Today is the birth anniversary of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the essayist and philosopher.
Emerson once said, "A person's style is a person's mind's voice." Although Emerson was probably not thinking in these terms, his words could apply to the sales profession...and the power of making a positive first impression. Research indicates that we form 'first impressions' within 5-7 seconds of meeting someone for the first time...and it can often take as many as 20 additional interactions to alter whatever that 'first impression' was.
Emerson was also one of the first Americans to make a living from the lecture circuit. In the nineteenth century, public lectures were increasingly common. Emerson used lecturing a one of his main sources of income for him and his family. He oversaw the advertising and ticket sales. Tickets, $2 for twelve lectures, could be purchased at Boston bookstores.
Emerson was a great public speaker. He had begun his career as a Unitarian minister, and enjoyed giving sermons. His lectures drew 300-400 attendees, and he often scheduled 3-4 lectures weekly. Soon, his reputation grew and he was traveling as far west as St. Louis, and also to England and France. By the end of his life, he had become a celebrity in America and Europe and was making $100 per lecture.
By the way, last year Donald Trump was paid a cool $1,000,000 for his lecture, "How to Succeed in Real Estate." Somewhere, Ralph Waldo Emerson is smiling...with irony.
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