Why Salesmen Succeed

If you think the success craze started just last year, take a look at this issue’s PSP classic. Published over thirty years ago, this article zeros in on the traits that successful salespeople use to close more sales in 1986, just the way their forerunners did in the 1930’s and 40’s.

Here are 12 reasons “Why Salesmen Succeed.” These are taken from everyday experiences that apply to practically every line of selling. Without inflation, without sidestepping the important issues, here are just 12 reasons that are necessary to the success of any salesman. That’s how and why salesmen succeed. If you take one of these points out, you’ll likely have a failure instead of a successful salesman.

1. Interest: Salesmen succeed because – they are interested in their jobs. Living, eating, breathing, sleeping with the job. Nothing else on their minds. It takes that kind of interest for a salesman to put his job over. It cannot be put over otherwise. That’s the first requisite.

2. Ambition: Salesmen succeed because – they have the ambition to make good on this particular job. Don’t want to remain mediocre. Want to go to the top. Willing to pay the price of success. The divine spark of ambition distinguishes the successful attitude from the other kind. An ambitious man may not always go to the top – but he’ll be on the way. And it takes that divine spark of ambition to succeed. Without it, there’s no success in life.

3. Finances: Salesmen succeed because – they don’t have to worry too much about being under-financed. A salesman, to succeed, might well be broke enough to want to make money, but not so broke as to be worried to death with hot checks of the past or delinquent car payments. Above all, a salesman, to succeed, must have sufficient money in his jeans Monday morning to last him until Saturday night. Otherwise, he is doomed before he starts on the week’s work. That holds true regardless of all else. A salesman’s proper financing often depends on his willingness to eat “cheese” if necessary. He must not try to cultivate a champagne appetite on a beer pocketbook.

4. Cooperation: Salesmen succeed because – they are willing and able to cooperate with fellow salesmen and with other members of the organization. In fact, with all departments of the organization, in complete harmony. The “griping” kind of salesman rarely, if ever, succeeds permanently. “Griping” disturbs the mental equilibrium and completely upsets the apple cart of success. Usually it is indicative of a “small mind.”

5. Work: Salesmen succeed because – they are willing to work for success. Not looking for short cuts or substitutes for work. Having the country boy’s philosophy of “early to bed and early to rise.” Not afraid of long working hours. Even during the depression, some farmers made good money while lots of others failed utterly to even make a bare living. Those that made money were the ones who worked early and late. They put their “Fords” in the barn and their folks in the fields and worked early and late themselves. It’s that way with salesmen. Consistent hard work will overcome many obstacles – will equalize genius and average ability.

6. Guts: Salesmen succeed because – they have “guts.” That’s the brass tacks word for “intestinal fortitude.” It means the nerve of a real go-getting salesman. To be willing and able to ask for orders. Plenty of them. You’ve got to approach king or peasant, rich or poor, high or low, any kind of decent prospect who is able to buy and pay for your merchandise. Guts, too, to fight one’s appetite for things that are detrimental to one’s success. It truly takes real “guts” for a salesman to succeed.

7. Enthusiasm: Salesmen succeed because – they realize that Emerson was right when he said, “No great undertaking was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.” It’s the spark that lights the torch of intelligent energy. Enthusiasm leads the way. A man is never bankrupt until his enthusiasm has actually died. No greater requisite to the success of the salesman than enthusiasm. It truly leads the parade of qualities necessary for the success of a real salesman.

8. Demonstrations: Salesmen succeed because – they make plenty of demonstrations. Without demonstrations no salesman long, if at all, succeeds. Whatever a man may be selling, whether it be toothpicks, fertilizers, grease or roof coating, demonstrations will help any salesman succeed in his work. They are absolutely necessary in his success. The more demonstrations – the more sales. Any kind of merchandise can be successfully demonstrated.

9. Knowledge: Salesmen succeed because – they know their business. This is one of the most important requisites of a salesman’s success. To succeed, then, a salesman must continually study his business. Not only must he study his products, their particular uses by customers, but also more especially attractive ways to demonstrate the various products so as to let the customer see with his own eyes wherein their superiority is a benefit to him. The salesman must learn more about the customer’s needs, about fully utilizing his own time and ever increasing his own belief in the wondrous power of a quantity of orders.

10. Proof: Salesmen succeed because – they prove their claims. Otherwise they will sound as brass. A salesman, to succeed, must prove his case. Testimonials, in some cases, suit better than any other one means. But, whether testimonials or other proof, it is necessary to have proof of one’s claims before one can expect a quantity of orders. Prospects are entitled to proof. They demand it. They must have it. It takes proof to make sales.

11. Perseverance: Salesmen succeed because – they have the perseverance to “keep on keeping on.” A great truth was told when the slogan was advertised, “Keeping everlastingly at it brings success.” That’s true in the business of selling any kind of merchandise or service. Many a man quits just short of success. Another heaves – another bit of effort – another week’s successful selling – and the job would be done. But – NO! – he quits before the job is done. Many a man has cheated himself out of success by quitting too soon. He didn’t remember that – “A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.”

12. Results: Salesmen succeed because they CLOSE plenty of orders. That spells ACTION. Without action, no salesman succeeds. Be he ever so interested, ambitious, well-financed, cooperative, hard-working, full of guts – if he doesn’t use plenty of action to close orders – he’ll never be a success as a salesman. In the final analysis – when all has been said – salesmen succeed because they close orders – get RESULTS!

There are other important reasons why salesmen succeed. But these twelve reasons are strictly fundamental. Any experienced sales executive can verify them. Any experienced veteran salesman knows them to be true. You simply can’t get around them. Leave one out and, as stated in the beginning, you’ll likely have a failure instead of a successful salesman.