonies and couch our offering of sharing the benefits of salvation in terms which people can easily gather. Oh, you say, I could never do that; it’s duplicitous. Since when is listening to others and trying to understand their needs duplicitous? We have a far more important mission than the firm I mentioned above.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon