I like to share the following test with salespeople to see if they are up for the selling in a recession.In a research study we have in the works for The Customer Collective( TheCustomerCollective.com ) many respondents have said that in the recession they are working harder for more contact time with their customers.
No surprise, this test puts an emphasis on personal contact. But what might surprise is that I copied this test from the December 1932 issue of Opportunity Magazine, written for salespeople during the Great American Depression.
If you have a salesperson who can sell during the Depression, selling in a mere recession should be easy. Take the test:
Answer yes or no to the following:
1. Am I sociable?
2. Do I think in terms of success?
3. Do I really like selling?
4. Do I think of my customers interests?
5. Do I read sales literature?
6. Do I study my prospects?
7. Is my personal appearance a credit to myself and the company I represent?
8. Do I realize that success in selling is a matter of study and perseverance and that the element
of luck is small?
9. Am I cheerful in the face of interruptions?
10. Am I always courteous even with unreasonable prospects?
11. Am I always scrupulously honest in my representations?
12. Do I think of selling as a dignified calling worthy of my best efforts?
13. When faced with competition, am I inspired to excel?
14. Do I know that my line of goods is the best on the market?
15. Do I try to make repeat sales?
16. Do I talk quality first and price later?
17. Do I stay with a line of goods long enough to give the line a fair trial?
18. Do I spend sufficient time perfecting my demonstration to make it convincing?
19. Do I take advantage of every modern convenience in selling, such as the telephone,
telegraph and letter service?
20. Do I canvas systematically and never skip places because they look uninviting?
21. Do I work regular hours even when the weather is unpleasant?
22. Do I put in the extra time to close a deal when necessary?
23. Do I put extra effort into selling after a poor day?
24. Do I put extra effort into selling after an unusually good day?
25. Am I determined to stick with selling despite the lure of a blind alley, time clock, type of job?
Score the test by adding up the number of questions answered favorably:
25: Star Salesman
20: A Success
15: On The Way
Below 15: Need Overhauling