Sales School

Carl Sewell's family auto dealership was started in 1911. Sewell began working there as a salesman in 1967. The business has grown to include nine franchises, with more than $500 million in annual sales. Sewell is also the author of the best-selling "Customers for Life" (Doubleday, 1990).

Stuart S. Snyder
President and COO
Feld Entertainment Inc.
Vienna, Virginia

Great salespeople are masters of the art of persuasion. P.T. Barnum, master salesman and a founder of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, used to say that "every crowd has a silver lining." Great salespeople can see that silver lining -- both for themselves and for their customers. They know their product, they're trustworthy, and they can instill confidence in their customers. Combine these qualities with an ability to listen, to sense through all of the clutter what a customer's hot buttons are; add a passionate determination to put all the pieces of the puzzle together for the benefit of the customer; and you've got yourself a great salesperson.

In a lot of ways, the Greatest Show on Earth is an easy sell. Everyone loves the circus, and everyone loves to be entertained. But we sell more than just shows: We sell memories. We think of ourselves as being in the wonderment business, and we take seriously the responsibility of selling wonderment to more than 25 million people a year. At the same time, that responsibility makes the selling proposition very exciting.

Feld Entertainment is the world's largest producer of live family entertainment. Feld Entertainment's shows include the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, 19 Disney On Ice presentations, and Siegfried & Roy at the Mirage in Las Vegas.

Richard Marcus
Senior Adviser
Peter J. Solomon Co.
New York, New York

I started working at Neiman Marcus when I was 12 years old: I ran electric trains during the holiday season. Over time, I learned a lot from my experience there -- especially from my father, Stanley Marcus. He has always stressed that selling is about more than a single transaction between a salesperson and a customer. It includes everything that piques a customer's interest -- everything that informs, excites, and motivates customers before they come to the table.

My father also understands the value of a good story -- the way it can reach both customers and employees. For him, storytelling is part of our tribal lore. While I was growing up, I found it all too easy to roll my eyes and think, "Oh, I've heard this one before." But it's amazing to witness the power that a simple story has to inspire the selling effort.

Richard Marcus (marcus@pjsolomon.com) served as CEO of Neiman Marcus from 1979 to 1988. Since 1997, he has served as a senior adviser at Peter J. Solomon, which provides investment-banking services to companies.