49 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 14 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H2'ed 6/28/11

Selling the Revolution

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   5 comments
Message Allan Goldstein
Become a Fan
  (21 fans)

Revolution
Revolution
(Image by Revspress)
  Details   DMCA
d morning, progressives. I want to thank you for coming to this seminar. I've done an analysis of your business and I'm afraid the numbers don't look good. That's the bad news. The good news is that I'm here to help you fix it.

Let's break it down and see if we can find the problem. You have the concepts, you have the vision, you have the moral compass. You should have more than enough voters to waltz just about any candidate you want into any office in the land.

But you don't. You took a murderous shellacking two years ago and your revolution looks further away than ever. Why are you failing when you should be winning? What's missing from the progressive agenda?

Salesmanship, my friends. Frankly, you stink at it. Your competition consistently outsells you, and their product is a steaming pile of crap.

I want to ask everyone here a question. Do you really believe? Do you believe your ideas are the best ones out there? Do you think it's a matter of life or death for your customers if they are misled and buy the competition's failed ideas instead?

Of course you do. And since you do, don't you have a moral obligation to sell your ideas to the absolute best of your ability?

So, how are your sales figures this month? How are you doing closing deals, promulgating ideas, changing minds?

Because that's your job, you know. Changing minds. If you don't succeed at that it's not the customer's fault. It's yours.

Starting right now we're going to turn this around. I don't want to hear any more negativity. Negativity doesn't sell.

Take Social Security, for instance. It's running short of cash. Your competitors on the right don't really care if it does or doesn't, as long as the people don't blame them.

But you have a better story to tell, a positive story.

Prospect: "What do we do about this danged Social Security thing?"

Progressive: "We'll, I'll tell you Mrs. Voter. We could do like the Republicans want and raise the retirement age up to where a coal miner couldn't come out of the earth until he was so full of carbon he could sign his checks with his tongue. Or we could fix it the progressive way.

"Just take the cap off that tax, keep the rate the same and tax those folks making over 100K the same as a guy making five bucks an hour and problem solved. That's your modern, progressive, Social Security fix, right there!"

See? Salesmanship. Pitch your ideas in a positive way and I guarantee you, they'll sell. Tell your customer he's an idiot and he'll buy snot-covered crud from your competition, just to spite you.

A good salesperson doesn't cuss out his customers if they make the occasional objection. He expects objections and he never finds them objectionable. He hears what his prospect has to say, nods appreciatively, then gets back to selling his product.

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Must Read 4   Well Said 4   Valuable 3  
Rate It | View Ratings

Allan Goldstein Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

San Francisco based columnist, author, gym rat and novelist. My book, "The Confessions of a Catnip Junkie" is the best memoir ever written by a cat. Available on Amazon.com, or wherever fine literature is sold with no sales tax collected. For (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Broken Unions, Broken Nation, and the Lie that Keeps us Broke

Republican Autoerotic Asphyxiation

The Short, Sad Life of Greedaholics Anonymous

"The Memoirs of the White House Janitor." By Cosmo "Ace" Willingham.

How do you know if you're an artist?

Repeal the Second Amendment.

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend