Mr. Carter mentally prepares himself for the formal presentation he is about to give to a room full of high-end business executives to attempt to sell them a business that was originally bought for $1.2 million. The goal is to sell it for $3 million, resulting in a profit of over one and a half million dollars. Mr. Carter knew he would have to be absolutely pristine in every aspect of his appearance, presentation, and formality. He dressed himself up in his Giorgio Armani suit, his Zara tie, and his Hugo Boss cuff links and tie clips. In his world, it was game time. That means that it’s all or nothing. He knew that he had stand out if he wanted to make an impression on his boss, the other company’s consultants, and his acquaintances. Arrogance would make him lose credibility, however confidence was an absolute essential.
According to “Silva Rhetoricae”, the purpose of utilizing the grand or high style of speech is simply to move- and that’s exactly what Mr. Carter intended on doing. If he really wanted to be successful with this presentation that would result in over $3 million of assets being transacted, he would clearly need to move and to persuade the entire room of people. To begin, Mr. Carter’s boss, also the CEO of the firm, got up to introduce Mr. Carter and formally approve Mr. Carter’s presentation as he thoroughly explains why Mr. Carter is such a successful and powerful businessman. Then, Mr. Carter begins with the following: “Thank you so much for that introduction Mr. Taylor. I am so thankful for this wonderful job I have to help others make smart financial decisions and I am also thankful for the time you all are giving me. We all know that time is one of the most valuable assets we can have. With that being said, I don’t want to waste any of it. It’s literally indisputable that buying the small business from us in Scranton, Pennsylvania is a steal. It’s profit margin has almost tripled in the past five years and every number regarding revenues on the income statement is at an all time high. It’s almost unfair. However, due to the changes we are making in our firm, we simply don’t have the time to continue to manage the business so that it continues to grow stronger. The solution is simple. We want to help other great companies like JacksonTyx (which is the company he is addressing) have great success as well. You are all respectable and we would like to give you the offer of buying the business from us before we offer it to anyone else. At the rates the small business is increasing in value, we know that we are being quite generous to you, however we want to continue to do business with you in the future which is why we are giving you such a bargain.”
Anyone who has their mind on money, knows that this is a high style of speech. When there are millions of dollars on the line, everyone in the room is intrigued. Mr. Carter knows that he builds his credibility (ethos) in multiple ways - beginning with the introduction from Mr. Taylor. His delivery was extremely smooth as he very confidently pitches the sale of buying out the company. He talks about how he wants to help other great businesses and how he wants to continue to maintain a relationship with JacksonTyx in the future. He also discusses the logistics of the deal and explains very clearly why buying the business would be so great. His delivery and style are only one of a successful businessman. Mr. Carter signed the deal that very day as his firm made a profit of $1.8 million.
Having a background in sales I couldn't agree more with your post. Being able to communicate effectively in the high style leads to a lot of success in a sales career. I hadn't really thought about the connection between the high style of speech and a speaker building his/her ethos until your post, as I was mostly focused on it's attempt to "move" the audience. I think that this is a unique and powerful characteristic of the high style that needs to be understood by many different professionals.
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