Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-08-30
ReSinOl

From time to time as people
would hear of the wonderful inven-
ton they would walk out to the shop
in the woods until gradually path
was worn-a very narrow path to be
sure. In the course Of time however,
trap that was an improvement on all
previous models. His friends as
sured him that the world would beat
a path to his door to buy the traps
but he said, No. shall not wait for
that,SI shall tell the world and let
them see in every way can So he
had pictures made and descriptions
printed which were published
throughout the land.
"Sales grew. Hundreds who want
ed a good trap and had not heard of
the one built in the shop in the
woods sent In their orders. The
sales grew to thousands and to mil
lions. Business prospered. New
factories were built. The second
manufacturer had something to sell
and he proceeded to sell.
This story is so old that Methu-
selah would be ashamed to tell 1t
but, it still serves to illustrate. The
fact IS, no matter how good some
thing Is, that thing must be sold to
the great American public. People
wouldn't believe it until they had 1t
thrust into their minds that unless
they came across the Hun would. III
the great American public hadn't
been sold on the war and the need OF
fighting, we would still be fighting
or else speaking German.
1.-THE minister has something TO
sell. The $1,000 preacher in Meddy-
bemps tries it and Billy Sunday tries
1t. Billy gets away with 1t because
he puts more selling into his system.
But the commodity is the same-re-
ligion-something to sell.
1.-THE school teacher has something
to sell. DR.. Thomas, approaching the
low selling ability of his force. goes
about this state and country telling
everyone of the wonders OF Maine
teachers He is the best sales man.
ager, advertising agent and publicity
exponent that the teachers ever had.
Ali Maine now believes that unless
we raise the salaries Cor rather
wages) of the teachers to level at
least equal to scale of the plumbers
helper that Massachusetts VIII steal
away all of our good material. IT is
something to sell.
You have something to sell.
Every person in this audience has
something to sell. Maybe it is mer-
Chandise, maybe it is a service, or II
may not be even as concrete as
service. 1t maybe only an idea. But
it is something to sell.
1.-THE person who does not realize
that he has something to sell has no
excuse for living. From the time
person wants his first dollar, whether
he knows it or not-he has some
thing to sell. The market value OF
person is the measure of his char
acter. For to sell you must eStab-
lish a market value, to sell success
fully YOU must establish high mar
ket value for your product whatever
it may be. you must raise the
standards OF your life. SO this mat
ter of selling something has much
broader application than its ordinary
business usage implies.
Definitions of selling are numer-
Gus. Every book on salesmanship
gives a different definition. Some of
them only enough different to evade
the copyright law. In the final
ANALYSIS they are all alike. The
whole problem boils down, into the
Job of making somebody else think
as you do. That's all there Is to it
making somebody else think as you
do and acting on the thought. Apply
it to any case in the world and It's
them to think; and ends when you
make them act on this thought. Even
candidates for the presidency of the
U. S. have to get out and sell their
platform to the voters. The candi-
date who makes the greatest number
think or vote the way he thinks or
says he thinks. gets the Job. And
that is some thing to sell.
"Of all of the things that are sold
ideas are the hardest to sell. You
can ride in a Studebaker. You can
start 1t and stop it and sense the ex-
hilarating power that responds to
taste a delicious Sunkist orange.
You can see a new house. You can
walk into it and sit down and mag
inc the comfort that your own furn-
fishing would bring If placed in 1t.
You can try on new suit. feel It's
woody texture or admire in the glass
its stylish new lines but ideas
ideas. They dwell in the imagina-
tomas nebuous as the ether above
and ofttimes as fleeing. But they
are something to sell and they are
sold under the same rules OF the
game.
MY Job here today in a brief ten
minutes Is to sell you on the idea
that Health Is not only saleable
commodity but that it must be sold
to make things healthy. l see In
this gathering a great sales conven-
ton. You are the sales people-The
people of Maine Is your market
your buyers.
"In an enlightened community like
Maine you wouldn't think 1t neces-
sary to sell anybody on the value OF
health. Why health, one says-good
H. fc hnf
if every we'll man knew what every
sick man knows there would be an
easier market, but they don't know
it. 1t is something to be sold. Life
insurance is one Of the greatest
blessings ever placed before the
world. In Portland there is a big
insurance office that has been opened
to the public for 20 years. How many
people do you suppose in that 20
years have walked into the Office and
said, Give me twenty year policy
for thousand dollars Not one. IL
anybody walked into an insurance
likely as not he would first be eX-
amined for his sanity Life insur-
ance has to be sold because it is in
tangible. 1t is little more than an
idea. Take the cash register-mil-
lions of them are oaily tinkling with
the sales Of progressive merchants
but not one in hundred was bought.
"By your presence here I am en-
titled to believe that you yourselves
are sold on the health idea. I call it
an idea purposely-because health as
a commodity in the public mind Is
not much more than an idea.
II you are. not all sold on the