Textbook reading is often the bane of the college student’s existence. This was certainly the case when I took Dr. Edward’s public speaking class last semester, and he assigned Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln, a whopping four-hundred-paged book filled with public speaking wisdom. Unable to find a readily available SparkNotes version of the book online, I had to resort to the good ‘ole fashioned method of reading the actual book. However, I learned to appreciate Dr. Edward’s readings because I not only learned how to become a better public speaker but also how to sell from “The Great Persuader.”
Who is “The Great Persuader” you might ask? For those unfamiliar with the term, “The Great Persuader” is another name for Benjamin Franklin, our nation’s second president. (Just kidding, I’m not trying to offend any history buffs here.) Although Ben Franklin might not have been one of our nation’s presidents, he was known for something arguable more impressive: impeccable sales skills.
The sales skills of Ben Franklin can be summarized as the Four D’s: Defiance, Design, Donation, and Duel. Today, I’ll be elaborating on the first characteristic of good sales: defiance.
“Defiance” is a strong word. It suggests a presumptuous, audacious, or even cocky attitude. In the context of good sales, however, “defiance” does not mean any of the above. By defiance, Ben means defying psychology. When tasked with selling, many of us struggle simply because we do not believe in our product. With that in mind, the advice is simple: believe in your product. When you believe in your product and believe that you are doing the customer a favor by selling them the product, then you will naturally believe in yourself.
Take Benjamin’s advice, and you’ll be racking in those “Benjamins” in no time. Be defiant.
Source: Humes, James. Speak like Churchill, Stand like Lincoln: 21 Powerful Secrets of History’s Greatest Speakers. Prima Pub, 2002.
testacr22
Confidence is definitely important in selling. Customers have the intuition to tell whether you believe in your product or not. By reviewing history, we can see Ben Franklin was a confident seller. He was a strong supporter of independence and suggested many of America’s core foundations. In addition to being confident in your product, a seller should be confident in the customer. If sellers do not express confidence that their customers can succeed with their product, no sales will be made. Ben Franklin showed this by being confident in America’s independence and ability to achieve it. Overall, great job with your post!