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You are reading a page from Sales methods of 222 life insurance agents (1923)
Part of the American Term Life Insurance History Project
Term Life Insurance

 

PREPARATION OF THE SALESMAN

 

pects," he says, "and the competition for them is keener. The reason more salesmen don't sell $100,000 polices is because they think in terms of $5.000."

Parker considers the opening or approach the point at which a sale is made or killed. "Too many salesman give their prospects a chance to turn them down before they have presented their proposition," he continued, "No man likes to change his mind. If I were to ask, `Are you interested in taking out some life insurance? and the man answered `No,' I would consider my opportunity to sell him had vanished. Therefore, I always try to ask questions to which the answer must be `Yes.'

"When you come to analyze the qualities that go to make up a good salesman you have a hard task, and whatever you say will seem commonplace. And so I am going to say a very common-place thing: The prime requisite of a salesman is health. Think of all the crack salesmen you ever knew, and nine times out of ten, I dare say, they are men who glow with health.

"The man who gets plenty of sleep, doesn't overeat, and keeps himself will groomed is not only prepared to do a full day's work, but he will get a hearing where the dyspetic, sleepy or bloated fellow will get a turn down.

"Prosperity is a great leveler because most men can stand so little of it. When they reach a certain point they get lazy, over-eat, go in for night life, and that's the last you hear of them."

 

Personality Your Display Case. By E. H. Marshall.

Personality is something which is hard to define—it is that something which naturally attracts to one man—inspires confidence and trust in another—and arouses suspicion of or disgust in a third.

This tangible reflection of character, this atmosphere or condition called personality, is created by each individual according to his capacity for development, as a result of character, disposition, frame of mind, and outward appearance.

In every phase of practical life, certain personal requirements are imperative if effort is to be crowned with success. These requirements concern body, dress, personal style, language, self-mastery, business conduct and savings or increase of capital.

In the selling of life insurance it is of the utmost importance to give some thought to these vital factors. More often than

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You are reading a page from Sales methods of 222 life insurance agents (1923)
Part of the American Term Life Insurance History Project
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