I found that the institution of life insurance was one of the sustaining pillars of our
American economy, and it was worthy of the attention of any prospect. After getting
thor­oughly saturated with all the knowledge pertaining to life insurance, I began to
study the prospect. Where does he fit in? Where is his place in this great network
of economic, social, and financial relations? I found that the whole system of life
insurance was set up for one purpose only, and that was to serve the needs of
the prospect. A life insurance policy was a declaration of financial independence,
embodying  guarantees that would solve the prospect’s family problems, help him
to solve his estate problems, help him to solve his retirement problems, and help
him to realize his hopes, am­bitions, and needs. The prospect was not aware
of all the wonderful things that life insurance could do for him. I must tell him.

In creating this Sales Plan for life insurance, I felt I had  a lot in common with
the prospect. I knew he had a family, a home, a job, and, in all probability, a lot
of unfulfilled de­sires. I appreciated one great fact about the prospect: he was a
rational human being with problems and needs and would listen to an appeal on
how to meet them, based on common sense and reason.

Therefore, with a good understanding of life insurance, and with the prospect
as the center of interest, I fitted a life insurance policy about his shoulders. I made
it talk. I made  it reveal its benefits and what they meant to him and his family.
This is the Sales Plan I created. In this Sales Plan I refer to the prospect as “Mr. Doe”
and the insurance com­pany as “Every Man’s Life Insurance Company’

SOME YEARS AGO, a man hired the Opera House in a small
Pennsylvania town for one night, but engaged no ush-
ers or other staff. About a month before the date for which
he had rented the hall, he put a large sign on the most
prominent billboard in town, stating in huge letters: “HE
IS COMING!”

A week before the fateful night this was replaced by: “HE
WILL BE AT THE OPERA HOUSE THURSDAY NIGHT,
OCTOBER 15th, AT 8:30!”
That night, the man himself sat in the box office and sold
tickets at $1 a head to a capacity audience. When the lights
went up inside, however, all that the crowd could see was a
huge sign reading: “HE IS GONE!”

All the principles of selling are wrapped up in this story.
Attention was gained. Interest was developed. Desire was
stimulated. The prospect was convinced to act, and to “close
the deal” by buying a ticket. I do not recommend this pro-
cedure, but the principles applied contain the basic elements
necessary to create a sale. In this chapter, let us unfold and
develop these principles and endeavor to learn how to apply
them to create a sale or to improve our present Sales Plan.
When I was sixteen years old, which was over 42 years
ago, I began to sell. I am still at it. In fact, I get more real
pleasure and enjoyment out of it today then ever before.

Selling furnishes me with a modern school and a complete
laboratory that is made up of living people, and affords me
the opportunity to study every phase of human behavior and
to understand the relations that exist in the varying aspects
of selling. When you analyze selling, and especially creative
selling, you find that you are dealing with the greatest and
most interesting thing in the world. You are dealing with
ideas and thoughts. By the application of ideas and thoughts,
man has the ability to create. He creates by the power of an
invisible idea. It is an invisible idea before it is a visible
thing. It must be a thought before it can be a product or
service. Therefore, if man has the capacity and ability to
create a product or service by the means of an invisible idea,
it must stand to reason that he has the power to create a
sale, and to establish a market for that product or service.

This is the line of reasoning that I have always followed,
and it has never failed. I know from my experience that a
man can create a demand and a market for anything, even
for a product that never existed before.

A knowledge of ourselves, and what appeals to us, often
gives us a definite clue to what appeals to and attracts others.
We discover an appeal that makes them act. Most prospects
are fundamentily alike. What will appeal to one will appeal
to all. Most of us are constantly and eternally trying to per-
suade and even convince ourselves that we are different
from everyone else. With 42 years experience in selling and
experimenting in the laboratory of human relations, I know
differently. We all have a lot in common with each other.
The sooner we realize this, the sooner will we generate the
power to attract. We must realize and appreciate one great
fact about the prospect: he is a rational human being. He has
desires, problems and needs, and he will listen to a reason-
able and common-sense appeal on how to meet and fulfill
them.

The attributes, characteristics, and qualities of the pros-
pect can usually be determined by an understanding of our
own. Your purpose should be to understand what the pros-
pect thinks and to express your power to him through a well-
formulated Sales Plan. Therefore, with this understanding,
using the prospect and his needs as a center of interest, you
can build and create thoughts into a Sales Plan that will
impel him to act. You can attract and inspire him to have
full confidence in your proposition.

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