As you read this article over the next minute you will discover a centuries old sales tactic you can use to close more sales online.

It’s not something you’ve heard before.

It will make you a TON of extra cash.

But before I can tell you this astounding secret to more sales, I need to give you some background. Don’t worry, it’s a good story and you’ll find it entertaining.

Back in 1979 I was looking for a summer job to help me save up for college. Construction jobs were the best—they paid $5 and sometimes more an hour—but it was back-breaking labor. McDonald’s was always looking for burger jockeys, but that meant working evenings and weekends, the times I wanted to be out playing.

A friend of mine called and told me he had gotten a job selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door, and that he had made $100 his very first day.

Let’s see…no back breaking labor, no hair net, my time is my own and $100 per day instead of $100 per week. I thought I’d give selling a try.

I went down to Electrolux and signed up. By that afternoon I had my VW Rabbit Hatchback loaded down with everything from spare bags to the floor scrubber attachment and I was tooling down US 41 to Bicknell, Indiana poised to earn my first $100.

My sales manager, Al, had told me it was virtually impossible to demonstrate the vacuum three times without selling at least one, and I made $100 in commission for each one sold.

I just knew this was going to be a piece of cake.

Day one: 3 demonstrations, no sales.
Day two: 3 demonstrations, no sales.
Day Three: 4 demonstrations, no sales.

At this point I was discouraged. I hadn’t made ANY sales, but I had spent $20 on 98 cent gas (it was ’79), and another $15 at McDonald’s on lunches.

I decided to quit and went to turn in my equipment. Obviously I was no salesman.

That was the moment that changed everything…

Instead of simply letting me quit, Al asked me to do a demonstration for him, right in his office. I went through my spiel and started my first “trial close.” That’s when he stopped me.

“You’re selling Hoovers.”

“No,” I strongly replied, “I am trying to sell an Electrolux.”

“But after your demonstration they’re going to go out and buy a Hoover.”

Al went on to explain that when someone feels and sees a pressing need they figure out the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to meet that need. An Electrolux cost about $650.00, a Hoover cost about $50.

He knew that when a presentation isn’t done properly the prospect simply thanks the salesman for his time then promptly goes to Sears and picks up an el-cheapo.

Man, Hoover must have loved me.

“You have to destroy the old method” Al went on.

He explained that as a part of your presentation you have to make sure to show the prospect that any solution other than the one you are offering won’t solve his problem. You do this by looking at his current solution—his own vacuum—and showing why it wasn’t doing the job. Then you demonstrate that none of his other options will work either—they are too expensive, too ineffective or both.

Did this help? All I can say is I never went more than two demonstrations again without a sale.

Here’s how you can apply this to an online sales letter.

Once you have demonstrated the need, take a paragraph or two to demonstrate why the current solution won’t work. Take another paragraph to demonstrate why your competitor’s solutions won’t work.

In just one or two paragraphs you can double your closing percentage. And stop selling Hoovers.