I Don’t Sell – I Develop Relationships

He’s gone now, but one of the greatest legends of professional selling was Elmer Leterman. In the years when only a small percentage of life insurance agents sold one million a year, Elmer sold $250 million a year for many years.

I first met Elmer one morning in the late 60’s in the Plaza Hotel in New York. I was in the gift shop browsing through the book racks. I spotted a book on selling by Elmer Leterman.

I’d heard of him but had never met him. As I picked up the book and flipped through it, a voice behind me said, “If you’ll buy it, I’ll autograph it for you!”

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I’m Elmer Leterman,” he responded.

We talked a few minutes, he invited me to have lunch with him. I stayed in touch until he retired and moved to Florida.

“How were you able to sell so much life insurance?” I once asked him.

“I don’t sell life insurance,” he replied.

“You don’t?”

“No, I develop relationships! Then people buy life insurance.”

“What do you mean?”

Eager to talk about himself, he reach into his coat pocket and pulled out a fistful of folded letter size sheets of paper. On each sheet was printed a copy of a letter some well known person had written him. Each one thanked him for some personal or business favor he’d extended them.

He went on, “When I hear of someone going to Europe or to Hawaii, I call ahead and have a friend meet them at the plane or desk and make sure they get into their hotels comfortably.

“Or, I send plaques . . . like I’m going to send you . . .”

“What kind of plaques?” I asked.

“Plaques with motivational statements on them.”

As he talked he unfolded the sheets and sandwiched in information about the person who wrote the letter to him.

“Another thing I do,” he went on, “is every day I have a table at The Four Seasons Restaurant. I invite up to eight people to be my guests for lunch.

“I don’t do it to sell them anything,” he emphasized. “I do it to bring people together.

“I invite business people, sports figures, show business people, politicians . . . all kinds of people.

“I just bring people together.” He smiled. “I just develop relationships! Then lots of people buy life insurance from me!”

This was a terrific lesson for me. I’ve thought of it many times. I’ve tried to do the same thing – Develop relationships!

And it’s paid off! It’s put me in a bigger league than I was before.

How about you? How can you develop stronger relationships with people that would provide a steady inflow of business for you?

What can you unselfishly do for people that benefits them – without sticking out your hand and saying, “Pay me back!”

What can you do to help people so they’ll want to buy from you, refer their friends to you, and have an interest in your success?

Can you think of at least one specific action you can begin doing now that will show your customers or prospects that you’re interested in them? And not ask for a “pay back”?

When will you begin doing it?

Like Elmer did, what will you do that says, “I don’t sell, I develop relationships and people then buy from me”?