ON SELLING IN 2016

America's Walt Disney was, perhaps America's best salesman... yes mice and dogs and dwarfs still run across  life's stage. There's a certain appeal from those "self-made stars like Katy Perry and Madonna. Their music fills our"'rubber souls" with stories and maybe some nostalgia thrown in. my Late Buddy and antique advertising man, Milt Morin from Leominster set me straight early in my antique dealings: People like the colours of the rainbow.

No matter what...from lingerie to Louisville Sluggers, color sells. We have come out of our caves smiling when we experience innovative marketing...in everything. I am a connoisseur of some things... namely The Best!~From the Wizard of Oz to the Wizzard of Menlo Park, NJ, ideas are transmuted to our "beans." First impressions can be lasting.. no matter what.

As one wise man said "We never get a second chance to make a GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION. Eye-contact and handshake can radiate and  make a doubting stranger into a trusting friend. Some customers are leery...some doubt the truth. I'm from Missouri.. SHOW ME! I'll be glad to Mr. and Mr customer. In all of life's dealing we should put the benefits up front. People like gimmicks.. shiny, innovative gimmicks like new Two Dollar bills! No matter what..., selling is not telling but sharing in an experience.

The world is full of salesmen. Sometimes the image you are attempting can flop... so the wisdom of all salesmen is "success on the fifth call." Persistence with a smile. I KNOW IT; I EMPLOY IT... ALL OF THE TIME.  Many years ago I bought some wooden maple gavels.. unpainted. I then had an idea "If I spray these GOLD I can give them to my trusting friends at the trust departments. I presented a golden gavel to my client and said" You have won my Golden Gavel Award." The very next day I was rewarded with handling two estates for auction. Reciprocation works.

Today, while at Lamoureux Ford in East Brookfield I imparted the idea of marketing gave to me 3 decades ago. During WWII "GM did not make cars or trucks for four years."  but guess what? GM never stopped advertising their cars and trucks... never. Did it pay off? You betcha. Post war prosperity delivered the pent-up emotions attendant with war. I saw it in Vietnam. Tanks, guns and airplanes and helicopters were a good part of our war time effort. When I DEROS-ed to San Fran, my predominant idea was a car. For me it was a black 1964 Chevrolet Nova... then a brand new Bel Air...company cars.

Every business should advertise all of the time. Get incredibly creative and folks will remember you. Polish your Happy Apples and who knows?...you may just win a golden  gavel from yours truly. And finally... sell it with a million-dollar attitude. OG MANDINO wrote a book once about marketing and selling. Check OG out on AMAZON!