Name: Myron Taxman
Background: Taxman, 47, is a sales manager for Encyclopaedia Brittanica. He worked his way through school by selling encyclopedias and earned a degree in sociology from Roosevelt University in 1968. He and his wife, Carol, live in Skokie with their three daughters and son.
Years as an encyclopedia salesman: 25
I started selling encyclopedias as a part-time job while attending Roosevelt University, which was right down the street from the Brittanica offices.
I just celebrated my 25th year with them at a party where I received a gold watch. I’m in management now, but I’m far from retirement. At the party I said I would have to work another 25 years to send my four children to college!
People call in or write for information, and we are given these leads by the company. We call and contact them, making an appointment to tell them about Encyclopaedia Brittanica. We also sell through malls and shopping centers where we set up displays. It’s not “cold calling.”
We look for salespeople who like people and enjoy talking about educational pursuits. They don’t necessarily have to be college graduates, but we like that. They should have good work habits and are willing to put forth the effort. Brittanica is an easy enough product to sell. Unfortunately, most sales people can be very lazy.
A lot of people mistake someone who works at a department store as a salesperson. They stand behind a counter, and people walk in wanting to buy a tie, for instance. To me that’s not real salesmanship. Real salesmanship is when you have to initiate the contact and make a presentation.
We sell to a wide variety of people, everyone from singles, families with children, retirees and businesses. There is really no stereotypical person who buys these volumes. You can’t prejudge a customer.
You never know whom you’re dealing with. I’ve made sales in mansions or sparsely furnished apartments. People give them as wedding gifts. I just shipped a set to Israel as a wedding present. It’s the type of product that makes people feel good about buying, and it’s something they will have for the rest of their lives.
It’s amazing how often they are used. The basic information never changes. You may be looking up Lincoln and while doing that you see London and read about that.
I go to the office in the morning and may do some training, make phone calls and set up appointments. The main selling hours are in the evening when families are at home, and interviews usually last 45 minutes to an hour.
Each situation is different, and I’ve had some interesting experiences. Recently an architect from Ethiopia, living here, decided to purchase a set of Brittanica for his school back home in gratitude for his education. He was returning to Ethiopia and wanted the books delivered while he was there.
At Christmastime a man with five adult children decided to give them something besides money or clothing. He chose to give each one a set of Brittanica. We were shipping books all over the country.
A retired man in Northfield, who spends half his time here and half in Palm Springs, ordered a set for his vacation home in addition to the set he had here. He told me he refers to the volumes following discussions or while solving crossword puzzles or reading books.
One of my calls was on a man who was living in a small, meagerly furnished apartment above a taco stand. He and his wife had two children and were expecting a third. He told me that he had always wanted the Brittanica for his children but didn’t have much money. I told him that we require a minimum down payment and that he would have to pass a credit check. He had no cash, but he had a $20 gold piece that he gave me as down payment. He asked me to take it to a coin store and get whatever I could for it. I was able to get $250 for the coin. He was thrilled and was able to get the books.
Many immigrants value the acquisition of educational books. I called on a Polish family who had been here only six months, living in a tiny apartment with virtually no furniture except for a wooden yard swing. I was wondering how in the world they would be able to buy an encyclopedia. They told me that they had used Brittanica in their library in Poland and insisted they wanted it here. They felt it was a good way for them to learn about the culture and to read and speak English.
I knew they wouldn’t be able to establish credit. However, they went into the next room and came back with several hundred-dollar bills.
The man said, “I’ll bet you think we’re crazy to buy books when we have no furniture.” I said: “No. I think just the opposite. It’s probably the best investment you could make.”
One of the representatives assigned to me was on the golf course with former Bears coach Mike Ditka and mentioned to him that he sells Encyclopaedia Brittanica. Mike said: “Oh, really? I’ll take one of those!” He wound up ordering a $6,000 limited-edition set with white imperial binding.
I sold the Brittanica to an IRS agent on the hood of his car. I had gone to his office during the daytime. Since it was a nice day, we went outside and I made my presentation on the hood of his car and made the sale right there.
We sell The Great Books and The Great Ideas Today too. Many are sold in combination with Brittanica. There are 60 volumes of the Great Books.
I did a television commercial for Brittanica 13 years ago with my wife and daughter. We taped in someone’s home, at Lincoln Park Zoo and at Water Tower Place, where a crowd gathered around us. The sound man on the crew gave me a referral to a friend of his who lived in Melrose Park in a modest home. He and his wife had an 8-year-old son. They decided on a standard-type set.
I showed them the Limited Edition binding that is very expensive. He asked, “Who would buy something like that?” I told him that collectors often do. He said, “I always thought of doing something like that. I’ll take that one too!”
Computers are wonderful for storing information, but they will never replace books. In using reference books you may be going back and forth to cull your information. Also, you can take a book with you! That’s something you can’t do with a computer screen.
