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The Greatest Salesman Ever Was My Grandad
Benjamin Franklin may have discovered electricity in the 1700s, but it didn’t make its way into my grandparents’ house until 1950. In fact, in the 1940s, less than 33 percent of farms in Montana had electricity. This is the story of David O. Tester, my grandfather. After marrying my grandmother, Grandpa David operated the family farm and worked on the side as a Kirby vacuum salesman to make extra money. Sales is difficult in any field, but door-to-door sales when the nearest neighbor is 2 to 3 miles away on the highline Montana homesteads route? David O. had his work cut out for him! In the 1920s, Jim Kirby launched direct sales of the Kirby vacuum with in-home demonstrations. This process goes back to the very basics of sales. Wants and needs, met by demonstration and presentation creates sales. I’m sure my granddad had his sales kit, demo vacuum, and flip cards ready to roll and show with the neighbors who lived near the tiny railroad town of Big Sandy, Montana. Here’s where the Greatest Salesman Ever honed his craft. You see, when my grandad began selling the home vac in 1944, a majority of the big Montana farms and ranches on the prairie had no electricity. There’s no way you could sell a product that couldn’t even be used yet, or could you? How did he do it? A
living selling a product that wouldn’t be used for another three to five years in the Big Sky country. Merwin Works purchased a vacuum from my grandad, and the rest, as they say, was history. From the Myers family to the
Christopherson place, Mr. Tester delivered his pitch and made a few extra dollars for those days on the farm when crops were sparse and hailstorms were abundant. Twenty years later, John F. Kennedy sold a vision of putting a man on the moon before we had space travel. Interestingly enough, when Mr. Kennedy visited Montana in September 1963 my grandad was assigned to protect the commander in chief as part of the county sheriff posse on horseback. My grandfather traded a ride on his quarter horse on the airport runway for a tour of Air Force One. The Greatest Salesman Ever was my grandad, with his giant smile: David O. Tester. From my grandad’s secrets to sales: 1. Bonding and Rapport: Find something in common and discover a conversation piece that fits for both. 2. Share the vision of something great: Farmers plant a seed in hope of harvesting a crop. 3. Work hard mastering your craft: You only have to be 10% better than your competition to win. 4. Live to fight another day: Some will buy, some will not buy. So what, stop whining and remember that someone is waiting for you. 5. Don’t just make a sale, build a great relationship. 1 -Dave Tester
big part of his success was being a visionary; he was selling what could be. “In time, electricity will be in this house and you will be the first to have the Kirby model 505 to clean your carpet.” He was great at developing bonding and rapport with his prospective clients. “If you can make them laugh, you can help them buy.” Yes, he managed to make a
My mom, Gretchen Tester, is the real “Director of First Impressions.” As a child, I remember many families staying at our home near Spokane, Washington, during Expo 1974. I’m not sure if our family and friends were more impressed with the world’s fair, or if the real highlight of their journey to the Northwest was dining on my mom’s amazing cooking. Omelets and French toast for breakfast, and her dinners — her dinners were second to none. Cordon bleu, bouillabaisse, pork chops and white gravy, dumplings and flat iron steak, fried oysters; you name it, mom made it. To this day, mom is still a difficult cook to outdo. I’d go so far as to say she may even be one of the best cooks in the world (a completely unbiased opinion, of course). Several of you have had a chance GG Gretchen’s Kitchen (My Mom’s Secret Recipes)
APPLE SCOTCH COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
• 1 1/4 cup firmly
• 1 tsp. cinnamon • 1/2 tsp. cloves • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg • 1 1/2 cup chopped apples
packed brown sugar • 1/2 cup soft butter or margarine • 2 eggs • 1/4 cup milk • 2 cup sifted all- purpose flour • 1 tsp. baking powder • 1/2 tsp. salt
every holiday to snack on mom’s gingersnap cookies and secret sweet mustard sauce over the years. My kids call her Grandma Gretchen. She’s a hip grandmother who says don’t call me Grandma, call me “GG” (as in “Grandma Gretchen”). As mom always reminds us, it’s not what you say, but how you make people feel. We hope this recipe for apple scotch cookies will bring joy to you and your family.
• 1 cup seedless raisins • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) • 1 (6 oz.) pkg. butterscotch pieces
Cream together brown sugar and butter. Add eggs and milk; beat well. Mix and sift flour, baking powder, salt and spices; stir into creamed mixture. Stir in apples, walnuts, raisins and butterscotch pieces. Drop by tablespoons on well-greased baking sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove from baking sheets immediately; cool on racks. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. DIRECTIONS
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“Dave’s principles have made the difference between being a major league technology services company versus being a minor league company. Bringing in Dave has been one of the best things that we have done as a business. You have to have a system to get five-star Google reviews and the Fearless Communication system works.” –Tom Beeles, President and CEO, Allied Business Solutions “Dave’s system has increased our overall Google review star rating which is extremely important in today’s society. Upset customers post reviews without being asked but happy customers won’t unless you ask. He has taught us how to ask the happy customers for reviews and reach out to unhappy customers to resolve their concerns.” –Jeff Cox, Owner, Right Now Heating and Air Conditioning
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TRAINING COURSES TO EMPOWER YOUR TEAM Have you ever asked yourself, “What’s the point of investing
experiences to instill your team members with fresh confidence and boldness! Dave answers the most challenging questions facing your team, including: • How do I get past the “gatekeeper” to connect with real decision-makers? • What’s the trick to getting five-star Google reviews? • Can my front desk help become a source for generating revenue? • How can I get my appointments with prospects to stick? Dave draws upon his decades of experience in television and radio broadcasting to present training that is fun, engaging, and easily implemented by your team members. Each training module features three weekly pre-recorded video sessions and one live video session for your team, complete with worksheets and job aids. Dave’s goal is to provide transformative change to your team, empowering each one to view every interaction on the phone as the next step toward success! Reach out to Dave today and let him know how he can help!
thousands of dollars to build a business if my front desk team loses customers at ‘Hello’”? Does your sales team break out in a cold sweat at the sight of a telephone? What if you could remove the mystery and anxiety from the often-hated cold call? As a sales mentor known to his clients and fans for making live sales calls during his in-person or virtual training sessions, Dave Tester has created a winning strategy to safeguard your team against rejection and motivate them to become superstars on the phone. Dave’s Complete Training System provides everything necessary to build your team’s skillset for success in today’s highly competitive marketplace. With two tracks to choose from based on his popular books, Dialing Strangers focuses on equipping your outbound sales team and Fearless Communication addresses the needs of your inbound customer service agents. Perfect for everything from large call centers to small businesses, Dave’s training system combines his high-energy style with practical, hands-on
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ABOUT DAVE TESTER Confident. Bold. Empowering. Dave Tester is all about helping ordinary people tap into their latent potential to become extraordinary professionals. From making live phone calls during his training sessions to modeling how to get past the Dave has become the trusted mentor of business owners and front-line employees alike with his empowering training system that gives employees the skills they need to be successful on the phone. Dave’s first book, Dialing
Strangers , has become a go-to handbook for outbound sales calls. His latest book, Fearless Communication , provides the same unique brand of motivation and hands-on learning, but with a focus on inbound customer service skills. Unlike many trainers, Dave strives to develop a genuine connection with everyone on your team, working to draw out each individual’s greatest talents and potential. The corporate business place is highly competitive, challenging, and even brutal at times. Dave acknowledges this often- harsh reality, but approaches it from a position of optimism, empowerment, and skill-building, always asking how a team or an individual can make changes that will propel them forward to success.
“gatekeeper” in any office, Dave never asks those he is training or coaching to do something that he is not willing to do himself. He is confident in his time-tested techniques and is willing to take bold career risks to help his clients discover the level of success that they desire. Following a long and highly acclaimed career in sports journalism working for Fox TV Sports, ESPN, CNN, ABC and CBS, Dave has successfully applied his bold and encouraging communication style to become a sought-after trainer, coach, consultant, and public speaker. Working alongside business leaders across America, Dave has developed a tried-and-true system for transforming struggling companies into market leaders.
Go to GoDaveTester.com Today to Download my Brand New Guide:
Email Us: TesterBroadcast@gmail.com Call Us: 208-707-9807 Learn More: GoDaveTester.com Office Location: Boise, Idaho We’re looking forward to connecting with you soon! Visit our website, call, or email us today!
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