The life of the Road Warrior is not quite dead !
“ A carter or a hedger is a more edifying companion than a politician”
William
Cobbett 30th April 1821
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| Cobbett's portrait in the National Portrait Gallery |
1806 Honiton
1820 Coventry
1826 Preston
1832 Manchester
In 1832 he was successful and elected as Member of
Parliament for Oldham.
Salespeople have much to learn from his persistence and perseverance.
Salespeople have much to learn from his persistence and perseverance.
Cobbett believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the
rotten boroughs would help to end the poverty of farm labourers. He campaigned vigorously against the borough-mongers, sinecurists and "tax-eaters" .
Rural Rides
He embarked on a series of journeys by horseback through the
countryside of South east England and the Midlands. He wrote down what
he saw from the points of view both of a farmer and a social reformer.
'Rural Rides' documents the early nineteenth century countryside and its people as well as giving free vent to Cobbett's opinions. It became the book he is most famous for - Rural Rides
'Rural Rides' documents the early nineteenth century countryside and its people as well as giving free vent to Cobbett's opinions. It became the book he is most famous for - Rural Rides
Cobbett disapproved of proposals for remedies for
agricultural distress suggested in Parliament in 1821. He made up his mind to
see rural conditions for himself, and to "enforce by actual observation of
rural conditions", the statements he had made in answer to the arguments
of the landlords before the Parliamentary Agricultural Committee.
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| 'Back in the day' an example of former rather genteel form electioneering on wheels - exhibitor at Car Rally, Farnham Spring 2015 in aid of Phyliis Tuckwell Charity |
Rural rides 2015
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| 'Battle Ambulance' used in 2015 campaign by Dr Louise Irvine for the National Health Action Party standing for South West Surrey constituency |
On the National Level
So with just a couple of weeks to go there is everything to play for in the General 2015 UK General Election. The media circus accompanies the party battle buses as they ride round the country. LBC radio’s Nick Ferrari (who has a passing resemblance to William Cobbett) has a battle bus emblazoned with his photograph as if HE was a Presidential candidate. The BBC’s John Humphrey on the Today Radio show doing the rounds of the marginal seats of the country.
In some ways personal elections, standing for election to be voted for onto committees etc.
standing for election is the ultimate sale.
In essence the seller is not hiding behind the product , they are the product.
In essence the seller is not hiding behind the product , they are the product.
This sale is a sale of TRUST
Since the crash , Big Business has been working hard to rebuild
trust and establish or repair credibility lost.
Business Leaders and salespeople ( if there is really a distinction) would do
well to study the strategy and tactics which have been undertaken in this month
long sales campaign of Election 2015.
Customers express their ‘purchase’ by whom they vote for,
against whom through tactical voting or by ‘walking away’ and not voting at
all.
Much of electioneering is the art of persuasive
communication against resistance.
The methods being used parallel the mix of conventional and
the new of corporate marketing communications.
Conventional Selling at the constituency level is much like
Regional selling and is conducted by personal visit, --cold calling if you like.
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| Courageous candidates who 'stood up to be counted ' and sell their manifestos at the hustings (left to right) Dr Louise Irvine NHA, Mark Webber UKIP ,Susan Ryland Green Party and Howard Kaye Labour Party. for the South West Surrey constituency 29th April 2015 Candidates Paul Robinson- from Something New ( was ill and could not attend) and Conservative Jeremy Hunt sent apologies for absence due to an engagement in London |
There are beauty parade type presentations such as the hustings , the delivery of leaflet the equivalent of sales literature.
Some parties are to be seen ‘sampling’ in the high street with campaign literature
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| Poster on a house wall |
Along the high ways and byways are the posters with the invitation to vote for a candidate.
The actions on the national level are rather more formally managed. Staged rallies, Podium Style debates looking much like the "weakest link "show.
The one to one interview /interrogation is both make or break for the journalist interviewer as much as the candidate.
Don't be surprised to find the formats that worked this election being mimicked at your next sales conference.
Selling Challenge: What would your sales manifesto look like. If you had to stand for an election in front of your customers ? The Key parts to your sales manifesto
Selling Challenge: What would your sales manifesto look like. If you had to stand for an election in front of your customers ? The Key parts to your sales manifesto
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| Birthplace of William Cobbett formerly The Jolly Farmer pub referred to as "The Cobbett" by Farnham locals where you can get Cobbett's magic of threes "bacon, bread and beer" |
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| Tablet inside St Andrew's Church , Farnham. Cobbett is buried in the Church graveyard |
"The tendency of taxation is to create a class of persons who do not labour, to take from those who do labour the produce of that labour, and to give it to those who do not labour."
William Cobbett
