Do You Believe In The Product You're Selling?

When Charles Ward was V.P. of Manufacturing for Brown & Bigelow, a calendar printing company, he purchased one of the first rotogravure presses in America.  At the time rotogravure had been used in Europe for several years and it produced the most beautiful accurate reproductions then available.  The only problem was that Brown & Bigelow's salespeople hadn't sold a single customer on using rotogravure.  It was a more expensive process than ordinary printing, and they hadn't convinced themselves that customers would pay a premium for the extra quality.
So Ward decided to try selling rotogravure on his own.  He asked the sales manager for the name of the prospect who "couldn't be sold" and was told of a concern that always purchased calendars printed the ordinary way from a competitive printing outfit.  According to the sales manager,  two things made this prospect impossible.  First, the VP who bought calendars was related to the salesman at the competitive printer.  Second the other printing firm charged much less than Brown & Bigelow did for ordinary printing.
The next day Ward went to see the impossible account. He handed the receptionist a painting reproduced by rotogravure and asked her to take it to the president along with this message. "A Mr. Ward wants to talk with you about pictures like this one."  The president was impressed enough with the picture to invite Ward in.  Once in his office, Ward described the new European process used to create the picture.  Then Ward reminded the president that the calendars his firm sent out were reproduced from original art. "Aren't the quality paintings you buy each year worth the best reproduction possible?" he asked.
He didn't have to say any more the president placed his order.  Ward's conviction that better quality was worth the price made the sale.  And one sale was all the impetus needed to get the sales department behind the new process.  Once they believed, they went on to set records for Brown & Bigelow.
This story comes to us from and old monthly company sales letter.  It appears the company is still in business and if you search out Charles Ward and Brown & Bigelow,  they have a very colorful and interesting past.