The Master Sales Man
WHEN business turns to advertising it metaphorically worships many false gods, a few of which we will describe; among these is "Advertising" itself.
What is advertising? Really, nothing more than written or printed selling. That is, it should be; nothing more than that. As it is now it is a hundred and one things different from that; it is art, it is typography, it is color, it is ornateness, it is expense, border, picture, girlie and what not.
A man goes into business to make money; he makes (or attempts to make) that money by an exchange of commodities (or services) at a profit. That profit is what he is in business for; he is selling, first, last, foremost and very much betwixt and between.
Advertising that primarily doesn't sell is missing its mark. It may be doing something else inordinately well and still be missing its mark. It may be impressing with literary skill, amusing with clever puns, gratifying with pretty pictures or catering to the artistic instinct with exquisitely balanced border effects. All these things have their place in selling, and in time and place they are attributes of selling, but they are not selling itself.
IDOLS OF BUSINESS
A salesman doesn't sell by being well dressed, but because he is a salesman; taste in dress helps him, but only helps him; wit in a man doesn't make him a salesman but simply a wit, though wit combined with salesmanship might very conceivably help sales; a handsome man may make a good impression, but if he hasn't the selling instinct his good looks will not count far in getting sales results though, of course, they would help the good salesman.
Advertising, basically, is selling. Till business understands this it will never be able to judge advertising correctly, because everyone judging advertising will have a different standard to judge advertising by. To the mother an advertisement might be "good" because it pictured a cute little baby; to an artist an advertisement might be "good" because it appealed to his artistic sense; to a literary man an advertisement might be "good" because it appealed to his literary tastes; to a humorist an advertisement might be "good" be-cause it appealed to his sense of humor by a clever joke or pun. The mother, artist, literate, and humorist might find it difficult to agree as to what in their viewpoint and opinion was a "good" advertisement, but if it sold a lot, a trip to Florida, a piano, or a supply of flour it would probably be a fine advertisement whether they realized it or not.
"Advertising" is not something to be set aside and talked of with awe and reverence as "Advertising," but is plain, simple selling by pictures,
IDOLS OF BUSINESS
drawings, colors, words, etc., either alone or in combination, and the standard by which it is to be judged is the proportion of inherent salesman-ship. If that proportion is five or ten per cent out of a possible one hundred per cent, it is a poor advertisement; and the closer it approximates the one hundred per cent mark (with selling force as the measure of value), the better an advertisement it is.
Remember that: advertising is nothing but printed selling and must be measured by its basic sales value; all that contributes to its selling force helps. All else (no matter how ornate, expensive or luxurious) is plain, sheer waste. When asked to judge advertising do not give an opinion based on some quality that appeals to you artistically, emotionaIly or humorously — ask if it will "sell" you or the other man. That is the correct attitude to adopt in criticising advertising and the correct measure to use in estimating its worth.
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What is advertising? Really, nothing more than written or printed selling. That is, it should be; nothing more than that. As it is now it is a hundred and one things different from that; it is art, it is typography, it is color, it is ornateness, it is expense, border, picture, girlie and what not.
A man goes into business to make money; he makes (or attempts to make) that money by an exchange of commodities (or services) at a profit. That profit is what he is in business for; he is selling, first, last, foremost and very much betwixt and between.
Advertising that primarily doesn't sell is missing its mark. It may be doing something else inordinately well and still be missing its mark. It may be impressing with literary skill, amusing with clever puns, gratifying with pretty pictures or catering to the artistic instinct with exquisitely balanced border effects. All these things have their place in selling, and in time and place they are attributes of selling, but they are not selling itself.
IDOLS OF BUSINESS
A salesman doesn't sell by being well dressed, but because he is a salesman; taste in dress helps him, but only helps him; wit in a man doesn't make him a salesman but simply a wit, though wit combined with salesmanship might very conceivably help sales; a handsome man may make a good impression, but if he hasn't the selling instinct his good looks will not count far in getting sales results though, of course, they would help the good salesman.
Advertising, basically, is selling. Till business understands this it will never be able to judge advertising correctly, because everyone judging advertising will have a different standard to judge advertising by. To the mother an advertisement might be "good" because it pictured a cute little baby; to an artist an advertisement might be "good" because it appealed to his artistic sense; to a literary man an advertisement might be "good" because it appealed to his literary tastes; to a humorist an advertisement might be "good" be-cause it appealed to his sense of humor by a clever joke or pun. The mother, artist, literate, and humorist might find it difficult to agree as to what in their viewpoint and opinion was a "good" advertisement, but if it sold a lot, a trip to Florida, a piano, or a supply of flour it would probably be a fine advertisement whether they realized it or not.
"Advertising" is not something to be set aside and talked of with awe and reverence as "Advertising," but is plain, simple selling by pictures,
IDOLS OF BUSINESS
drawings, colors, words, etc., either alone or in combination, and the standard by which it is to be judged is the proportion of inherent salesman-ship. If that proportion is five or ten per cent out of a possible one hundred per cent, it is a poor advertisement; and the closer it approximates the one hundred per cent mark (with selling force as the measure of value), the better an advertisement it is.
Remember that: advertising is nothing but printed selling and must be measured by its basic sales value; all that contributes to its selling force helps. All else (no matter how ornate, expensive or luxurious) is plain, sheer waste. When asked to judge advertising do not give an opinion based on some quality that appeals to you artistically, emotionaIly or humorously — ask if it will "sell" you or the other man. That is the correct attitude to adopt in criticising advertising and the correct measure to use in estimating its worth.
The Master Sales Man
WHEN business turns to advertising it metaphorically worships many false gods, a few of which we will describe; among these is "Advertising" itself.
What is advertising? Really, nothing more than written or printed selling. That is, it should be; nothing more than that. As it is now it is a hundred and one things different from that; it is art, it is typography, it is color, it is ornateness, it is expense, border, picture, girlie and what not.
A man goes into business to make money; he makes (or attempts to make) that money by an exchange of commodities (or services) at a profit. That profit is what he is in business for; he is selling, first, last, foremost and very much betwixt and between.
Advertising that primarily doesn't sell is missing its mark. It may be doing something else inordinately well and still be missing its mark. It may be impressing with literary skill, amusing with clever puns, gratifying with pretty pictures or catering to the artistic instinct with exquisitely balanced border effects. All these things have their place in selling, and in time and place they are attributes of selling, but they are not selling itself.
IDOLS OF BUSINESS
A salesman doesn't sell by being well dressed, but because he is a salesman; taste in dress helps him, but only helps him; wit in a man doesn't make him a salesman but simply a wit, though wit combined with salesmanship might very conceivably help sales; a handsome man may make a good impression, but if he hasn't the selling instinct his good looks will not count far in getting sales results though, of course, they would help the good salesman.
Advertising, basically, is selling. Till business understands this it will never be able to judge advertising correctly, because everyone judging advertising will have a different standard to judge advertising by. To the mother an advertisement might be "good" because it pictured a cute little baby; to an artist an advertisement might be "good" because it appealed to his artistic sense; to a literary man an advertisement might be "good" because it appealed to his literary tastes; to a humorist an advertisement might be "good" be-cause it appealed to his sense of humor by a clever joke or pun. The mother, artist, literate, and humorist might find it difficult to agree as to what in their viewpoint and opinion was a "good" advertisement, but if it sold a lot, a trip to Florida, a piano, or a supply of flour it would probably be a fine advertisement whether they realized it or not.
"Advertising" is not something to be set aside and talked of with awe and reverence as "Advertising," but is plain, simple selling by pictures,
IDOLS OF BUSINESS
drawings, colors, words, etc., either alone or in combination, and the standard by which it is to be judged is the proportion of inherent salesman-ship. If that proportion is five or ten per cent out of a possible one hundred per cent, it is a poor advertisement; and the closer it approximates the one hundred per cent mark (with selling force as the measure of value), the better an advertisement it is.
Remember that: advertising is nothing but printed selling and must be measured by its basic sales value; all that contributes to its selling force helps. All else (no matter how ornate, expensive or luxurious) is plain, sheer waste. When asked to judge advertising do not give an opinion based on some quality that appeals to you artistically, emotionaIly or humorously — ask if it will "sell" you or the other man. That is the correct attitude to adopt in criticising advertising and the correct measure to use in estimating its worth.
What is advertising? Really, nothing more than written or printed selling. That is, it should be; nothing more than that. As it is now it is a hundred and one things different from that; it is art, it is typography, it is color, it is ornateness, it is expense, border, picture, girlie and what not.
A man goes into business to make money; he makes (or attempts to make) that money by an exchange of commodities (or services) at a profit. That profit is what he is in business for; he is selling, first, last, foremost and very much betwixt and between.
Advertising that primarily doesn't sell is missing its mark. It may be doing something else inordinately well and still be missing its mark. It may be impressing with literary skill, amusing with clever puns, gratifying with pretty pictures or catering to the artistic instinct with exquisitely balanced border effects. All these things have their place in selling, and in time and place they are attributes of selling, but they are not selling itself.
IDOLS OF BUSINESS
A salesman doesn't sell by being well dressed, but because he is a salesman; taste in dress helps him, but only helps him; wit in a man doesn't make him a salesman but simply a wit, though wit combined with salesmanship might very conceivably help sales; a handsome man may make a good impression, but if he hasn't the selling instinct his good looks will not count far in getting sales results though, of course, they would help the good salesman.
Advertising, basically, is selling. Till business understands this it will never be able to judge advertising correctly, because everyone judging advertising will have a different standard to judge advertising by. To the mother an advertisement might be "good" because it pictured a cute little baby; to an artist an advertisement might be "good" because it appealed to his artistic sense; to a literary man an advertisement might be "good" because it appealed to his literary tastes; to a humorist an advertisement might be "good" be-cause it appealed to his sense of humor by a clever joke or pun. The mother, artist, literate, and humorist might find it difficult to agree as to what in their viewpoint and opinion was a "good" advertisement, but if it sold a lot, a trip to Florida, a piano, or a supply of flour it would probably be a fine advertisement whether they realized it or not.
"Advertising" is not something to be set aside and talked of with awe and reverence as "Advertising," but is plain, simple selling by pictures,
IDOLS OF BUSINESS
drawings, colors, words, etc., either alone or in combination, and the standard by which it is to be judged is the proportion of inherent salesman-ship. If that proportion is five or ten per cent out of a possible one hundred per cent, it is a poor advertisement; and the closer it approximates the one hundred per cent mark (with selling force as the measure of value), the better an advertisement it is.
Remember that: advertising is nothing but printed selling and must be measured by its basic sales value; all that contributes to its selling force helps. All else (no matter how ornate, expensive or luxurious) is plain, sheer waste. When asked to judge advertising do not give an opinion based on some quality that appeals to you artistically, emotionaIly or humorously — ask if it will "sell" you or the other man. That is the correct attitude to adopt in criticising advertising and the correct measure to use in estimating its worth.
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The Master Sales Man
The Master Sales Man
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940015781267 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Sales |
| Publication date: | 11/24/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 674 KB |
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