The People Business

Each person who reads this book can find something in it with which they can better their lives by communicating more effectively.

Simply stated, communicating is the imparting of something to someone else. Communication is the essence of sales. For sales is nothing short of communicating to someone something that they are lacking which they need and which can be identified: an idea, product, fact, or feeling. So, to be successful at life, one needs to learn to sell.

Therefore, if we want to be successful at life, we need to learn how to sell, which means we need to learn how to communicate. If one does not communicate clearly, they risk being misunderstood and that leads to strife, discord, and unhappiness.

This book is dedicated to every man, woman, and child that can read and wants to succeed in their life.

Every person who lives, walks, and breathes should and must understand the basic principles upon which the fabric of their lives our woven derive from salesmanship; i.e. communications. Regardless of who we are and what we do, regardless of what walk of life we are involved in, we are all involved selling and salesmanship; whether ourselves, a product, our ideas, a service, or a relationship.

A boy meets a girl and through the process of "selling" convinces her that he is the one for her, how great he is, or how good he will be for her; all the reasons why she should go out with him. This is selling. This involves selling himself. And this is just one example of how the principles of selling apply to our daily lives.

It is important for everyone, in every walk of life, to understand and master the principles that are at work in selling and salesmanship. Much more, are the facts that not only are we selling, but that we are being sold to. Each of us have felt and experienced these principles used against us. Selling and salesmanship are a dynamic process; it is a two way communication. Whenever two people are involved in either their interpersonal lives through business, conveyance of ideas, or exchange of feelings, selling is taking place. Each person is either selling or being sold. Understanding the principles involved in this dynamic will make us more aware of the process and better prepare ourselves as they are used against us. That will turn those experiences into more productive and rewarding times for ourselves.

The People Business puts the sales profession on a very high plane. It makes the case that salesmanship is practiced to some degree by everyone. Everyone, all of us, is involved in the people business. From the first days of Adam and Eve man has been trying to sell others on his own ideas, beliefs, viewpoints, and/or services. Eve was the first salesperson when she sold Adam on the idea of eating the apple. And what a salesperson she was! Here was Adam, all the comforts of paradise and no worries, and yet Eve convinced him that he would have a better 1ife if he ate the apple.

One would think that man could recognize on his own what is beneficial and what is necessary for his betterment or for his existence, but he really can't. Man is resistant to change and will fight change all the way down the line. Man is ignorant of change; he does not recognize the beneficial value of it. He must be sold; sold on an idea, sold on a product, sold on a service. This is why the salesman is so important in society today and has been since the beginning of time. And he will probably continue to be no matter how far man progresses.

Why are the artist and the writer, who are both innovators, are attacked by society? It is not that the consumer is too dumb to know what is good for him. It is not that man is dumb in the sense of not being educated or not knowing what's going on around them. It is that man is ignorant about the new things going on around them, unaware of to the changes being made.

The fundamental aspects of persuasion are suggestion and 1ogica1 reasoning; suggestion taking precedence and probably more important than logical reasoning. The human species is not essentially a reasoning creature. In fact, most men scarcely reason at a11. A11 of their actions are usually the result of imitation, habit or suggestion. Most of their actions, and psychologists will bear this out, are only reactions. The average person accepts as true every idea or conclusion that enters his mind unless a contradictory idea blocks this acceptance.

Additionally, the average person will act according to an idea of action which enters his mind unless he is blocked by a physical obstacle or a contrary idea. This is the principle upon which the foundation of most of our modern day advertising is based; the fact that statements which are repeated and not denied will tend to be accepted.

I contend that everyone is selling in their day-to-day interactions with other people. I am selling my ideas to you and vice versa. Whether or not I get my ideas across to you determines the success of my presentation, whether or not I make the sale.

Salesmanship is not inherent. There are born salespeople, though very few of them. To be an efficient, successful salespeople must be trained. The general concepts of selling are universal; they must be formulated, nurtured and grasped. Only then will particular strategy fall into place, just like a puzzle.

But, the sole function of a salesperson is to make a sale, within the ethics and morality of sound business practices. Everything he does to make that sale falls within the parameters of being professional and befits his function in life.