Tested Sentences That Sell

148 Pages·1983·0.509 MB·English

by  Elmer Wheeler

Tested Sentences
That Sell
The Secrets of America’s
Greatest Salesman
Elmer Wheeler
A FORWARD TO THE READER
ByH.W.Hoover
President,TheHooverCompany
F
OR THEPASTten years it has beenthesolebusiness ofMr.Wheeler and his staffof
wordconsultants tosurveyandanalyzesellingwords andtechniques. Iunderstandthat to
datetheyhavetestedover105,000words andwordcombinations onupwardof
19,000,000people.
Iknowthat intheHooverCompanycertainwords andtechniques usedbyoursalesmen
haveproved fundamentallysound. Incase after case Ihaveseenthem work withalmost
mathematical precision.
Yoursalespeoplecanbe thestrongortheweaklinkin your company’s sales chain. Ifone
linkofthechainwill holdfiftypounds, anotherthirtypounds, and another six pounds,
altogetherthechaincansupport onlysix pounds –the“holdingpower”oftheweakest
link.
It is likebuildingabeautiful $20,000automobile.Youcanhavethefinest steel bodythat
engineers cancreate; apowerful 12cylindermotorundertheshinyhood; smart-looking
upholstery,strong,sturdytires, andatankfilledwithhigherpower gasoline, yet the
automobilewill fail tostart ifsomecomparativelyinsignificant part intheignitionsystem
fails tofunction.
So it is withamanufacturer,distributor,orretailer.Hecan employhigh-salaried
executives todirect his business; hecanstaffhis organizationwiththebest creative,
merchandisingand advertisingbrains, yet his ultimatesuccess is inthehands ofhis sales
organization.
Itis thesalesman whois thereal boss –thereal cogin themachine.Whathesays
and does as hefaces hisprospects and yourcustomers is vitallyimportanttothe
success of yourbusiness.And his success depends, toagreatextent,upon thewords
heuses in thefield of selling.
Thebest lookingmerchandise,as Mr.Wheelersays,won’t sell itself–andthebest
lookingdottedlinewon’t signitself–without theintelligent persuasionofa salesman’s
words, backedupbysoundsellingtechniques.
It is Mr.Wheeler’s purposeinthis booktohelpthesalesmanbyshowinghim howtoadd
forceful sales words and techniques tohis regular sellingvocabularyso that hewill
always have completecommandoveranysellingsituationthat confronts him.
This bookis basedontheauthor’s “FiveWheelerpoints,”andinthepages that follow,
Mr.Wheelerdoes afinejobofexplainingthem toyou intheirrelationtowhatever you
areselling.SomeoftheseWheelerpoints maysoundfamiliarto you; others youwill find
brandnew.
Thereis nothingmysterious about “TestedSelling”–nothingtobelearnedforparrot
recitation.Hereis simplytheresult ofaman’s ten-yearstudyof andthinkingabout what
successful salesmen,ofall kinds aresayinganddoingtomakemoresales.
As has oftenbeensaidabout Mr.Wheeler’s philosophy.“His TestedSellingSentences
areso simplethat anyoneofus couldhavethought ofthem –but so original fewofus
everdid.”
THE STORY BEHIND TESTED SELLING
B
EFOREGIVING youtheWheelerformulas, rules, andprinciples for devisingword
combinations that makepeoplebuy,it maybeinterestingto youlearnhow this Wheeler
Word Laboratorywas establishedandhas become thefirst andonlybusiness wherein
spokenwords andsales techniques aredeveloped andtested.
WhenMr.Wheelerwas anadvertisingsolicitorsometen years agoonthe Los Angeles
Herald,andthenonthe Rochester Journal,theAlbanyTimes-Union,andtheBaltimore
News-Post,hedeveloped what tohim was afinesales presentationforretail merchants.
Hewouldinform them, withconsiderablesincerity,andvolumes of figures underhis arm,
that his newspaperhadthelargest circulationintown,andthereforemorepeoplewho
neededshirts, hosiery, umbrellas, needles andthread,andpots andpans wouldreadthe
merchants advertisements inhis paperandbedowntotheirplaces ofbusiness thenext
daytobuy.
Aconvincingsales argument,hethought,but Mr.Merchant would always shrughis
shoulders andsay,“Sowhat?”
Hewouldthenpoint tothehundreds ofpeoplein theaisles ofhis storeand inform Mr.
Wheelerthat perhaps he didrepresent anewspaperwithplentyof circulationthat brought
peopleintohis store–but peoplejust didn’t buy. Themerchant calledthem “shoppers,”
“lookers,” and“walk-outs.”
This sales obstaclehad Mr. Wheelerperplexedformanyyears, becauseas anewspaper
representativehis onlyjobwas toget thepeopleintothestores. Thenonedayit occurred
tohim that maybethis wasn’t theendofhis job – but reallythebeginning.
Thereforeheset about makingacareful analysis ofthemerchandisesoldtothestores by
themanufacturers. It was theright merchandise,soldat theright priceand at theright
season.
Ongoingoverthestores advertisements, he found that theywereusuallyprettyeffective.
Hethennarroweddowntheproblem ofwhypeoplecametothestores and purchasedso
littletothesalespeoplethemselves behindtheircounters.
Here was theweaklink inthesetupoftheretailer, themanufacturer, andthenewspaper.
TWENTYREPORTERS GET THE FACTS
Toget thedefiniteproof ofthis fact,Mr.Wheeler approachedErwin Huber,thendirector
ofadvertisingforthe BaltimoreNews-Post. Togethertheyselectedtwentyreporters and
gaveeachofthem fivedollars withinstructions togotoTheMayCompanyandbuyas
manyofthemen’s advertiseddollarshirts as the$5.00wouldpurchase and theclerks
wouldsell.
Whenthereporters returnedfrom thestore, fifteenofthem hadn’t bought asingleshirt,
informingMr.Wheelerthat theclerks hadmadenoattempt tosell them one.Thefive
reporters whodidpurchaseshirts purchasedonlyoneeach,explainingthat theclerks did
not suggest asecond,third,orfourthshirt.
It was evident,accordingtothereporters, that the clerks figuredthat afterall amanwore
onlyoneshirt at atime,so ifhebought one,whytryto“loadhim up”withseveral?
IMPORTANT SELLINGEVIDENCE
Armedwiththis important evidence,Mr.Wheeler thenapproachedMr.WilburMay,head
ofTheMayCompanystoreinBaltimoreat thetime,explainedwhat hehaddone,and
producedhis findings.
Mr.Maywas most interested.Herealizedthat he hadamillion-dollarestablishment,with
amilliondollars worthofmerchandiseontheshelves – yet thereal control ofhis business
was inthehands ofhis eight hundredsalesgirls, whoseonlytwoworries (andwecan’t
blamethem,either) were these:
1. “WhenamIgonnaget married andquit working!”
2. “Gee,Iwish itwas 5:30 –mydogs are aching!”
Mr.Mayfurtherrealizedthat themost themanufacturerwas doingwas gettinghis goods
uptothecounters, themost thestorewas doingwas teachingthe clerks howto fill out
checks properlyandplacingadvertisements inthe papers, andthat themost thenewspaper
was doingwas bringingthepeopleinalive.
Inthe final analysis, thesales wereconsummated bythesalespeople– and on what they
sayordodepends to a great degreejust howmuch merchandise will besoldacross
American counters each day.
WHEELERWORDLABORATORYIS FORMED
Uponhearingthis storyandseeingthefacts, Mr. Maysuggestedthat Mr. Wheelerbe
commissionedbyhis newspaperto gobehindthe counters and reallymakeastudyof
salespeople.
This study,whichhas nowbeen goingonforten years, resultedintheformationofthe
WheelerWord Laboratory. Thepurposeofthis uniquelaboratoryis tomeasurethe
relativesellingeffectiveness ofwords andtheirsales techniques, todeterminewitha great
degreeofaccuracywhat formulationofwords and techniques makes thesalemore
accurateand faster.
Manystores andmanufacturers haveparticipated insupplyingtheWheeler Word
Laboratorywith hundreds ofsellingsentences to betested,andhaveopenedtheirdoors
wideas alaboratorywhereinMr.Wheeler could get authentictabulationof thescientific
sellingabilityofwords and techniques.
SALES GAINS RECORDEDEVERYWHERE
Wherever asalesperson is givena “TestedSellingSentence” withits proper“Tested
Technique”to replaceatimewornstatement,sales gains arenoted. Forinstance,asingle
sentenceincreasedsales ofamanufacturer’s hand lotionat B.Altman’s onFifthAvenue
from 60perweekto927.
Anothertestedcombinationofwords madesales 78percent ofthetimes usedat R.H.
Macy&Companyinsellingtheirlong-profit brandofcoffeeandtea.
Onanotheroccasiontwo “TestedSellingSentences”completelysoldBloomingdales,
Saks 34thStreet,Abraham &Straus of Brooklyn, andWilliam Taylor’s of Clevelandout
oftoothbrushes –astapleitem –forthefirst time inthehistoryoftheseimportant stores.
SternBrothers, inNewYork,had“TestedSellingSentences”tailor-madetoreduce
deliverycosts, andaccordingtoWilliam Riordan,president,thefirst six months’useof
thesentences showeda relativesavingofcloseto $7,000overthepreceding year.
Ten years ofstudyofsalespeople– ten years tryingout formulas, rules,and principles –
castingthem asideforothers –havebrought forth somesound, sensiblemethods of
salesmanship,andMr.Wheeleroffers them to you inthefollowingswift-movingpages.
Tested SellingInstitute
NewYorkCity
Table of Contents
DON'T SELL THE STEAK - SELL THE SIZZLE............................................................8
"DON'T WRITE - TELEGRAPH"..................................................................................11
"SAYITWITHFLOWERS".........................................................................................................13
DON'T ASK IF - ASK WHICH!.....................................................................................17
WATCH YOUR BARK'................................................................................................ 20
THREELITTLEWORDSTHATSOLDMILLIONSOFSQUARECLOTHESPINS ...........22
TWOLITTLEWORDSTHATTURNEDNICKELSINTODIMES.........................................26
THEYSOLDTHEBROOKLYNBRIDGEAGAINLASTWEEK ..........................................31
YOURFIRSTTENWORDSAREMOREIMPORTANTTHANTHENEXTTEN
THOUSAND.................................................................................................................34
THEFARMER'SDAUGHTERMOVESTOTOWN ............................................................. 39
THEBEST-LOOKINGDOTTEDLINEWON'TSIGNITSELF..............................................43
HOWTOTAKETHE"TEMPERATURE"OFTHEPROSPECT ........................................48
SENTENCESTHATTELLYOUTHEOTHERPERSONIS"SOLD" .................................51
TESTEDSENTENCESTHATMAKETHEOTHERPERSONSAY"YES" ........................55
MAKING'EMHITTHESAWDUSTTRAILFORYOU .........................................................62
DON'TSELLTHEWINE -SELLTHEBUBBLESINTHEGLASS..................................67
DON'TSELLTHESARDINES -SELLTHESOMERSAULT.......................................... 73
FIVELITTLEWORDSTHATSOLDAMILLIONGALLONSOFGASOLINE ...................78
DON'TUSEWORDSTHATARE"SHINYINTHESEAT" ..................................................82
AVOIDWORDSTHATWRINKLETHEOTHERPERSON'SBROW ..................................88
HOWTOMAKETESTEDSENTENCESSELLINDOOR-TO-DOORSELLING...............95
HOWTOMAKECOMPLETE SALESPRESENTATIONSOUTOFTESTED
SENTENCES..............................................................................................................102
HOWTOSELLTHEMANSHOPPINGFORHISWIFEORSWEETHEART...................107
ALESSONINSALESMANSHIPATTHESEASHORE ....................................................113
THEWORD"MISS"VERSUSTHEWORD"MRS.".........................................................118
"OLDMANJOHNSTON"FINDSSIXWORDSTHATSELLPIPETOBACCO ..............121
SELLING-SENTENCEODDITIESTHATHAVEMADEPEOPLERESPOND ................123
A CIGARETTE GIRL CHANGES AN EXPRESSION AND INCREASES HER
BUSINESS.................................................................................................................128
EIGHTLITTLEWORDSTHATFOILEDSOUVENIRHUNTERS......................................132
TESTED WAYS TO HIRE - OR BE HIRED................................................................133
THECIGAR-STOREINDIANNEVERMADEASALE .....................................................140
SUMMARYOFTHEFIVEWHEELERPOINTS .................................................................143
DON’T SELL THE STEAK –
SELL THE SIZZLE
W
HATWEMEANbythe“sizzle”is theBIGGEST sellingpoint in your proposition –
theMAINreasons whyyourprospects will want tobuy.Thesizzlingofthesteakstarts
thesalemorethanthecoweverdid,thoughthecowis, ofcourse,verynecessary!
Hiddenineverything yousell,whetheratangible oranintangible,are“sizzles.”Find
them andusethem tostart thesale.Then, afterdesirehas been established inthe
prospect’s thinking, you canbringinthenecessarytechnical points.
Thegood waiter realizes hemust sell thebubbles –not thechampagne.Thegroceryclerk
sells thepucker–not the pickles, thewhiff–not thecoffee. It is thetangin thecheese
that sells it!Theinsurancemansells PROTECTION, not cost perweek. Onlythe
butchersells thecow and not thesizzle, yet evenheknows that thepromise ofthesizzle
brings him moresales of his bettercuts.
Forinstance,let us takea certainmodernvacuum cleanerandseehowmany“sizzles”we
candeveloptoget theprospect saying,“Iwant!”insteadof“Ohhum!”:
1. PositiveAgitation.
2. Time-to-EmptySignal.
3. Dirt Finder.
4. AutomaticRugAdjuster.
5. Non-kinkCord.
6. Instant HandlePositioner.
7. Non-tangleRevolvingBrush.
8. Grit Removers.
9. Lint Removers.
10.Dust Removers.
Thesetenbig“sizzles”will makepeoplebuythis particularmakeofvacuum cleaner. The
construction,themechanism,andtheprices areimportant,ofcourse,but the“Iwant”
points, as Paul Lewis puts it,arelaborsaving,moreleisure,cleanerhomes, andhealth.
Therefore,thevacuum cleanersalesmanmust advisehimself:
Don’t sell thepricetag– sell less backache!
Don’t sell construction – sell Labor-saving!
Don’t sell themotor–sell comfort!
Don’t sell ball bearings – sell easeof operation!
Don’t sell suction –sell cleaner rugs!
Health,comfort,labor-saving,leisure, andcleaner homes arethe “sizzles”inthis
particularvacuum cleaner; constructionandmechanism the“cow.”
Are youbeginningtosee what is meant byfirst findingthe“sizzles”inwhat you are
selling,beforeevenattemptingtoform thewords toconveythe“sizzles”tothe
prospect?
Put onapairof“sizzlespecs”now andlookat your own “sales package.” Thenwrite
downtheone,five,ten,ortwenty“sizzles” youfind –intheorderof what at first blush
youbelievewill beofimportancetotheprospect.
THEN LEARN TO HAVE “YOU-ABILITY”
O
NE BIG QUESTION is runningthroughtheprospects mindas you areshowing
yourmerchandiseandtelling yoursales story, and that questionis:
“What will it do for me?”
Therefore, almost everything yousayordomust besaidanddoneinsuch awaythat it
ALWAYS answers this important question!Youmust developaNEEDfor yourproduct
inthemindoftheprospect –foruntil herealizes aneed, youwill makelittlesales
progress.
Nowall ofthe“sizzles”youlist for yourproduct maycreateaNEEDinthemindofthe
customer–but rememberthat althoughthese“sizzles”maybeofequal importanceto
you,theymaydifferinimportancetotheprospect. If youhave “you-ability,” you will be
abletotake your “sizzles”andfit them toeachprospect withuncannyaccuracy!
“You-ability” is theabilityto get ontheotherside ofthefence–toput ona pairof
invisible“sizzlespecs”andsee yourproduct throughtheEYES OFTHE CUSTOMER.
“You-ability” is theabilitytosay“you”not “I” –andtheabilitytopresent the“sizzles”
intheorderthat theCUSTOMERconsiders important.
SUMMARY OF WHEELERPOINT 1
Buriedineveryspool of thread,ineveryrowofsafetypins, ineveryautomobile,inevery
insurancepolicy,ineverygrocery,drug,ortoilet goods item,arereasons whypeoplewill
want tobuyit.
Thesebigreasons wecall the“sizzles.”