also.
"I found that by getting him to say ‘yes, yes’ from the outset, he forgot the issue at stake and was happy to do all the things I suggested.”
Joseph Allison, a sales representative for Westinghouse Electric Company, had this story to tell: “There was a man in my territory that our company was most eager to sell to. My predecessor had called on him for ten years without selling anything When I took over the territory, I called steadily for three years without getting an order. Finally, after thirteen years of calls and sales talk, we sold him a few motors. If these proved to be all right, an order for several hundred more would follow. Such was my expectation, “Right? I knew they would be all right. So when I called three weeks later, I was in high spirits. “The chief engineer greeted me with this shocking announcement: ‘Allison, I can’t buy the remainder of the motors from you.’
" ‘Why?’ I asked in amazement. ‘Why?’
" ‘Because your motors are too hot. I can’t put my hand on them,’
"I knew it wouldn’t do any good to argue. I had tried that sort of thing too long. So I thought of getting the 'yes, yes' response. " ‘Well, now look, Mr. Smith,’ I said. ‘I agree with you a hundred percent; if those motors are running too hot, you ought not to buy any more of them. You must have motors that won’t run any hotter than standards set by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. Isn’t that so?’
“He agreed it was. I had gotten my first ‘yes.’
" ‘The Electrical Manufacturers Association regulations say that a properly designed motor may have a temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit above room temperature. Is that correct?’
" ‘Yes,’ he agreed. ‘That’s quite correct. But your motors are much hotter.’
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