🎧 316: Herb sold . . .

HERB SOLD quite a few Studebakers. The work he had put into making himself known and respected began paying off. He began capitalizing on the store of knowledge he’d accumulated about Babbingtonians. He also had the Piper talent in such abundance that he became, in an important sense, his own best customer. He sold himself on Studebaker, and by studying the cars and the prospective buyers, he found pairings that he sold himself on, too. His pitches rang true because he was convinced that his pairings of prospects and cars were right. When a man or woman or couple came into the showroom, chances were that Herb had already picked a car for them, and when he described the satisfaction that someone was going to get from, say, a Standard Six, it sounded like a fact, not a prediction. Herb had another quality, one that struck everyone but Herb himself as his strongest: he was a nice guy, the genuine article. Some people bought a Studebaker from Herb rather than another car from someone else just because they liked Herb and didn’t want to disappoint him. Even May, who informed Herb when he first suggested he had a car that might interest her, “In my family we have always owned Chryslers,” eventually gave in and bought an Erskine roadster. (She refused to abandon her loyalty to Chrysler entirely, however; she went on buying Chryslers for as long as she went on buying cars. Herb suggested, often, that she bought Chryslers just to get his goat. She would ask, “Is it working?”)
     When May’s Erskine arrived, Garth Castle delivered it in person.

     Oh, that was a day. That was a day. Herb telephoned to say that Garth was bringing the car over, and I thought that was a nice touch, but I asked Herb why he wasn’t going to bring it himself. Well, Herb was never particularly good at lying. He mumbled something I couldn’t make out, and I asked, “What?” and he said, “He wants to meet you.” Well. Garth was not the sort of man I would have had a chance to meet when my parents were alive, because he gave the impression of being terriblyfast, and Auntie Phipps would certainly never have allowed a man like Garth to call on me. If she had her way I would never have met anyone who wore long pants. But here was an excuse, you see. Well, when I saw Garth come up the drive at the wheel of that adorable car, wearing that big grin of his, I fell in love. Head over heels. Just — wham! — like that.

In Topical Guide 316, Mark Dorset considers Salesmanship: Studebaker Sales Pitches from this episode.

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