James Murphy > James's Quotes

“I became a door-to-door IBM salesman in 1963, a job I had for six years. But most everyone thought it was a bad idea. Door-to-door salesmen were lower than used-car salesmen or attorneys.”
― James W. Murphy, Who Says You Can't Sell Ice to Eskimos?

“I worked for Marshall Field. That’s the World Book Company. And it was straight, up and down the line. No trade-ins, no deals, no dis- counts, no gimmicks, and we hired mostly teachers and preachers and housewives. So it was straight as an arrow.

It was a great job. Pure selling. No wheeling and dealing. World Book, no deals. No trade-ins, no discounts, no gimmicks, nothing — cash. Cash. Money up front.”
― James W. Murphy, Who Says You Can't Sell Ice to Eskimos?

“You know, if you’re selling in the living room and they’ve got a bible on the table, they’re probably down in the heart, and we’ve got to hold their hands and pray about this, you know. You’ve got to observe the situation where you’re at. I’ve prayed with many people, all these ultra religious Pentecostal people, ‘I can’t do it without the Lord.’ ‘Well, I feel the same way,’ I say. ‘Let’s talk about that.’ We’ll hold hands and pray. You know, ‘Yeah, the Lord’s telling me you ought to do it,’ you know.”
― James W. Murphy, Who Says You Can't Sell Ice to Eskimos?