Page:Spirella Manual (1913).djvu/20

 Custom garment before naming the price. We find people who need Spe­cial or Custom Corsets, as a rule are very irregular in figure, and have had great difficulty in securing satisfactory corsets. These people are willing to pay almost any price if you can please them. Therefore, do not hesitate to charge the price necessary for Special or Custom work when it is needed.

With many people this Model Introduction and showing of your outfit would be too long. In most cases it would be better to state the price and approach for the order earlier.

Do not, however, name price too early, even if asked to do so. Keep back the price until a strong interest has been aroused. Always be gov­erned by the length of time it takes to arouse interest. When the interest is intense, the crisis has arrived. Book the order whether little or much has been said. If you have misjudged your case, take up your talk where you left off, and continue.

Judgment, Judgment, JUDGMENT, is what you must exercise in closing the order.

32. Study your prospective customer from start to finish. Watch the objections and answer them; not for argument—that is time wasted—but for the purpose of first bringing conviction and then compelling ac­tion. All talk not bearing directly or indirectly upon this purpose, is time lost, so far as doing business is concerned. Keep to the point; watch the "Spirella Idea" grow in the mind of your customer.

33. If every one were like Mrs. Jefferson, we would say, learn the above canvass, word for word, and give it as though it were your own. But, as individuals differ, we will say, learn every testimonial you can use, and learn how to meet every objection. Be so wide awake, so enthu­siastic, and have your arguments so well classified in your mind that you can bring forth every time the one that will be to the point. Then your CALMNESS, CONFIDENCE and COURAGE will command success.

34. Commit your prospective customer at every opportunity. If she is very quiet and non-committal, question her as you make each good point to find out if she agrees with you and admits the point you have made. This gives you an intelligent basis on which to work, and opens up to you the objections which she holds in her own mind. In so doing you are not wasting any time or words. If she agrees with you, you know it, or if she has objections to raise, you learn what they are and can answer them effectively. Study your customer all the time and find out what the real obstacle is. Some people are non-committal, and will not reveal the real reason, but will try to hedge and cover up their real objection. By reading between the lines, you can often divine their objection, and by putting up a straw man and knocking him down, so to speak, you will handle the case successfully. These reticent people, will, as a rule, uncon­sciously tell you by their manner when you have touched the real obstacle. We do not advise this last method as a regular thing, but use it only in extreme cases, just when called out. It should rather be used as a reserve method.