1 78 TH E M IN D O F T HE B UY E R
a baby’s c ry, a n a cciden t i n th e street. A ny
thin g, h oweve r un rel ate d to th e comm odity
m ay sp oil th e sal e. Any sa l esma n c an de
sc ri b e a sc ore o f such c at a stroph e s which
m ake hi m a sse rt th a t t h e p sych ol ogi cal mo
m ent i s th e m os t c ri tic al sta ge i n th e sal e.
An d h e do e s n o t ove rsta te th e fa c t. Th e ex
perience of sal e s m a na ge rs goes to sh ow th a t
th e salesm en wh o fail a re d eficient mo s t fre
que ntly in ability to get p ast th e p sych ol ogi cal
m om en t. Th ey m ake a goo d app roa ch , aro use
i nt e re s t in th e goo ds a nd c rea te st ron g desire ,
b u t a re u nabl e to m ake a good cl osing. Th ey
e rr i n two ways—in trying to forc e a decision
to o soo n, b efore th e Ide a h a s h a d time to
rea ch It s maxi m um dim ensions, o r in del ay
ing to p re ss fo r a decision until a fte r th e Idea
h a s ripene d an d decayed. In ei th e r case,
th ei r e rro r lies i n a fail ure to recognize th e
p sych ol ogical m oment.
H ow recognize it? H o w may one recogni ze
th e p sych ol ogical m ome n t a n d ho w m ay on e
cul tiva te a sen sitiveness fo r it s app roach?
Und oub te dly th ere a re si gns th a t acc ompany
i t, for suc ce ssful sal esmen sen se i t rea di ly.
Th ei r awaren ess o f it, h oweve r, i s no t a
vividly sel f-c onscious ma tte r, fo r th ey c ann ot
t ell h ow th ey rec ognize i t. If p ressed fo r a
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