Selling is easy: at least good salespeople can make it look that way.

• Author: Wiesner, Pat

THE WAY I REMEMBER THIS STORY MAY NOT BE AS ACCURATE IN THE details as I would like, but it is essentially correct. And it makes the most fundamental truths of the sales process seem much clearer because it is a true story.

Years ago, like 25 or 30, a gifted man named Fred Herman appeared on the Johnny Carson Show. The Carson Show as many know, was what we used to watch before Jay Leno and Dave Letterman. Fred Herman was a world-renowned sales personality who went around the country giving presentations to groups on selling. Fred was the best. In his day there was no better trainer, no better speaker.

The encounter went something like this: Carson was a smoker and would often smoke while he was interviewing guests. He said to Fred, "You're supposed to be such a good salesman, sell me something!" And he began to look around his desk for something to make Fred sell as an example. Of course he had an ashtray right in front of him and pushed it over to Fred and said, "If you're so good, sell me this ashtray!"

Herman picked it up and held it in front of him as if he owned it. He said to Carson, "Are you enjoying smoking that cigarette?"

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"Yeah," replied Carson.

"It looks like you've smoked up lots of ashes there, what do you plan to do with 'em?"

Looking at the possessive grip that Herman had on the ashtray, Carson said, "Right now I'm not so sure."

"Well", said Fred victoriously, "I have here an ashtray. Would you like to buy it?" And everybody in the studio, Carson and Herman included, joined in great laughter.

What Fred had done was a perfect example of what the sales process should be. It wasn't long, involved or wordy. He didn't launch into a recitation of all the reasons why someone would want to buy an ashtray. He found the one that was of crucial interest to Carson and used only that. He did it using questions. No claims, no brag, no promises. Just a simple question that...