Any good salesperson will tell you: stop asking open-ended questions. Define the playing field. Determine the options. Control the possible outcomes. Limit responses to choices between one option or another. Never take no for an answer. Always be selling. Make you point clear and make it over and over again. Repeated statements eventually become accepted and unquestioned.

Liberals make lousy salespeople. They compulsively give both sides of a story. They explain the downside as well as the upside. They consider and respect other's viewpoints, thus becoming prone to poor productivity and time-management issues. They display reluctance at asking for the sale and easily grow bored with repeating the same pitch over and over. Liberals have noticeable problems selling products in which they do not personally believe.

Even when liberals are passionately committed to what they are selling, they tend to confuse their clients with too many statistics and too much supporting information. They overanalyze. Clients become overwhelmed, uncertain, distracted, suspicious, and ultimately disinterested. Liberals often avoid forcing their clients to reach a decision for fear of making them feel uncomfortable or pressured. In fact, they will even accept "let me think about it" as a legitimate answer.

Some people are just too honest to make a decent living selling life insurance.

Successful salespeople are not always the most intelligent or the most ethical. But they are usually the most driven. They know what they want, they do what they need to do to get it, and desire more once they have it. Because they embrace their personal goals, they work tirelessly. They remain focused

They understand that those who want it the most win.

Take President Bush. While his detractors were busy explaining all sorts of reasons why invading Iraq would be unwise, immoral, illegal, illegitimate, and counter to everything Americans hold dear, he seized control of the discussion. Instead of being distracted by arguments that the war was actually about oil, strategic positioning, empire building, protecting the dollar, or expanding American business interests, he gave people the option: either attack Iraq preemptively or wait until their evil leader builds his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction to the point that he attacks America first.

Mr. Bush did not bog anyone down with facts and figures. He repeated his selling points over and over again until he closed the deal.

Once the war began Mr. Bush again clearly defined the option for Americans and other nations: either support the US invasion and help liberate the Iraqi people or support Saddam Hussein and a continuation of the past atrocities of his regime.

Mr. Bush created a straightforward closed-ended question: are you with us or against us? Meanwhile, his detractors bogged themselves down in ideological analyses regarding international implications and our democracy's future. They again lost the interest of the public with far too many details and in-depth arguments.

Liberals think too much and, as a result, ask their clients to think too much. They make appeals based on intangibles, ideals, and values. Good salespeople will incorporate lofty and impressive sounding words and phrases, but they will understand that the sale must ultimately be consummated based on more concrete issues. The client wants to know "what's in it for me?" Successful salespeople will convince clients that their lives will be immediately better off once they make the purchase.

Mr. Bush sold safety and security. He sold protection of the American lifestyle. He sold entitlement: his supporters now believe only they should share the spoils of war.

Already the Bush administration has begun making new sales pitches. They are threatening Syria, Iran, North Korea, and even France. They are hyping new tax cuts for the wealthy that are also supposed to help the poor and the economy. They are calling for a Patriot Act II, further subversions of international agreements, and additional restrictions on environmental protections.

While his detractors bemoan the need to discredit yet another outrage, Mr. Bush relentlessly moves forward. While his opposition tires from re-fighting the same old fights they once thought they had won and from readdressing the same issues, injustices, and attacks again and again, Mr. Bush persists.

His energy and stamina are truly impressive.

Such strength results from his single-minded determination to achieve clearly defined objectives. His total commitment to forwarding the agendas of big business and America's most wealthy enables him to sell his initiatives even to the vast majority of Americans who such agendas will ultimately severely harm.

Such is the power of great salesmanship.

Mike Bryan wrote Mr. President, Please Attack Appalachia last week for Common Dreams. He can be reached at mikebryan@appalachiafirst.org

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