The Art of The Sale
"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly;
"'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy.
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many pretty things to show when you are there."
"O no, no," said the little fly, "To ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."
"'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy.
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many pretty things to show when you are there."
"O no, no," said the little fly, "To ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."
I offer for your edification “The art of the sale.” Or, how to sell anybody, just about anything. As a former top salesman and sales trainer for a Fortune 100 company, I know the subject well. I was also a top producing Loan officer with a team of brokers working underneath me in the sub-prime and prime mortgage industry at it's peak (before the fall). I'm writing this, not because I want to teach others how to sell, but, to teach them how to recognize when they're being sold. In particular, by politicians.
A good salesman must know their product inside and out. Like a prime athlete, the salesman must be able recall important information instantaneously and without hesitation. They must also be able to improvise an answer that sounds true, even if it's not.
Organize your most compelling talking points in such a way as to lead your intended target to a conclusion. That being the conclusion that “You” the salesman, wish them to arrive at.
Make sure that you soothe their potential concerns by knowing what those concerns are—even before they ask the first question—that way they will begin to believe that you understand them and are knowledgeable. They will then see you as thoughtful and genuinely concerned about their well-being. By doing this, you will earn their trust.
Use language that conveys personal warmth and confidence, but don't overdo it. The key is always to seem sincere. In other words, the person being sold must hear what you want them to hear.
The single most important key to being a great salesman is to sell, without sounding like you're selling. “You” the salesman, must be there only to help, not to sell. By helping, you will become their friend. If you do this you will be seen as an ally, instead of an adversary.
Remember, selling is mostly an illusion, a sleight of hand intended to misdirect the target. Keep their attention fixed on the key selling point of your product—and away from any potential downside. Never, but never, draw attention to the weak selling points of your product. For “You” the salesman, there are no weak selling points. No matter the reality.
This is what all politicians do. They are trained by the best of the best to use the correct language; to seem sincere, even when they are not; to use the right facial expressions and gestures to gain favor; to use power words that convey confidence; to advocate taking personal responsibility, when they have no such intention and are probably setting up some hapless scapegoat to take the fall. They will tell you that “You” the citizen, their constituent, is their only real concern. But, sell you down the river to the highest bidder, meaning; a big campaign contributor or political crony that can further their real agenda, which, always, is to further their career as a politician, that comes before anything else.
This is what will happen, in fact, is happening, with the new Senate move to investigate torture, a difficult subject under the best of circumstances. This is what's happening with the presidents alleged immigration reform, which is nothing of the kind. This is what was done to get Obama Care passed. This is what happened when the president said “If you like your healthcare plan and doctor, you can keep them." This is what happened when the president and secretary of state blamed a video for causing an attack on an American embassy that killed our ambassador and two others. This is what Johnathan Gruber, a prime Obama care architect did in helping to get Obama care passed by writing an incoherent bill for the sole purpose of misdirection. This he admitted, over and over again in public and on video, for all the world to see.
The remarkable thing is, you can go to You Tube and watch these individuals confess their real intent time after time—their words ringing loud and clear—but essentially ignored. Why do people allow themselves to be sold? The answer is simple, because they want to believe in something, somebody, anybody who will make things right. So they listen, as we all do, for cues and hints that one politician or another cares about them, their needs, their concerns. And, because they need, they are targets. All the salesman or politician has to do is listen and respond. The right words spoken at the right time, with the right tone, and the target will walk straight into the snare. It's that simple. This won't work for everyone, but it will for most, and generally speaking, that will be more than enough.
Mark Magula
A good salesman must know their product inside and out. Like a prime athlete, the salesman must be able recall important information instantaneously and without hesitation. They must also be able to improvise an answer that sounds true, even if it's not.
Organize your most compelling talking points in such a way as to lead your intended target to a conclusion. That being the conclusion that “You” the salesman, wish them to arrive at.
Make sure that you soothe their potential concerns by knowing what those concerns are—even before they ask the first question—that way they will begin to believe that you understand them and are knowledgeable. They will then see you as thoughtful and genuinely concerned about their well-being. By doing this, you will earn their trust.
Use language that conveys personal warmth and confidence, but don't overdo it. The key is always to seem sincere. In other words, the person being sold must hear what you want them to hear.
The single most important key to being a great salesman is to sell, without sounding like you're selling. “You” the salesman, must be there only to help, not to sell. By helping, you will become their friend. If you do this you will be seen as an ally, instead of an adversary.
Remember, selling is mostly an illusion, a sleight of hand intended to misdirect the target. Keep their attention fixed on the key selling point of your product—and away from any potential downside. Never, but never, draw attention to the weak selling points of your product. For “You” the salesman, there are no weak selling points. No matter the reality.
This is what all politicians do. They are trained by the best of the best to use the correct language; to seem sincere, even when they are not; to use the right facial expressions and gestures to gain favor; to use power words that convey confidence; to advocate taking personal responsibility, when they have no such intention and are probably setting up some hapless scapegoat to take the fall. They will tell you that “You” the citizen, their constituent, is their only real concern. But, sell you down the river to the highest bidder, meaning; a big campaign contributor or political crony that can further their real agenda, which, always, is to further their career as a politician, that comes before anything else.
This is what will happen, in fact, is happening, with the new Senate move to investigate torture, a difficult subject under the best of circumstances. This is what's happening with the presidents alleged immigration reform, which is nothing of the kind. This is what was done to get Obama Care passed. This is what happened when the president said “If you like your healthcare plan and doctor, you can keep them." This is what happened when the president and secretary of state blamed a video for causing an attack on an American embassy that killed our ambassador and two others. This is what Johnathan Gruber, a prime Obama care architect did in helping to get Obama care passed by writing an incoherent bill for the sole purpose of misdirection. This he admitted, over and over again in public and on video, for all the world to see.
The remarkable thing is, you can go to You Tube and watch these individuals confess their real intent time after time—their words ringing loud and clear—but essentially ignored. Why do people allow themselves to be sold? The answer is simple, because they want to believe in something, somebody, anybody who will make things right. So they listen, as we all do, for cues and hints that one politician or another cares about them, their needs, their concerns. And, because they need, they are targets. All the salesman or politician has to do is listen and respond. The right words spoken at the right time, with the right tone, and the target will walk straight into the snare. It's that simple. This won't work for everyone, but it will for most, and generally speaking, that will be more than enough.
Mark Magula
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