Can You Sell In A Recession?

May 21st, 2008 ++ Filed Under: Ebay Selling

Selling in a recession takes a different attitude. The trick is that this test actually comes from the December 1932 issue of Opportunity Magazine, written for salespeople during the Great Depression. If you can pass a sales test written during The Depression, you are up to sell in a mere recession anytime!

Answer Yes or No to the following:

Am I sociable?
Do I think in terms of success?
Do I really like selling?
Do I think of my customers interests?
Do I read sales literature?
Do I study my prospects?
Is my personal appearance a credit to myself and the company I represent?
Do I realize that success in selling is a matter of study and perseverance and that the element of luck is small?
Am I cheerful in the face of interruptions?
Am I always courteous even with unreasonable prospects?
Am I always scrupulously honest in my representations?
Do I think of selling as a dignified calling worthy of my best efforts?
When faced with competition, am I inspired to excel?
Do I know that my line of goods is the best on the market?
Do I try to make repeat sales?
Do I talk quality first and price later?
Do I stay with a line of goods long enough to give the line a fair trial?
Do I spend sufficient time perfecting my demonstration to make it convincing?
Do I take advantage of every modern convenience in selling, such as the telephone, telegraph and letter service?
Do I canvas systematically and never skip places because they look uninviting?
Do I work regular hours even when the weather is unpleasant?
Do I put in the extra time to close a deal when necessary?
Do I put extra effort into selling after a poor day?
Do I put extra effort into selling after an unusually good day?
Am I determined to stick with selling despite the lure of a blind alley, time clock, type of job?