Industry research indicates that life insurance, along with other financial products, is feeling the pinch of the current recession. I suppose that there are multiple causes for the decline and eventually we will sort them out and start to grow again as the economy improves. But one likely contributing factor came to mind as I read an article in our local paper that had significance to me.
The article referred to the celebration of the 80th birthday of legendary Tom's Ta
vern, a longtime Phoenix watering hole for politicians, gamblers and pool sharks. Tales of the patrons of Tom's Tavern present a colorful side of Phoenix history. A former governor held weekly cabinet meetings in one of the back rooms and the lawyer who took the Ernesto Miranda case to the Supreme Court was a regular at the pool tables. But the primary significance to me is that it is where I received my first practical lesson in salesmanship. Perhaps I should back up in order to better explain that.
My first job as a civilian after World War II was as a sales trainee for a major automotive and industrial equipment supplier. My initial training consisted of working in the company repair shop, overhauling equipment that the company sold. From time to time I inquired if there was not more to selling than what I seemed to be learning working with tools. I was always admonished, "You have got to learn the basics. You can't sell it if you don't know how it works." Thus reassured, I went back to my workbench and dreamed of clean hands, white collars and my own territory.
My opportunity for a territory arrived unexpectedly. One of the salesmen had gotten tipsy before calling on our largest customer and was promptly fired. I was told to wash my hands, put on a tie and report for a crash course in how to read and use the company's voluminous catalogs (more basics).
Three days later I was officially a salesman. Somehow, though, I felt I was still inadequate for the job. But I was told by the manager that even though I might not know everything about our products it was unlikely that I would encounter a prospect who knew more. With that assurance I was off to conquer the territory.
On my way to my first call, it suddenly occurred to me that I really didn't know exactly what to do when I got there, except to try and get an order. Well, I strolled into the office of the foreman of the local 7-Up bottling company with a 20-pound rack of catalogs in each hand ready for whatever they might need. The poor foreman didn't know what to make of this traveling store that had descended upon him. Luckily, he was a kind man and opted to give an obvious greenhorn a small order. The rest of the day was downhill, for all I got for my effort was strange looks. I was well rehearsed in the "basics" of our products but clearly I didn't know the first thing about selling.
