The Business of Selling the Right Way

By Gloria Whitehorn

 

The first law of nature is self-preservation.  All human beings and animals

possess this basic instinct.  One of the things that preserves life is food.

But if all a salesman selling a food product could tell the prospect was they

could not live without eating, the salesman would be wasting their time. Even

the lowest of animals instinctively know this. The salesman has to broaden

his appeal when trying to sell the prospect his food product.  When making

an appeal in selling a food product these two essential elements of human

interests must come together. 

 

They are health and taste.

 

The food product must contribute to the health of the prospect to satisfy the

basic instinct of self-preservation. And the taste must be appealing to the

prospect. Will the prospect get enjoyment from eating this food?  Will it

contribute to better health, will it build strong bones and teeth?  Will it build

muscle, or give him energy?  Will it add fiber to his diet?

 

So we've established the food product must contribute to the health of the

prospect and since taste is one of the essential elements of human interests,

if the food product doesn't taste good, even if it benefits the prospect's health,

the prospect will not buy the item again. The retailer would have no interest in

purchasing a product they could not get repeat orders for.

 

Clothing:

 

Like food, clothing is a necessity of life.  We need clothing to protect us from

the environment.  Again this is common knowledge.  But the customer still

must be sold on the idea of purchasing your product. 

 

Maybe they're more interested in how others will view them in the clothes.

Maybe comfort is the most important thing to them.  If the item of clothing

has the potential to be physically injurious it will be at odds with the basic

instinct of self-protection.  In most instances self-preservation will win over

appearance.  The garment may be so tight it cuts off circulation, or in the

case of an item for a small child it may have buttons, or attachments that

could be swallowed.

 

The job of the salesman is to convince the customer to buy. 

 

A man looking for a winter coat may not want to purchase a coat because of

its weight.  They may feel it is too lightweight to keep them warm. The

salesman could explain that with the new materials on the market today a coat

need not be heavy to provide warmth. And the lighter weight of the coat would

make wearing it more comfortable than a big bulky coat.  Not only that, the

convenience of being able to easily fold it and fit it into a small travel bag is

an added bonus.  Plus it’s the latest style in men's outerwear.

 

An item such as this would bring the retailer many sales because it meets

the requirements of the human need to protect the body.  It's stylish, so that

satisfies the customer's pride and boosts their self-esteem.

 

Copyright © 2008 Gloria Whitehorn and www. Dovemang.com All rights reserved

 

About The Author: Gloria Whitehorn is a freelance writer, business coach and an

authority on salesmanship and business practices. Check out her site that's

jam-packed with the exact information you need to start, build, and grow your

very own profitable Internet business. I highly recommend visiting her website

http://www.dovemang.com She knows what she's talking about.

 

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