Selling Magic

MARKETING STRATEGY IN BUSINESS

Life Insurance: A shy and meek insurance salesman came to the office of a dynamic Sales Manager of a big company, timidly approached the desk and mumbled: “Sir, won’t you take an insurance policy from me?’” ‘No” was the brusque reply. Disappointed and almost on the verge of tears, the salesman started back towards the exit door. “Wait a minute!” reclaimed the smart Sales Manager “I have dealt with several salesmen all my life and you are the worst that I have ever seen. You have to inspire confidence with your clients and for that you have to first have it yourself and put on a brave face. Just to give you confidence that you CAN make a sale, I will sign for $ 10,000 policy”
Signing the application, the Sales Manager told him ‘What you have to do is to learn some good techniques and use them”. “Oh! That I have” retorted the salesman “I have an approach for almost every type of businessman. The one I have just used was my standard approach for dynamic Sales Managers’

Group Insurance: One of the factory workers refused to sign up for the group insurance. No policy could be issued to him until all the employees signed, but he held out. The foreman begged him to sign and so did the Plant Superintendent, the General Manager. Still no success. Finally the owner of the factory took him inside and said “Listen, you idiot. Unless you sign up. I will fire you “. The worker grabbed the paper and signed immediately. ‘Now” asked the owner “Why you didn’t sign this before?”. “Because” the man replied “no one explained it as clearly as you did”

Lipton’s Tea: On one occasion tea baron Lipton was on a steamer that went underground. The Captain ordered some of the cargo jettisoned. While other passengers hurriedly grabbed their belongings, Lipton spent the time stenciling “Drink Lipton’s Tea” on every bale that would float.

Room Air conditioner: A company that manufactures room air-conditioners was entertaining a technical society to lunch. Directly behind the Chairman of the company were fitted air-conditioners of a rival company. When news photographers arrived, the Chairman realized the irony of the situation but made the best use of the situation. Pictures in the newspapers the next day clearly showed the Chairman fanning himself with the menu card.

Cat and the Saucer: A bargain hunter fond of collecting antiques and curios once saw a cat lapping milk from an old sauce in a wayside shop.. One glance told him that the saucer was a priceless antique. He thought that the shopkeeper was unaware of the value of the saucer. He approached the owner of the shop and said “That is a nice cat you are having there, Would you sell it to me?”. “Well” said the owner “I would be willimg to sell him for five dollars”. The collector of antiques paid five dollars, put the cat under his arm and then added ‘I think I will take the saucer also. Probably the cat is used to eating from it and habituated to it”.
“Oh, No” said the owner ‘I can’t give you the saucer” “Well then, I will buy it “said the collector. “Oh No “said the shop owner, I can’t sell it to you” “Ridiculous” said the bargain hunter “Why can’t you sell that old saucer to me?” “ Because “ replied the owner “ that is a priceless treasure. From that old saucer I have sold more than a dozen cats”

Henry Ford and Firestone: Few could touch the late Harvey F.Firestone when it came to salesmanship. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, no mean salesman himself, once challenged his ability. Edison set the terms. Each man would try to sell his company’s product to a certain wealthy Indian. For an hour, Ford spoke eloquently about his car but returned without making a sale. Since the Indian had no car and would not buy one, Firestone’s proposal to sell him a tyre appeared futile. Undaunted, Firestone took the man aside and returned a few minutes later to his friends wearing a broad smile. He had sold a tyre to the Indian, to be used as a swing by his son.

Selling Shoes: An American and a British salesman traveled together on the same boat to West Africa, each representing different shoe companies. Their first impression after landing was that all natives were barefooted. The Britain cabled his head office “Nobody here wears shoes. Returning home by the next ship”. The American salesman, seeing the situation differently, cabled his Chief: “Nobody here wears shoes. Market wide open. Send 10,000 shoes in the first consignment. Urgent”.

Selling Fans to Eskimos: There was a braggart salesman who claimed that he could even sell ice-boxes to the Eskimos. His boss, though he could not believe him to start with, finally took him at his word and sent him to the Arctic with a consignment of electric fans. The salesman went from igloo to igloo trying to sell his fan and at each place he was disappointed by the same reply “Fans! Why would we need a fan for? It is forty degrees below zero here”. “I agree” said the salesman “but how do you know and what guarantee is there that it won’t jump up to zero tomorrow?” The fans were sold.

And Finally

What is Business: A little boy asked his father “Daddy, what do you do?”. The father replied that he is a businessman. “What does it mean?” asked the boy. The father scratched his head and explained: “Look, my son, I go to work and make money. At the month end I give the money to your mother to run the house. What does it make me? Capital. And, your mother, she is Management. Since they were well off, the father pointed to the house maid and said; She is the labour.” The boy also had a bonny brother and the father said “That is the future”.
That night the baby’s cries woke up the boy. He went to the crib and discovered that the baby was wet and needed a diaper change. He rushed upstairs and found his mother fast asleep. He looked for his father and found that his father was behind a closed door entertaining the maid. He came downstairs, threw up his hands and declared to the baby “This is hell of a Business. Management is asleep; Capital is exploiting Labour and The ‘Future stinks”.

B.M.N.Murthy


ARTICLE NO. 569---Marketing Strategy in Business
Created:Friday, May 21, 2010 9:36 PM