“Truth can be proved in just one way, and no other – that is by living it. You know what is good, only by trying. Truth, for us, is that which brings good results – happiness or reasonable conduct, health, peace and prosperity.”
Elbert Hubbard
The author is Elbert Hubbard, a philosopher for the common man with universal appeal. He also wrote, “The word philosophy means the love of truth or, if you prefer, the love of that which is reasonable and right. Philosophy refers directly to the life of man – how shall we live so as to get the most of this little Earth journey.“
A rugged individualist and author of over 7,000,000 words – including one of the best selling books of all time, “A Message To Garcia,” which sold over 40,000,000 copies – Elbert Hubbard’s words also directly address the role of the salesman in society today. He writes of the businessman as one of the most important factors in the civilization – and that the salesman is the crucial element that makes it all work.
Armed with this concept of philosophy above as a starting point, combined with my study and experience in the fields of human behavior and sales and selling – not to mention being an intrepid writer – I decided I might be able to add something of lasting value to this subject. My focus has always been on the application of knowledge to useful purpose.
As a working title, I have called this work, “An Applied Philosophy of Selling” which, when used, will produce good results, provide happiness and prosperity in addition to reasonable conduct, health and peace of mind. It would ideally also provide a bedrock-basis of agreement about the subject of sales and selling in general and be reasonably easy to understand and apply.
A further important distinction between a sale (a noun) and selling (an active verb) must be recognized:
a) Selling is the series of actions that must occur for a sale to take place. The word itself is an active verb.
b) A sale is a noun describing a static state that results from the actions of selling have been brought to a close.
If you understand what is involved in selling, then a sale will be far easier to accomplish. Toward this end, a conceptual understanding of the following six key words of selling is vital:
SIX KEY WORDS OF SELLING: communication, cause, desire, value, exchange, benefit.
1. Communication: the exchange of information between individuals, by means of speaking or writing; a sense of mutual understanding.
2. Cause: To make something happen or exist or be the reason that somebody does something; to bring into being or be responsible for a certain result.
3. Desire: to want something very strongly; a wish, need or longing for something.
4. Value: the perception of worth, importance, or usefulness of something to somebody.
5. Exchange: to give something and receive something of value different in return.
6. Benefit: To give or receive help or advantage.
Note: A “benefit” is a subjective term, as what is considered a benefit is not common one for one. It is a function of what is considered valuable, and value is determined by what how much something is desired or wanted.
To put the above information into an “action definition of selling” that can be used and applied instantly in the real world, I have formulated the following definition for consideration:
ACTION DEFINITION OF SELLING:
Selling – action definition: the effective use of communication to cause an increase in desire and to enhance the value of a product or service in the eyes of customer resulting in a willing exchange of something of value for the thing wanted or needed to the benefit of both parties.
Once you see this as a tool for use – and understand each word in the definition - the more your effectiveness and efficiency will increase.
This is because all the fundamental ingredients of selling, necessary for any sale to take place, are included in the definition . It is now up to you to apply this tool of knowledge to your advantage or not. Until you try it and see that it works for you, it’s just a combination of words which may or may not be true. Remembering the words of Elbert Hubbard as above, “Truth, for us, is that which brings good results . . . ,” – the proof is in the pudding, you’ll see that it works, only by trying it.
An applied philosophy of sales, or any knowledge is valuable only to the extent that it works. And until see that for yourself, it is just an opinion. If you can see it produce good results, happiness and prosperity, then it is true for you. You will then be standing on the solid bed-rock with all the stability it provides.
I assure you it is worth the effort!
daniel w. jacobs
(c)2002-2020, all rights reserved
sales master class series
thesalesmaster.com
