|
MAKE WORK A GAME 121
The man who closes two big sales a month may scorn the chap who makes ten sales a month for the same amount. But he's in a far less favorable position than the one who makes a hundred sales a year instead of 25.
THE SALESMAN FROM OAKLAND
Before entering the life insurance business as a salesman, I took a vacation trip to San Francisco. On the Oakland ferry I struck up a conversation with a nice looking middle-aged man who turned out to be a life insurance salesman. Being interested, I quizzed him on how he operated. I'll never forget some of the things he told me; especially this—
He said, "I'm not a big producer, but I make a nice living. I make it a rule always to sell at least three policies a week. Most of them aren't very big, but at the end of the year I wind up with well over one hundred sales all paid for. As a result I have one hundred customers who may be sold again. In addition, I have one hundred people I can call on for leads. I like it this way, and I wouldn't trade places with some men I know who make no more than one sale every week or two for double the volume I get. When they have a policy lapse they lose an important part of their business. When I have one lapse I lose only one-hundredth. When they get an application turned down it hurts twice as much as it does for me. I like it this way."
Two years later, I started out selling as a stranger in Los Angeles, and I adopted this man's philosophy. I have often wondered what became of him. I owe him a great debt of gratitude for his sound advice. I made it a "must" to close three sales every week if humanly possible. At the end of the first year I was almost on time, and had sold 122 policies, that were completed, issued and paid for. I led the Los Angeles office of our company too. Without this game of "three-a-week" it's doubtful if I would have sold half as much.
122 MAKE WORK A GAME
TRY IT
If you feel blue and depressed and your business is lagging, try this "game" idea. It will probably revolutionize your whole outlook on life. Selling will be fun again! Give it a try!
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS CHAPTER
1. It's lucky if you have the habit of making a game out of any
work or chores that must be done. You'll do better and do
it more pleasantly.
2. Any big project can be broken down into a series of small
tasks. By making a game of doing them, the whole job is
easy.
3. Salesmanship is a combination of activities that will vary in
different lines. By setting goals and quotas of the essential
"work units" the whole job is made infinitely easier and
more success is assured.
4. Work quotas build business. Concentrating on the "work
units" that produce business is easier and more effective
than any other way. By doing them a salesman gets his
sales as by-products.
|