Part 38 (1/2)

”I finally won my point, to my own satisfaction - but my time was up, the interview was over, and I still hadn't produced results.

”The second time, I didn't bother with tabulations of figures and data, I went to see this man, I dramatized my facts I.

”As I entered his office, he was busy on the phone.

While he finished his conversation, I opened a suitcase and dumped thirty-two jars of cold cream on top of his desk - all products he knew - all compet.i.tors of his cream.

”On each jar, I had a tag itemizing the results of the trade investigation, And each tag told its story briefly, dramatically.

”What happened?

”There was no longer an argument. Here was something new, something different. He picked up first one and then another of the jars of cold cream and read the information on the tag. A friendly conversation developed.

He asked additional questions. He was intensely interested. He had originally given me only ten minutes to present my facts, but ten minutes pa.s.sed, twenty minutes, forty minutes, and at the end of an hour we were still talking.

”I was presenting the same facts this time that I had presented previously. But this time I was using dramatization, showmans.h.i.+p - and what a difference it made.”

PRINCIPLE 11 Dramatize your ideas.

12 WHEN NOTHING ELSE WORKS, TRY THIS

Charles Schwab had a mill manager whose people weren't producing their quota of work.

”How is it,” Schwab asked him, ”that a manager as capable as you can't make this mill turn out what it should?”

”I don't know,” the manager replied. ”I've coaxed the men, I've pushed them, I've sworn and cussed, I've threatened them with d.a.m.nation and being fired. But nothing works. They just won't produce.”

This conversation took place at the end of the day, just before the night s.h.i.+ft came on. Schwab asked the manager for a piece of chalk, then, turning to the nearest man, asked: ”How many heats did your s.h.i.+ft make today?”

”Six.”

Without another word, Schwab chalked a big figure six on the floor, and walked away.

When the night s.h.i.+ft came in, they saw the ”6” and asked what it meant.

”The big boss was in here today,” the day people said.