Discover the Secret Sales Formula from 1854 That Still Works Today
A sales lesson from 160 years ago that's just as relevant today
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Introduction
Imagine you walk into a salon and ask the hairdresser how they would style your hair?
The moment you finish asking the question, imagine your hairdresser going into a monologue trying to explain the quality and the characteristics of your hair, the current weather in your city, the impact of the climate on your hair and explaining 15 options.
If you’re not feeling restless/ irritated/ overwhelmed just reading the last few lines, maybe you need to read the lines again, or work on your imagination muscle a little (read: a lot) more.
However, let me tell you about an incident that occurred in 1854, that will teach you and the imaginary hairdresser a simple, yet one of the most powerful and effective secrets of business/ sales.
The case study from 1854
The year is 1854. Almost all buildings in New York are just about 4 floors high.
Yes. You read that right. Just 4 floors “high”.
Are you wondering why was that?
Well because elevators were not as common as they are today.
People were skeptical/ scared/ uncomfortable with the idea of an elevator.
The common fear was, that if the cords/ cables that are holding the elevator cabin break/ snap, the elevator will come crashing down and cause severe injuries/ fatality to the people who are riding the elevator.
Sidebar: This may “feel” unreasonable, but it’s a very common human trait to feel sceptical towards any new and revolutionary technology. Think about driverless cars in 2025.
In this environment, a gentleman named Elisha Otis booked a stall during an exhibition and during the peak hours of the exhibition, he demonstrated that the elevator cars created by Otis would not lead to an accident, in case of the failure of the steel cables/ cords.
He took it one step further, by demonstrating this feature while he was in the elevator car, which was installed during the presentation.
This one demonstration is responsible for a large population of the world living in cities today and for elevators being so ubiquitous that lack of an elevator in a building is a situation of confusion/ disbelief.
This is the power of demonstration.
To know more about the incident, check a reference link to an article, later in the note.
Instead of going on a monologue of 15 hairstyles, showing you 15-20 pictures was the most practical/ realistic option that the hairdresser should have exercised (at the start of the note).
Conclusion
Aren’t you pumped to start creating a “show, don’t tell” demo for your business?
I can assure you, your revenues, your personal brand and the flow of quality leads will get multiplied should you start creating a demonstration of the results of your business to your target audience.
Confused about how to create an effective demonstration to your market? Need help? Do you know I do offer 1:1 consulting? Interested to know more? Feel free to reach out to me and let’s connect.Your Thoughts!
If you’ve reached till this point of the post, I’m sure you must have some thoughts/ feelings/ opinions about what you’ve just read.
I’m done sharing what’s on my mind, and now is your turn to share your POV.
Tell me how you are processing the information that you’ve just read?
Do you agree with my thoughts?
Do you think I missed something important?
Do you disagree with something in particular?
Let’s continue this conversation (or ask your questions about the post) in the comments below.
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Reference:
Link to the article from India Today about Elisha Otis & the demonstration
Prompt used to create the image for the note
P.S.: Image made on Meta AI using the prompt, “Re-imagine Elisha Otis’ demonstration of an elevator from 1854”