How to Make a Sale

This summer I worked as a sales representative for Cutco Cutlery. If you’re wondering what I sold, you’re probably wondering right – Yes, I sold knives. Not the typical summer job, but it was a learning experience I’ll never forget.

Throughout the summer, I worked by appointment and was introduced to hundreds of different customers through personal referrals. Though I had my target market, or “target audience,” in rhetoric terms, each and every appointment was unique. Every person I sat down with had a different initial view on the product, and I was the medium of influence that stood between a sale or a no sale.

It’s interesting how sales occur so often without us even knowing it. They say two people can look at the same thing and see it completely differently. That’s because we all perceive life in different ways. It is utterly impossible to control anyone else’s way of thinking besides our own. We have no control over that, but we do have influence. 

We can say and do certain things to change the mind of another. We can choose certain words, certain gestures, a smile :), to influence people into thinking the way we do. And in the end, they will either change their thoughts, or hold to their original opinion.

Every conversation is a sale or a no sale.

Articles are conversations on paper. They use certain ‘word’s and certain gestures to influence how we perceive the information. Writers use different tools of rhetoric to sell their argument to the readers.

We know from the title of my blog that I view from a perspective that life should have a balance between work and leisure. So when I came across this article, I was curious about what the author had to say.

“Resume Required: Business Majors Get a Wake-Up Call.” The article discusses a new policy at University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, which requires applicants to submit a resume in order to even be considered for admission.

My initial viewpoint: This is a lot of pressure for young students.

In order for her readers to even be open to changing their opinions, the author, Alison Damast, used her first tool of rhetoric by deciding how to give her article credibility. So the article was published in “Bloomberg BusinessWeek,” a notable weekly business magazine with over 4.8 million weekly readers in over 140 different countries.

Ethos – check.

The author then takes out her second tool of rhetoric and drives it into her introduction. She uses a quote from Tippie’s assistant dean regarding the change in application process: “Certainly for the person who only has had babysitting as a job, this will clue them in to the idea that this is the time they need to start changing that.”

This quote brings about a feeling of importance, urgency, and as for those getting the “wake-up call,” probably some pressure and anxiety as well. Suddenly the text has generated specific emotions in its readers.

Pathos – check.

In the paragraph that follows, Damast begins to explain the logic of the new policy. She frames the requirement as one that is parallel to several other credible Universities' policies, including University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management.

New thought: If those schools are also requiring a resume for their applicants, maybe this is a policy that all schools should require in order to stay up to par. Or is the author just using this technique to influence my point-of-view… ?

Damast continues by explaining the value that the new resume requirement brings to students. “The push comes as schools are trying to help students become more attractive to employers in what is becoming an increasingly competitive job market for college students” (Damast). In other words, when these students apply for jobs, they will have their resume ready. But in the author’s words, it will “help students,” and they will “become more attractive,” especially in the “increasingly competitive job market.” These are simple phrases that influence the way we interpret the text. Her argument is now both important, and logical.

Logs – check.

After reading the article, I can’t say that my opinion changed. I can’t say that I now justify forcing high-school students to compete for jobs and look good on paper in order to even be admitted to a college. However, I do see the value that the new requirement could add for those students who do have better prepared resumes than the rest.

The author’s article may not have been intended to persuade by any means. It may have been simply to inform readers of a new policy, one that the author perceived as both useful and important. Her use of ethos, pathos, and logos in the text influenced the thought process of a conflicting audience member – me. 

Sale - check!