The Sales Genius of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is known as an inventor, printer, scientist, and Founding Father. In this episode, we look at him through a lens he rarely gets credit for – and I had no idea about: sales savant. Turns out, Franklin was a master persuader who sold ideas, institutions, French support for the American Revolution, and ultimately consensus around the U.S. Constitution.

Through stories from his autobiography and things I dug up from 100+-year-old sales books and magazines, we explore Franklin’s sales philosophies that you can use today.

For more, check out:

@saleshistorian on Instagram – quotes, pics & comics from the past (and can also be found @saleshistorian on X, too)

Four Levers Negotiating – Why do we change personalities at the goal-line of our deals – from building trust, to lying – and from focusing on the customer’s outcomes to focusing only on our own? It’s no longer sustainable. The book lays out a simple way to build trust and add deal value, with many lessons from sales history throughout.

The Transparent Sales Leader – The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.

The Transparency Sale – the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.