This week I’d like to share a story about persistence and it begins with a new salesman from a Philadelphia newspaper. You would think that this man would go the easy way out and call the people who are easiest to persuade into buying ad space from their news paper since he has just got in. But he did the opposite—he found twelve merchants that have previously turned down other salesmen in his company and called them up.
Every day, he would repeat to himself about a hundred times a day that the people in his list will purchase advertising from him and then he would call them. He kept calling these prospects until he started getting sales from them.
However, there was this one man, who kept saying no. He called him every day for thirty days and he still refused to purchase ad space from the salesman.
On the 30th day, the merchant he was pursuing asked him in an angry tone, “Why are you wasting my time? I have said no and I told you I’m not going to buy from your newspaper.”
The young salesman replied, “You know what, I am not. I have not been wasting my time. I have been coming to you and I have been going to school. I have been learning everything. I have been learning from every objection and how to overcome them. I have been going to school and I was learning how to build my self confidence.”
Taken aback and utterly impressed, the merchant said, “ I’ve also been going to school with you over the last 30 days. I have been going to school on the school of persistence and watching you come back every time. I’m going to reward you and I’m going to purchase from you and buy advertising.”
This was the beginning of the young man’s success and he became the best salesman in that Philadelphia newspaper.
Now, 99 percent of people would never think of going after the twelve hardest people. They always go for the easiest people to persuade and that should not be the case. Instead, go after the person whom you think would let you learn the power of persistence.
