Salesmanship

The kids filed back into class Monday morning. They were very excited. Their weekend assignment was to sell something, then give a talk on productive salesmanship.

Sally led off: "I sold girl scout cookies and I made $30," she said proudly. "My sales approach was to appeal to the customer's civic spirit. I credit that approach for my success."

"Very good," said the teacher.

Jenny was next: "I sold magazines," she said. "I made $45 and I explained to everyone that magazines would help them keep up on current events."

"Very good, Jenny," said the teacher.

Eventually, it was Johnny's turn. He walked to the front of the classroom and dumped a box full of cash on the teacher's desk. "$2,467," he said.

"$2,467!" cried the teacher, "What in the world were you selling?"

"Toothbrushes," said Johnny.

"Toothbrushes? How could you possibly sell enough toothbrushes to make that much money?"

"I found the busiest corner in town," said Johnny. "I set up a Chips & Dip stand, and gave everyone that walked by a free sample. They all said, ‘Hey, this tastes like dog crap!’ Then I would say, ‘It is dog crap. Wanna buy a toothbrush?’”