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An interesting example why sales is a process
John Henry Patterson had a problem. He had invested his entire fortune in buying the National Cash Register company, but to his amazement he found that selling cash registers was almost impossible. Storekeepers didn't see the need. After all, they'd been keeping their money in the cash drawer for generations. Who needed a product that was technically complex and very expensive?
After two years of struggling, Patterson invited his brother-in-law, Joseph Crane, to join the company as a sales agent. Crane quickly became National Cash Register's biggest producer. When Patterson asked how he was doing it, Crane admitted, somewhat sheepishly, that he said the same thing, word for word, every time he presented the machine to a customer. This was a different approach than any of the other salespeople took. They all tried to use personality and charisma to overwhelm the customer-they saw selling as an event. Crane saw it as a process that he needed to follow.
When Patterson heard Crane give the presentation he had to admit, if he were a store owner, he'd buy a cash register, too. So Patterson had Crane's presentation typed up and sent to every sales agent in the field. He required all of his sales people to memorize it and use it. There was a lot of resistance, naturally, but as he continued to pressure them, they finally got with the program. What happened? The company's sales soared.
What made Crane's approach so powerful? One thing: It focused entirely on the customer's needs rather than on the company's product. Everybody else sold by talking about the cash register. Crane sold by talking about the prospect's business.
In reality, Crane's presentation proceeded in four steps. It was a process, and it led the prospect through the thinking necessary to make a buying decision. Interestingly, these steps are just as effective today as they were a hundred years ago.
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