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Some advertising men go out in person and sell to people before
they plan to write an ad. One of the ablest of them has spent weeks
on one article, selling from house to house. In this way they learn the reactions from different forms of argument and approach. They learn what possible buyers want and the factors which don't appeal. It is quite customary to interview hundreds of possible customers. Others send out questionnaires to learn the attitude of the buyers. In some way all must learn how to strike responsive chords. Guesswork is very expensive.
The maker of an advertised article knows the manufacturing side
and probably the dealers side. But this very knowledge often leads
him astray in respect to customers. His interests are not in their
interests. The advertising man studies the consumer. He tries to place himself in the position of the buyer. His success largely depends on doing that to the exclusion of everything else.
This book will contain no more important chapter than this one
on salesmanship. The reason for most of the non-successes in
advertising is trying to sell people what they do not want. But next to that comes lack of true salesmanship.
Ads are planned and written with some utterly wrong conception.
They are written to please the seller. The interest of the buyer are
forgotten. One can never sell goods profitably, in person or in print,
when that attitude exists.
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