,illustration3 ,orison ,s4 ,marden ,,selling ,,things ,,by ,,orison ,,swett ,,marden ,,author ,,of 8,,pushing ,,to ,,the ,,front10 8,,peace1 ,,power ,,and ,,plenty10 8,,the ,,victorious ,,attitude10 ,,etc4 ,,with ,,the ,,assistance ,,of ,,joseph ,f4 ,,macgrail ,,instructor ,,in ,,salesmanship ,,and ,,efficiency ,,for ,,many ,,large ,,sales ,,and ,,industrial ,,organizations ,illustration ,,new ,,york ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,,publishers ,,copyright1 #aiaf1 ,,by ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,thirteenth ,thousand ,,to ,,my ,,friend ,,charles ,m4 ,,schwab ,,the ,,master ,,executive1 ,,producer1 ,,salesman4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,i ,,the ,,man ,,who ,,can ,,sell ,,things #a ,,ii ,,training ,,the ,,salesman #f ,,iii ,,the ,,most ,,important ,,subjects ,,of ,,study #ad ,,iv ,,making ,a ,,favorable ,,impression #ai ,v ,,the ,,selling ,,talk ,,or 8,,presentation0 #bh ,,vi ,,the ,,approach ,,and ,,expression #cc ,,vii ,,the ,,ability ,,to ,,talk ,,well #cg ,,viii ,,how ,,to ,,get ,,attention #db ,,ix ,,tact ,,as ,a ,,friend-,,winner ,,and ,,business-,,getter #dg ,x ,,sizing ,,up ,,the ,,prospect #fb ,,xi ,,how ,,suggestion ,,helps ,,in ,,selling #ga ,,xii ,,the ,,force ,,of ,,cheerful ,,expectancy #gi ,,xiii ,,the ,,gentle ,,art ,,of ,,persuasion #hf ,,xiv ,,helping ,,the ,,customer ,,to ,,buy #id ,,xv ,,closing ,,the ,,deal #aje ,,xvi ,,the ,,greatest ,,salesman--,,enthusiasm #aab ,,xvii ,,the ,,man ,,at ,,the ,,other ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,bargain #aai ,,xviii ,,meeting ,,and ,,forestalling ,,objections #abe ,,xix ,,quality ,,as ,a ,,salesman #acc ,,xx ,a ,,salesman',s ,,clothes #aci ,,xxi ,,finding ,,customers #adh ,,xxii ,,when ,,you ,,are ,,discouraged #aee ,,xxiii ,,the ,,stimulus ,,of ,,rebuffs #afc ,,xxiv ,,meeting ,,competition3 8,,know ,,your ,,goods0 #agg ,,xxv ,,the ,,salesman ,,and ,,the ,,sales ,,manager #ahd ,,xxvi ,,are ,,you ,a ,,good ,,mixer8 #ahi ,,xxvii ,,character ,,is ,,capital #bjg ,,xxviii ,,the ,,price ,,of ,,mastership #bac ,,xxix ,,keeping ,,fit ,,and ,,salesmanship #bbf ,,appendix--,,sales ,,pointers #bej ,,selling ,,things ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,man ,,who ,,can ,,sell ,,things ,cultivate all the arts and all the helps to mastership4 ,the world always listens to a man with a will in him4 ,soon after ,henry ,ward ,beecher went to ,plymouth ,church he received a letter from a ,western parish1 asking him to send them a new pastor4 ,after describing the sort of man they wanted1 the letter closed with the following injunction3 8,,be ,,sure ,,to ,,send ,,us ,a ,,man ,,who ,,can ,,swim4 ,our last pastor was drowned while fording the river1 on a visit to his parishioners40 ,now1 this is the sort of a man that is wanted everywhere1 in every line of human activity1 the man who can swim1 the salesman who can swim1 who can sell things1 who can go out and get business1 the man who can take a message to ,garcia1 who can bring back the order1 the man who can 8deliver the goods40 ,the whole business world to-day is hunting for the man who can sell things2 there is a sign up at every manufacturing establishment1 every producing establishment for the man who can market products4 ,there is nobody in greater demand than the efficient salesman1 and he is rarely if ever out of a job4 ,only a short while ago two companies actually went to law about a salesman who transferred his connection from one to the other1 his original employers holding that he had no right to do so1 as he was under contract 7at a #ej1jjj salary7 to them4 ,in spite of the fact that thousands of employees are looking for positions1 on every hand we see employers looking for somebody who can 8deliver the goods02 a salesman who will not say that if conditions were right1 if everything were favorable1 if it were not for the panic1 or some other stumbling block1 he could sell the goods4 ,everywhere employers are looking for some one who can do things1 no matter what the conditions may be4 ,there is no place in salesmanship for the man who waits for orders to come to him4 ,he is simply an order taker1 not a salesman4 ,live men1 men with vigorous initiative and lots of pluck and grit1 men who can go out and get business are wanted4 ,it should not be necessary to prove that training is needed for success in salesmanship or in any business4 ,yet1 because men have been compelled for centuries 8to learn by their mistakes10 to pick up here and there1 by hard knocks1 a little knowledge about their work1 there has been a prejudice against trying to teach business by sane1 scientific methods4 ,besides1 in former times1 the working man and the mere merchant were supposed to belong to a low class of society1 apart from the noble and the learned1 and little attention was given to their needs4 ,a man1 too1 was believed to be born with a natural aptitude for salesmanship or business building1 and this was supposed to be all-sufficient4 ,to-day there are many men and women attracted by the big profits in salesmanship1 who would like to become salesmen and saleswomen1 but they feel they have not this natural aptitude to insure permanent success4 ,it is true that1 just as certain men and women are born with natural gifts for music and for art1 so certain men and women have1 in a high degree1 the natural qualities which enable them to succeed in selling either their brain power or merchandise4 ,but while it is true that some people have more natural capacity than others1 it is not true to-day1 and it was never true in the fine arts1 in athletics1 or in commercial pursuits1 that the untrained man is the equal of the trained man4 ,man is always improving ,nature1 or1 if you prefer1 he is always helping ,nature4 ,central ,park1 ,new ,york1 is more beautiful because the landscape gardener has been helping ,nature2 the farmer is the reaper of bigger and better crops because he is following the advice of the chemist1 who tells him how to fertilize the soil2 the ,delaware ,river and ,hell ,gate have become more easily navigable1 because the engineer has removed obstacles which ,nature had placed in those waters2 ,colorado's arid lands are irrigated1 thanks to the skill of the civil engineer2 the horticulturist aids ,nature by grafting and pruning2 the scientist comes to the help of human nature with antiseptic methods in surgery2 and the inventor shows ,nature how electricity can be put to numberless practical uses4 ,let us not fool ourselves2 we need to study1 we need to be trained for every business in life4 ,and in these days the training by which natural defects are overcome and natural aptitude is developed into effective ability can be obtained by every youth4 ,no matter how great your natural ability in any direction1 in order to get the best results1 it must be renforced by this special training4 ,the untrained man may get results here and there because he has natural ability and unconsciously uses the right methods4 ,the trained man is getting results regularly because he is consistently using the right methods4 ,business men no longer attribute a lost sale1 where it should have been made1 to 8hard luck10 but to ignorance of the science of salesmanship4 ,the 8born0 salesman is not as much in vogue as formerly4 ,business is becoming a science1 and almost any honest1 dead-in-earnest1 determined youth can become an expert in it1 if he is willing to pay the price4 ,it is scientific salesmanship to-day1 and not luck1 that gets the order4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,training ,,the ,,salesman ,the consciousness of being superbly equipped for your work brings untold satisfaction4 ,efficiency is the watchword of to-day4 ,the half-prepared man1 the man who is ignorant1 the man who doesn't know his lines1 is placed at a tremendous disadvantage4 ,a student seeking admission to ,oberlin ,college asked its famous president if there was not some way of taking a sort of homeopathic college course1 some short-cut by which he could get all the essentials in a few months4 ,this was the president's reply3 8,when the ,creator wanted a squash1 he created it in six months1 but when he wanted an oak1 he took a hundred years40 ,one of the highest-paid women workers in the world1 the foreign buyer for a big department store1 owes her position more to thorough training for her work than to any other thing4 ,between salary and commissions1 her income amounts to thirty thousand dollars a year4 ,speaking of her place in the firm1 one of its highest members said to a writer3 8,we regard ,miss ,blank as more of a friend than an employee2 and she came to us just twenty years ago with her hair in pig-tails1 tied with a shoe string2 and she was so ill fed and ill clothed we had to pass her over to our house nurse to get her currycombed and scrubbed before we could put her on as a cash girl4 ,without training1 she would probably have dropped back in the gutter as an unfit and a failure4 ,with training1 she has become one of the ablest business women in the country40 ,there are a thousand pigmy salesmen to one ,napoleon salesman2 but if you have natural ability for the marketing of any of the great products of the world1 all you need to make you a ,napoleon salesman is sound training and willingness to work faithfully4 ,with such a foundation for success you will not long be out of a job1 or remain in obscurity1 for wherever you go1 no matter how hard the times1 you will see an advertisement for just such a man4 ,the term 8salesmanship0 is a very broad one2 it covers many fields4 ,the drummer for a boot and shoe house1 the insurance agent and manager1 the banker and broker1 whose business is to dispose of millions of dollars' worth of stocks and bonds--all these are 8salesmen10 trafficking in one kind of goods or another--all form a part of the world's great system of organized barter4 ,there are three essentials which must be considered in deciding on salesmanship or any other vocation1 namely3 taste1 talent1 and training4 ,the first is1 by far1 the most important of these essentials1 for whatever we have a taste for1 we will be interested in2 what we really become interested in1 we are bound to love1 sooner or later1 and success comes from loving our work4 ,to find out whether or not you are cut out for a salesman1 you must first analyze the question of your taste and your talent4 ,in this matter1 however1 it should be borne in mind that human nature1 especially in youth1 is plastic1 and that we can be molded by others1 or we can mold ourselves4 ,even though one has not a strong taste1 naturally1 or a decided talent for salesmanship1 he can acquire both1 for even talent1 like taste1 may be either natural or acquired4 ,by proper training in salesmanship1 which means the right kind of reading1 observing and listening1 and right practicing1 we can develop our taste and ability so as to become good salesmen or good saleswomen4 ,the basic requirements for successful salesmanship are good health1 a cheerful disposition1 courtesy1 tact1 resourcefulness1 facility of expression1 honesty1 a firm and unshakable confidence in one's self1 a thorough knowledge of1 and confidence in1 the goods which one is selling1 and ability to close4 ,true cordiality of manner must be renforced by intelligence and by a ready command of information in regard to the matters in hand4 ,it will be seen that all these things make the man as well as the salesman--when coupled with sincerity and highmindedness1 they can't but bring success in any career4 ,the foundation for salesmanship can hardly be laid too early4 ,the youth who uses his spare time when at school1 in vacation season1 and out of business hours1 in acquiring the art of salesmanship will gain power to climb up in the world that cannot be obtained so readily by any other means4 ,fortunate is the young man who has received the right kind of business training4 ,no matter what his occupation or profession1 such training will make him a more efficient worker4 ,many youths have had fathers whose experience and advice have been valuable to them4 ,others have been favored by getting into firms of high caliber4 ,as a result they have been in a splendid environment during their most formative years1 and in so far have had an inestimable advantage in success training4 ,many people have the impression that almost anybody can be a salesman1 and that salesmanship doesn't require much1 if any1 special training4 ,the young man who starts out to sell things on this supposition will soon find out his mistake4 ,if salesmanship is to be your vocation you cannot afford to take any such superficial view of its requirements4 ,you cannot afford to botch your life4 ,you cannot afford a little1 picayune career as a salesman1 with a little salary and no outlook4 ,if salesmanship is worth giving your life to1 it is worth very serious and very profound and scientific preparation and training4 ,i know a physician1 a splendid fellow1 who studied medicine in a small1 country medical school1 where there was very little material1 and practically no opportunity for hospital work4 ,in fact1 during his years of preparation his experience outside of medical books was very meager4 ,since getting his ,m4 ,d4 diploma this man has been a very hard worker and has managed to get a fair living1 but he is much handicapped in his chance to make a name in his profession4 ,he has a fine mind1 however1 and if he had gone to the ,harvard ,medical ,school in ,boston1 or to one of the other great medical schools where there is an abundance of material for observation and facilities for practice in the hospitals and clinics1 he would have learned more in six months1 outside of what he gathered from books and lectures1 than he learned in all of his course in the country medical schools4 ,his poor training has condemned him to a mediocre success1 when his natural ability1 with a thorough preparation1 would have made him a noted physician4 ,you cannot afford to carry on your life work as an amateur1 with improper preparation4 ,you want to be known as an expert1 as a man of standing1 a man who would be looked up to as an authority1 a specialist in his line4 ,to enter on your life work indifferently prepared1 half trained1 would be like a man going into business without even a common school education1 knowing nothing about figures4 ,no matter how naturally able such a man might be1 people would take advantage of his ignorance4 ,he would be at the mercy of his bookkeeper and other employees1 and of unscrupulous business men4 ,and if he should try to make up for his lack of early training or education1 he must do it at a great cost in time and energy4 ,successful salesmanship of the highest order requires not only a fine special training1 but also a good education and a keen insight into human nature2 it also requires resourcefulness1 inventiveness and originality4 ,in fact1 a salesman who would become a giant in his line1 must combine with the art of salesmanship a number of the highest intellectual qualities4 ,yet in salesmanship1 as in every other vocation1 there is not one qualification needed that can not be cultivated by any youth of average ability and intelligence4 ,success in it1 as in every other business and profession1 is merely the triumph of the common virtues and ordinary ability4 ,in salesmanship1 as in war1 there is offensive and defensive4 ,the trained salesman knows how to attack1 and he knows how to defend himself when he is attacked4 ,everything contained within the covers of this book has for its object the most effective offensive and defensive methods in selling4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,most ,,important ,,subjects ,,of ,,study 8,salesmanship is knowing yourself1 your company1 your prospect and your product1 and applying your knowledge40 ,the qualities which make a great business man also enter into the making of a great salesman4 ,salesmanship is fast becoming a profession1 and only the salesman who is superbly equipped can hope to win out in any large way4 ,different authorities agree pretty much on the subjects which must be studied or understood in the making of good salesmen1 although they classify in somewhat different ways the headings under which salesmanship should be studied4 ,mr4 ,arthur ,f4 ,sheldon1 for instance1 in his able ,course1 has divided the knowledge pertaining to scientific salesmanship under four heads3 #a1 ,the ,salesman2 #b1 ,the ,goods2 #c1 ,the ,customer2 #d1 ,the ,sale4 ,the 8,drygoods ,economist0 has some excellent courses on salesmanship1 in which they use almost this identical classification1 treating the subject under the four general divisions3 #a1 ,the ,salesman2 #b1 ,the ,goods2 #c1 ,the ,customer2 #d1 ,service4 ,mr4 ,charles ,l4 ,huff has added to the valuable data on salesmanship a book in which he gives the following five factors as the headings under which the subject of salesmanship should be covered1 namely3 #a1 ,price2 #b1 ,quality2 #c1 ,service2 #d1 ,friendship2 #e1 ,presentation4 ,every salesman is really teaching the customer something about the goods4 ,he is1 so to speak1 a teacher of values1 or if you prefer1 8a business missionary40 ,in order to teach well he should have these most valuable assets3 first1 right methods of meeting customer2 second1 thorough knowledge of self1 of goods1 of customer and conditions2 third1 ability to meet competition1 both real and imaginary2 fourth1 helpful habits2 fifth1 good powers of originating and planning2 sixth1 a selling talk1 or something worth while saying2 seventh1 properly developed feelings1 which will add force to what he says4 ,in a brief and helpful course on salesmanship 8,system10 a business magazine1 gives great emphasis to the value of dwelling on five buying motives--#a1 ,money2 #b1 ,utility2 #c1 ,caution2 #d1 ,pride2 #e1 ,self-indulgence1 or ,yielding to ,weakness4 ,if a salesman will keep before his mind these five points1 and if he appeals to the human traits they indicate he will become a master in closing deals4 ,a great many methods are used to-day for rating employees1 just as ,dun and ,bradstreet rate firms4 ,according to ,roger ,w4 ,babson1 there is a ,mr4 ,horner1 of ,minneapolis1 who rates his salesmen and trains them along these lines3 ,,habits ,,of ,,work #a4 ,idealism a4 ,understanding of business #b4 ,intelligence b4 ,selecting ,policy to suit age and condition of applicant c4 ,self-culture4 #c4 ,hopefulness #d4 ,optimism a4 ,to clients #e4 ,uniform courtesy b4 ,to office force c4 ,to fellow agents #f4 ,number of daily interviews #g4 ,concentration or effectiveness of work1 as to waste of time or energy4 a4 ,to company #h4 ,loyalty b4 ,to organization c4 ,to fellow agents #i4 ,attention to old policy holders #aj4 ,enthusiasm4 ,a final and very vital point to consider is this3 ,why do salesmen meet opposition8 ,mr4 ,huff1 in his very practical and interesting book on salesmanship1 has classified under six general heads the causes of opposition4 ,these are3 ,first1 ,prior ,dissatisfaction2 ,second1 ,general ,prejudice2 ,third1 ,buyer's ,mood2 ,fourth1 ,conservatism2 ,fifth1 ,bad ,business2 ,sixth1 ,personal ,dislike for ,salesman4 ,it is up to the salesman to analyze the customer and decide just which of these six points of opposition is causing him to lose business4 ,just in the degree that he can locate the exact trouble1 and then overcome it in the proper way1 will he be able to get the business which may seem at first absolutely beyond him4 ,any or all of these six causes of opposition will not overwhelm the master salesman1 but the mediocre or indifferent salesman is bound to collapse when confronted with any one of them4 ,and if he does not train himself to meet and overcome opposition he is doomed to failure1 or at least to a very poor grade of success--not worthy the name4 ,remember1 ,mr4 ,salesman1 it is always up to you4 ,develop your brain power1 and then use that power for all it is worth4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,making ,a ,,favorable ,,impression ,go boldly2 go serenely1 go augustly2 ,who can withstand thee then6--,,browning4 ,the personality of a salesman is his greatest asset4 ,a ,washington government official called on me some time ago1 and before he had reached my desk ,i knew he was a man of importance1 on an important mission4 ,he had that assured bearing which indicated that he was backed by authority--in this instance the authority of the ,united ,states--and the dignity of his bearing and manner commanded my instant respect and attention4 ,the impression you make as you enter a prospect's office will greatly influence the manner of your reception4 ,it is imperative to make a favorable first impression1 otherwise you will have to spend much valuable time and energy and suffer a great deal of embarrassment in trying to right yourself in your prospect's estimation1 because he will not do business with you until you have made a favorable impression on him4 ,some salesmen approach their prospect with such an apologetic1 cringing1 8excuse me for taking up your valuable time0 air1 that they give him the idea they are not on a very important mission1 and that they are not sure of themselves1 that they have not much confidence in the firm they represent or the merchandise they are trying to sell4 ,approach the one with whom you expect to do business like a man1 without any doubts1 without any earmarks of a cringing1 crawling or craven disposition4 ,enter his office as the ,washington official entered mine1 like a high-class man meeting a high-class man4 ,you will compel attention and respect instantly1 as he did4 ,your introduction is an entering wedge1 your first chance to score a point4 ,if you present a pleasing picture as you enter you will score a strong point4 ,here is where you must choose the golden mean between cringing and over-boldness4 ,if you approach a man with your hat on1 and a cigar or cigarette in your mouth1 or still smoking in your fingers2 if your breath smells of liquor2 if you show that you are not up to physical standard2 if there is any evidence of dissipation in your appearance2 if you swagger or show any lack of respect1 all these things will count against you4 ,if you present an unpleasing picture1 if there is anything about you which your prospect does not like2 if you bluster1 or if you lack dignity2 if you do not look him straight in the eye2 if there is any evidence of doubt or fear or lack of confidence in yourself1 you will at once arouse a prejudice in his mind that will cause him to doubt the story you tell and to look with suspicion at the goods you are trying to sell4 ,a salesman once entered a business man's office holding a tooth-pick in his mouth4 ,you may think it was a little thing1 but it so prejudiced the would-be customer against him at the start that it made it much more difficult for him even to get a chance to show his samples4 ,the business man in question was very particular in regard to little points of manners1 and was himself a model of deportment4 ,i know of another salesman who makes a most unfortunate first impression because he has no presence whatever1 not a particle of dignity2 he is timid and morbidly self-conscious1 and it takes him some minutes after he has met a stranger to regain his self-possession4 ,to those who know him he is a kindly and genuinely lovable man1 but he does not appear to advantage at a first introduction4 ,he is a college graduate1 and was so popular and stood so high in his class that he was proposed to represent it at commencement4 ,he was defeated1 however1 on the plea that he would make such a bad impression on the public that he would not properly represent the class4 ,self-possession is an indispensable quality in a salesman4 ,it is natural to the man who has confidence in himself1 and without self-confidence it is hard to make a dignified appearance or to make others believe in you4 ,what you think of yourself will have a great deal to do with what a prospect will think of you1 because you will radiate your estimate of yourself4 ,if you have a little seven-by-nine model of a man in your mind you will etch that picture on the mind of your prospect4 ,in approaching a prospect1 walk1 talk and act not only like a man who believes in himself1 but one who also believes in and thoroughly knows his business4 ,when a physician is called into a home in an emergency1 no matter how able a man may be at the head of the house1 no matter how well educated the mother and children may be1 everybody stands aside when he enters4 ,they feel that the doctor is the master of the situation1 that he alone knows what to do1 and they all defer to him4 ,everybody follows his directions implicitly4 ,you should approach a possible customer with something of this professional air1 an air of supreme assurance1 of confidence in your ability1 in your honesty and integrity1 confidence in your knowledge of your business4 ,your professional dignity alone will help to make a good impression1 and will win courtesy4 ,it will insure you at least a respectful hearing1 and there is your chance to play your part in a masterful manner4 ,a publisher who has a large number of book agents in the field1 advises his men to act1 when the servant answers the door bell1 as though they were expected and welcome4 ,he tells them1 if it is raining to take off their rubbers1 if it is muddy or dusty to wipe off their shoes and act as though they expected to go in4 ,the idea is to make a favorable impression upon the servant first of all1 for if they were to behave as though they were not sure they would be admitted1 apologizing for making so much trouble and assuming the attitude of asking a favor1 they would communicate their doubt to the servant1 and would not be likely to gain admittance1 not to speak of an audience with the mistress4 ,in short1 the carrying of a positive1 victorious mental attitude1 the radiating of a vigorous expectation of getting a hearing will get you one4 ,the agent who rings a door bell with a palpitating heart1 with a great big doubt in his mind as to whether he ought to do it1 and who1 when the door is opened1 acts as though he were stealing somebody's valuable time1 and had no right to be there at all1 will create a prejudice against him before he opens his mouth4 ,and before he gets a chance to plead his cause he will probably find the door closed in his face4 ,you should seek admission to a house as though you were the bearer of glad tidings1 as though you had good news for the family1 as though you were conferring a real favor on them by calling their attention to what you have to sell4 ,whatever you are selling1 whether books or pianos1 hardware or drygoods1 your manner will largely determine the amount of your sales4 ,there are salesmen who approach prospective customers just as though they not only did not expect an order1 but rather expected1 if not to get kicked out1 at least a polite invitation to get out4 ,i was in the office of a business man recently1 when a man of this stamp came in and crept up to him with a sort of a sheepish expression on his face1 as much as to say1 8,i know ,i haven't any right here1 but ,i have come in to ask for a favor1 which ,i feel sure you won't grant40 8,i don't suppose you have an order for me to-day1 have you80 he said4 ,of course1 the man1 without a moment's hesitation1 said1 8,no40 ,and the salesman crept out as though he had almost committed a sin by entering at all4 ,now1 there is something in every manly man which despises this self-depreciating spirit1 this false self-effacement1 this creeping1 cringing1 apologizing attitude1 which robs one of all dignity and power4 ,if you approach people as though you expected a kick1 you are pretty sure to get it4 ,it may come in the form of a gruff refusal1 of a snub1 or of a polite invitation to get out1 but you are likely to get what you invite--a rebuff of some kind4 ,if you approach a man at all1 do it in a brave1 vigorous1 manly way4 ,do not ruin your cause by giving him a contemptible picture of you at the very outset4 ,at least let him see that you are self-respecting1 manly1 that there is nothing of the coward in you4 ,even if he declines to give you an order1 compel him to respect you1 to admire you for your dignified1 virile bearing4 ,no one cares to do business with a person he cannot help despising1 while a man who creates a favorable impression will at least get a hearing4 ,we recently asked a representative of a big concern how he managed to do so much business with people whom very few salesmen can approach4 8,well10 he said1 8,i will tell you4 ,one reason is that ,i never go to a man as though ,i had no right to4 ,i do not creep into his office and look as though ,i expected a kick or a rebuff4 ,i walk right straight up to him in the most manly and commanding way possible1 for ,i am bound to make a good impression on him1 so that he will remember me pleasantly1 even if ,i do not get an order4 ,the result is that men who are very difficult to approach often give me business they refuse to others because ,i am not afraid to approach them and to say what ,i want to say pleasantly1 without mincing or cringing or apologizing40 ,this man says he has little difficulty in getting into the private offices of the most exclusive business men1 presidents of banks1 great financiers1 high officials of railroads and other representatives of 8big business10 and that they are his best customers4 ,to sum up1 your attitude1 the spirit you radiate1 your personality1 will have everything to do with your salesmanship4 ,the impression you make will be a tremendous factor in your sales4 ,for this reason you should never approach a prospect until you feel that you are master of the situation4 ,then you will carry the conviction and give the impression of mastership1 and that is half the battle4 ,,chapter ,v ,,the ,,selling ,,talk ,,or 8,,presentation0 ,talk to the point2 talk with reason2 talk with force2 talk with conviction4 ,let your selling talk be direct1 natural1 and as brief as possible4 ,much has been written on the question of a selling talk1 and there is no little misunderstanding on this all-important subject4 ,every one who has 8a story to tell0 has what may be called 8a selling talk02 that is to say1 a best way of setting forth what he has in his mind4 ,some prefer to call it the 8presentation40 ,a 8presentation0 may consist of a few sentences1 or it may consist of a half hour's talk4 ,salesmen in many lines cannot prepare a fixed story or address1 such as would be given by a statesman addressing a legislative body1 or by a clergyman in a sermon1 or by an actor giving a monologue1 and yet1 large numbers of salesmen1 through failing to have a simple1 clear1 carefully worded talk1 fail to get a customer interested in their merchandise4 ,the question of a selling talk should be left to the judgment of the sales manager4 ,he will be well qualified1 ordinarily1 to tell just what this should consist of1 and1 also1 when to make exceptions to the use of a selling talk4 ,inspiration will not come just when the salesman wants it4 ,many points get lost in the convolutions of the brain4 ,too much or too little talk may be indulged in1 unless a salesman knows just what he is going to say and how to say it4 ,do not be misled1 however2 there are many men who speak poor ,english1 and who do not have what would properly be called a 8selling talk10 yet they succeed as salesmen4 ,these men do1 however1 know the merits of their goods1 and they have a peculiar way of putting it up to the customer to judge for himself4 ,i once saw nearly a thousand dollars' worth of underwear sold1 with scarcely a word spoken4 ,the salesman spread out his goods1 and the buyer examined them hastily1 but carefully1 and made the selection1 simply asking by what number the goods were known1 and the price4 ,i saw not long ago1 about five thousand dollars' worth of furs 7muffs and neck-pieces7 bought1 with very few words spoken4 ,in both these cases it must be remembered that buyers and sellers were well known to each other2 there was mutual confidence2 the houses were reliable1 and unsatisfactory goods would mean loss of future business1 as well as a return of the goods4 ,there are certain main selling points which can be selected and should be selected for every line of goods4 ,some of these selling points will be more effective with one class of customers than with another4 ,here is where the salesman's judgment comes into play4 ,let us take the single example of the white goods business4 ,in this line1 there are five main selling points which ,i once heard given by ,charles ,a4 ,sherman1 of ,sherman ,sons1 leading merchants1 of ,new ,york4 ,these five points are3 #a4 ,artistic merit of goods1 beauty of design1 etc42 #b4 ,intrinsic value2 #c4 ,comparison with rival goods2 #d4 ,degree of conformity to prevailing modes or fashions4 #e4 ,adaptability to buyers' needs1 price1 etc4 ,around these may be woven a brief or a lengthy talk1 according to the needs and the disposition of the customer with whom the salesman is talking4 ,let your selling talk be direct1 natural1 and as brief as possible4 ,the presentation of your proposition involves1 principally1 a clear1 simple and suitable description of your goods4 ,the cleverest salesmen arrange the points in a logical order1 working up from the least importance to the strongest4 ,always put the question of price off just as long as possible1 unless the price is so low that this point alone adds much to the other selling points1 as for instance1 setting forth the prices in a #e #aj cent store1 or giving the prices of special bargains4 ,be willing to answer all questions and objections made by your customer1 but forestall1 as far as you can1 the objections he is likely to make4 ,you can do this by exerting the power of a strong personality1 especially by showing much enthusiasm1 which tends to burn up the objections a customer is inclined to make4 ,no matter how positive or how graphic you are in your descriptions1 always be natural1 otherwise your mannerisms will detract from the effectiveness of your talk4 ,the best authorities consider it a decided handicap if the customer 8turned you down0 at the start by a negative answer1 or a negative attitude4 ,when you foresee that the customer is about to say1 8,no10 or to turn away1 strive to keep his mind in the balance until you can attract his attention to some new features of your goods1 or to some old features1 in a new way4 ,the length of time given to a presentation1 will vary with the goods and with the customer4 ,experience with each particular line1 and the advice of your sales manager always should be followed4 ,on the floor of the ,stock ,exchange there is no such thing as a presentation1 or the getting of favorable attention1 in the strict interpretation we give to these words4 ,men are there alert to give favorable attention to certain securities4 ,they know in advance the strong points of these securities1 and when the right price is quoted the decision to buy will come quickly4 ,this holds true in many instances where staple goods are offered at current prices4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,approach ,,and ,,expression ,no matter how well posted a man may be in the science and technique of salesmanship1 his actual sales will depend very largely upon his personality4 8,the man or woman wishing to present to me a business proposition10 said a high class1 successful merchant1 8must have a good address and an agreeable manner and appearance1 or he will not get a hearing4 ,the reason is1 it would be impossible for me to see half the people who approach me with schemes2 therefore1 ,i reject without a hearing all those that are not presented by people who have an agreeable manner and good address4 ,i take it for granted that a first-class proposition will be presented by a first-class man1 and vice versa40 ,whether the customer comes to you1 or you go to the customer1 there are certain very simple things to keep in mind4 ,the first is the important part personality plays in selling4 ,the appearance and the manner of a salesman1 together with the tactful enthusiasm which he manifests1 and the concentration which he puts into his work1 all tend to inspire confidence4 ,the salesman must consider his customer's business1 and sometimes his social position4 ,the temperament1 also1 of the customer1 as well as the best time and place to see him1 must be taken into consideration4 ,one of the things so often neglected by salesmen is to get points of contact from the surroundings1 such as pictures on the wall1 books and papers on the desk1 as well as from the prospect's attire4 ,keep in mind these four aids to a right approach3 ,first3 ,entertain a feeling of equality with your customer4 ,second3 ,remember that you have a favor to bestow4 ,assume the rle of a benefactor4 ,third3 ,show friendliness4 ,there should be the heart-touch in every real approach4 ,fourth3 ,be observing4 ,look for suggestions in your surroundings1 for a point of contact4 ,we express ourselves not only through the words we utter1 but by the tone of the voice1 the expression of the face1 our gestures1 and our bearing4 ,all five of these elements should be carefully considered1 because the salesman who would have the greatest success not only must be understood1 but he must be felt4 ,it is important to be clear and forceful in our language1 and for this purpose a thorough knowledge of ,english grammar and rhetoric will aid the salesman4 ,the accompanying chart should prove helpful4 ,,expression 8,when all is said and done1 it is the choice and use of words that determines whether or not we succeed in expressing our thoughts and feelings clearly and adequately40--8,manual of ,composition and ,rhetoric10 by ,gardiner1 ,kittredge and ,arnold4 ,the five elements affecting expression of ideas are3 ,rich1 ,refined1 #a4 ,voice ,deep1 ,modulated1 ,full1 distinct articulation4 ,before sale1 #b4 ,bearing ,during 0 ,after 0 ,in talking1 #c4 ,gestures 0 displaying samples1 0 presenting reading matter or contracts4 #d4 ,facial expression4 ,violated by #a4 ,slang2 a4 ,purity #b4 ,obsolete words2 #c4 ,provincialisms2 #d4 ,foreign words2 #e4 ,newly coined words4 simple ,diction ,results from suitable #a4 ,thorough knowledge of subject2 #b4 ,extensive vocabulary2 b4 ,precision #c4 ,power to discriminate2 #d4 ,use of specific for general1 or general #e4 ,language for specific term1 as idea requires4 a4 ,unity ,one idea at a time2 ,stick to subject4 ,have clear ideas and use appropriate words4 b4 ,clearness ,use good grammar4 ,beware of technical words4 simple ,style c4 ,energy ,results from brevity1 suitable or clearness1 directness ,force and judicious use of figurative language4 d4 ,elegance ,smooth1 euphonious or speech2 ,alliteration4 ,harmony ,read best authors4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,ability ,,to ,,talk ,,well 8,words have worth1 only when properly expressed40 ,it is the conquest1 the conquest of the heart1 by words that speak kindliness and assure confidence1 which distinguishes the prosperous salesman1 justly proud and progressive4--,,henry ,,frank4 ,many a man with a good brain fails as a salesman1 or remains a mediocre one1 because he has never learned to express himself with ease and fluency4 ,a lame1 hesitating1 poverty-stricken speech is fatal4 ,the ability to talk well is to a man what cutting and polishing are to the rough diamond4 ,the grinding does not add anything to the diamond4 ,it merely reveals its wealth4 ,it is an excellent thing to cultivate readiness in conversation1 for this will incidentally develop other powers4 ,every salesman should have a good broad working vocabulary4 ,to hesitate and feel one's way for words in trying to make a sale is fatal4 ,the salesman must express himself easily1 clearly1 and forcefully1 otherwise he will be placed at a certain disadvantage4 ,he must be not only a fluent talker1 but also a convincing one4 ,the ability to talk well is a great aid to success in any line of endeavor1 but if our heads are empty1 mere facility in words will not help us much4 ,not 8words1 words1 words10 but 8points1 points1 points0 win4 ,this is especially true in salesmanship4 ,a good salesman should be well read on general topics as well as in his special line4 ,there is no other way in which a person will reveal a shallow or a full mind1 a narrow or a broad one1 a well-read or a poverty-stricken mentality so quickly as in his speech4 ,to be a good conversationalist1 able to interest people1 to rivet their attention1 to draw them to you naturally1 is to be the possessor of a very great and valuable accomplishment4 ,it not only helps you to make a good impression upon strangers1 it also helps you to make and keep friends4 ,it opens doors and softens hearts4 ,it makes you interesting in all sorts of company4 ,it helps you marvelously to get on in the world4 ,it sends you customers1 it attracts business4 ,it is a deplorable fact that indifference of speech is one of the characteristics of the ,american people4 ,we are not only poor conversationalists1 but we are poor listeners as well4 ,we are too impatient to listen4 ,instead of being attentive and eager to drink in the story or the information1 we have not enough respect for the talker to keep quiet4 ,we look about impatiently1 perhaps snap our watch1 play a tattoo with our fingers on a chair or a table1 twitch about as if we were bored and were anxious to get away1 and frequently interrupt the speaker before he reaches his conclusion4 ,in fact1 we are such an impatient people that we have no time for anything except to push ahead1 to elbow our way through the crowd1 to get the position or the money we desire4 ,poor conversationalists excuse themselves for not trying to improve by saying that 8good talkers are born1 not made40 ,we might as well say that good lawyers1 good physicians1 good merchants or good salesmen are born1 not made4 ,none of these would ever get very far without hard work4 ,this is the price of all achievement that is of value4 ,to be a good talker one must be a good observer1 a good listener1 a good reader1 a good thinker1 and a clear speaker4 ,it will not do to mumble or to slur over your words4 ,you should speak distinctly1 plainly1 and not too rapidly4 ,don't talk like a drone or a parrot4 ,put force1 thought and feeling into your words2 fill them full of meaning1 so that people will want to hear what you say4 ,you know what an impression a great orator makes upon an audience when he measures his words and sends them out with deliberation1 with feeling and force4 ,they are infinitely more impressive than the excited1 impassioned shouting1 which comes from an over-wrought mind4 ,readiness in conversation is largely a matter of practice4 ,but the voice1 especially the ,american voice1 needs to be trained4 ,there is nothing more disagreeable than a harsh1 discordant voice1 unless it be the high-pitched1 nasal intonation so characteristic of our people1 or the whine which is frequently heard from those who are narrow-minded and discontented4 ,a low1 clear1 well-modulated voice indicates refinement and should be carefully cultivated by the salesman who wishes to express himself forcefully4 ,it is very difficult to convince a prospect that he should buy your merchandise when you are pleading your cause either in high-pitched1 sharp1 shrill tones1 or in mumbling or nasal ones which have no magnetism1 no attractiveness in them4 ,a clear1 deep1 melodious voice tends to unlock minds and to win confidence1 while a harsh1 shrill1 discordant voice antagonizes us4 ,the ability to talk well1 to interest and hold others1 increases our self-respect1 our confidence1 and gains us a ready entrance to places from which we would otherwise be excluded4 ,if you expect to be a first-class salesman1 a man of power in any line of endeavor you should cultivate your voice and practice the art of conversation4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,how ,,to ,,get ,,attention ,you must interest your customer before you can hope to influence him4 8,shape your argument in harmony with conditions2 don't try to force a square block into a round hole40 ,there are three principal ways in which to get the favorable attention of a prospect2 the first is 8affording pleasure20 the second1 8exciting admiration10 and the third1 8arousing curiosity40 ,as often as possible we should combine all three4 ,if our words and our expression radiate genuine1 cheerful good-will1 then the customer is pleased to meet us4 ,we can cause him to be still more pleased1 if we praise1 in a very tactful way1 some of the good qualities which we quickly observe in him4 ,our appearance1 from head to foot1 is what causes admiration4 ,we should always be well groomed2 hair properly cut and carefully arranged2 teeth well cared for2 eyes bright2 linen immaculate2 clothes well pressed2 cuffs and collar free from frayed edges4 ,loud colors and loud jewelry always detract from the power of the salesman4 ,heels that are not run down1 and shoes that are well polished1 are final factors to consider4 ,we arouse a customer's curiosity by asking him suitable questions4 ,it is a good idea to prepare him for the kind of an answer you expect1 by some positive suggestion1 before you ask the question4 ,for instance1 a man who wishes to sell a beautiful piece of jewelry can say3 8,i consider this a very beautiful stone1 which has been set most artistically40 ,then he can say to the customer2 8,what do you think of that jewel80 ,invariably1 the customer will tend to agree with him1 and this helps to get their minds together4 ,the late ,elbert ,hubbard used to say that he always began an advertisement with the statement of an incontrovertible fact4 ,the public read it and agreed4 ,it could give rise to no antagonistic or opposing train of thought4 ,it established a cordinate bond between the writer of the ad4 and the reader4 ,then ,hubbard followed with statements concerning the article advertised4 ,with these the reader might not agree1 but at least he started reading the ad4 in a friendly spirit4 ,remember this3 it is never best to begin to talk much about your goods until you have secured real attention1 not simply a civil attention1 for courtesy's sake1 but the genuine thing4 ,real attention is 8a thought spiller and a thought filler40 ,the customer 8spills0 his thoughts1 and 8fills0 in the salesman's thoughts4 ,some salesmen have found it a big advantage to get the customer to do some little thing for them1 such as holding a sample1 loaning a pencil1 getting a piece of paper on which to figure1 etc4 ,requests for favors of this kind1 however1 must be made in a tactful way4 ,the idea back of this ingenious method is to start the will of the customer acting according to the salesmen's will4 ,if the moment seems favorable you should take the order at once and dispense with all salesman's art2 but after taking the order1 proceed to strengthen the customer in his decision by calling attention to certain strong points of merit in your goods1 and certain strong reasons which you believe will make the customer glad he has made his purchase4 ,be careful1 however1 to avoid over-talking4 ,this is a blunder that has cost many a man dear4 ,the art of a salesman shows itself in his ability to focus his energies quickly and to size up his prospect in many respects at a glance4 ,he must see what kind of a temperament he has to deal with4 ,he must know what to do and what to say to each particular man4 ,before entering a strange office he has no idea what sort of a man will confront him1 whether one who is fat or lean1 of a nervous or a phlegmatic temperament1 whether vigorous or in delicate health1 whether a thin-skinned1 sensitive man or one of a coarse type with a rhinoceros hide4 ,in calling on regular customers1 the salesman must be alert for passing whims that modify their disposition4 ,he must take in a man's mood at a glance4 ,if he is in a bad mood1 he cannot approach him as if he were in a happy mood1 as though he had just had some good news4 ,he must be able to tell by his appearance whether he is pleased because business is booming1 or whether he is disgruntled1 his mind clouded either by business or domestic troubles4 ,in fact1 a salesman must be able to recognize quickly and deal adequately with all sorts of men and moods1 and business conditions1 or he will fail at the start to get the sort of attention on which his sales depend4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,tact ,,as ,a ,,friend-,,winner ,,and ,,business-,,getter ,tact eases the jolts1 oils the bearings1 opens doors barred to others1 sits in the drawing-room when others wait in the reception hall1 gets into the private office when others are turned down4 ,whether you get an order or not1 leave a good taste in your prospect's mouth so that he will always have a pleasant recollection of you4 ,some time ago a man and his wife went into a large store in an eastern city to buy a chandelier4 ,the man1 in a rather querulous tone1 asked to be shown a ,renaissance chandelier4 8,now1 be sure10 he said to the salesman1 8to show me a real ,renaissance1 small and not too expensive40 ,the salesman perceived he had a difficult customer to deal with1 but one who appeared to have a fixed idea in mind4 ,being extremely tactful1 he knew his first task was to humor his customer1 and then try to find out exactly what type of fixture had been pictured in his mind4 ,by cordiality and an exchange of remarks on general subjects1 the salesman eased the man's mind1 and by skillful questions found out exactly what sort of chandelier he wanted4 ,then he expressed himself pleased at having a customer with clear ideas about the sort of article he wished1 as it made it so much easier for the salesman to suit him4 ,only tact could ever have won over that man and satisfied his whim4 ,blessed are they who possess tact6 ,let them rejoice and be glad in the possession of an inestimable gift1 and let those who have it not bend all their energies to its acquisition4 ,tact is one of the greatest aids to success in life4 ,as a friend-winner and business-getter it is invaluable4 ,one prominent business man puts tact at the head of the list in his success recipe1 the other three things being2 enthusiasm1 knowledge of business1 dress4 ,i know a man who solicits subscriptions for a periodical1 who has such an exquisite way of ingratiating himself into others' favor that he gets nine subscriptions1 on an average1 out of every ten people he solicits4 ,his tactful approach has won you over before you realize it1 and it is much harder for you to refuse even the thing you do not want than to take it4 ,tact enables you to pass sentinels1 gates and bars1 gain an entrance to the very sanctum sanctorum where the tactless man never enters4 ,tact gets a hearing where genius cannot2 it is admitted when talent is denied2 it is listened to when ability without it cannot get a hearing4 ,as 8every fish has its fly10 so every person can be reached1 no matter how odd1 peculiar or cranky by the one who has tact enough to touch him in the right place4 ,what is this miracle worker called ,tact8 ,tact is variously defined as 8,peculiar skill or adroitness in doing or saying exactly that which is required by or is suited to the circumstances02 8,it is the gift of bringing into action all the mental powers in the nick of time02 8,it is a combination of quickness1 firmness1 readiness1 good-nature and facility40 ,webster's dictionary gets at the kernel of this wonderful quality4 ,tact1 it says1 is 8adroitness in managing the feelings of persons dealt with2 nice perception in seeing and doing exactly what is best in the circumstances40 ,it is in 8managing the feelings0 of his customer that the tactful man scores his strongest point4 ,it is in sensing his moods1 in being able to put himself in his place that he is always equal to the situation1 that he always exercises that 8nice perception in seeing and doing exactly what is best in the circumstances40 ,one of the best means of acquiring a tactful manner is to try to put yourself in your prospect's place1 and then act toward him as you would like to have some one act toward you in like circumstances4 ,you are very busy1 troubled about a lot of things4 ,you may be short of capital1 you may have big notes coming due1 business may be dull1 many things may have been going wrong with you4 ,you may have come to your office upset by domestic troubles1 you may not feel well1 however well you look4 ,perhaps yesterday was broken up by all sorts of interruptions4 ,you started out this morning resolved to do a splendid day's work1 and hoping that you would not be bothered with callers4 ,perhaps you do not feel like talking business4 ,you may have a lot of things on your mind which are perplexing you1 hard problems to solve2 the reports of business put on your desk this morning may have been anything but encouraging4 ,in fact1 you feel 8out of sorts0 and wish you did not have to see anybody all day4 ,you are longing for a little time to yourself to think things over1 to get your bearings1 when in comes a salesman's card4 ,you do not want to see him and would give most anything to get rid of him1 although there may be a possibility that he has something that you would like1 but you do not want to see him at that particular time4 8,why couldn't the man have come some other time80 you ask yourself4 ,against your will you say3 8,well1 tell him to come in40 ,you feel grouchy1 grumpy1 you do not even feel like greeting him pleasantly1 and you growl out a 8good morning40 ,the salesman sits down4 ,your whole mind is braced against him4 ,you do not care to see him1 to talk with him4 ,everybody braces against a salesman4 ,he is usually put in an unfortunate position4 ,instead of trying to make it easy for your visitor you make it hard for him4 ,you make no concession if you can help it4 ,you make him fight every inch of his way for your favor4 ,the tactful salesman sees your mood at once1 and he knows he has a hard fight ahead of him2 he has to win you over inch by inch4 ,you begin to make all sorts of excuses2 you do not need new stock at present1 business has been dull1 your shelves are loaded down with goods1 and you tell him that times are bad1 the outlook is anything but promising4 ,he does not oppose or contradict you4 ,on the contrary1 he sympathizes with you2 he is patient1 courteous1 affable1 but all the time he is trying to get the thin edge of his wedge into your mind4 ,he knows what would win him over if he were in such a mood2 his wife or mother probably knows4 ,he has to be won over2 force1 argument1 reason1 logic will not do it1 only tact will do the trick4 ,if you have made a study of human nature1 learned to size up people quickly1 you will sense a prospect's mood1 even though he should try to conceal it1 and you will have no difficulty in imagining yourself in his place4 ,he has the same human qualities and the same fundamental passions as yourself4 ,you must always be ready to pour oil on his wounds1 not vinegar4 ,a salesman must not only use all his resourcefulness in business logic1 but he must bring into play all his powers of pleasing4 ,he should always come to his customers in a cheerful mood4 ,no matter how upset he feels2 no matter what unfortunate news he has had in the morning's mail about his sick wife1 or the children lying almost at death's door1 he must not show any sign of his troubles4 ,a salesman may be in just as unfortunate a plight as his customer is1 and even worse1 yet he is forced to hide his feelings1 and must try to 8make good0 under all circumstances4 ,the tactful salesman is 8all things to all men40 ,not that he is deceitful or insincere1 but he understands different temperaments1 different dispositions1 different moods1 and readily adapts himself to all4 ,he keeps his finger on the mental pulse of his prospect1 and keeps track of his mental attitude4 ,he knows1 for instance1 that the moment a prospect shows signs of being bored the salesman should quit1 and try later1 or otherwise he will prejudice his case fatally1 so that the next time he calls this bored suggestion will come to the mind of the prospect1 who will refuse to see him4 ,i was recently talking with a man who said that a salesman who did not know his business had just taken a half hour of his valuable time1 trying to sell him a bill of goods that he really did not want4 ,he said the man did not know enough to see that he was making no impression1 that he was not convincing him4 ,and although he took out his watch several times1 turned around nervously in his chair1 kept taking up letters from his desk1 making all sorts of hints and suggestions for the salesman to get out1 yet he still kept on trying to make a sale4 ,the only redeeming quality about him1 he said1 was his persistency4 ,now1 ill-timed persistency is simply lack of tact2 there is nothing praiseworthy in it4 ,you should be able to tell by the look in your prospect's eye whether you are really interesting him or not1 and if you are not you cannot convince him that he needs what you have to sell4 ,getting solid with a prospect1 making a favorable impression upon him1 unlocking his mind1 is very much like making love to a girl4 ,you cannot browbeat1 you cannot be arbitrary or disagreeable2 only the gentle1 attractive1 tactful methods will win4 ,the least little slip on your part may close the door forever4 ,no force will answer1 it is all a matter of attraction and conviction4 ,no level-headed man is going to buy until he is convinced1 and tact is the most powerful convincer in the world4 ,tact is never offensive4 ,it is always a balm1 allaying suspicion1 and soothing and pleasing4 ,it is appreciative4 ,it is plausible without being dishonest1 apparently consults the welfare of the second party and does not manifest any selfishness4 ,it is never antagonistic2 it never opposes1 never strokes the fur the wrong way1 and never irritates4 ,little seven-by-nine salesmen are constantly putting stumbling blocks in their own path4 ,they are always 8putting their foot in it40 ,they persist when persistency is ill timed4 ,they make some unfortunate remark or allusion4 ,they are not good students of human nature2 they put up a poor sort of an argument1 the same sort of talk to every man1 to men of different prejudices1 different ages1 different dispositions4 ,in other words1 they are not tactful1 and they are all the time tripping themselves up1 getting into snarls1 and making blunders which lose them business4 ,some one says3 8,the kindly element of humor almost always enters into the use of tact1 and sweetens its mild coercion4 ,we cannot help smiling1 oftentimes1 at the deft way in which we have been induced to do what we afterwards recognized as altogether right and best40 ,there need be no deception in the use of tact1 only such a presentation of rightful inducements as shall most effectively appeal to a hesitating mind4 ,a public school teacher reproved a little eight-year-old ,irish boy for some mischief4 ,the boy was about to deny the fault when the teacher said1 8,i saw you1 ,jerry40 8,yes10 replied the boy as quick as a flash1 8,i tells them there ain't much you don't see with them purty black eyes of yours40 ,the native wit of that youngster would make him a good salesman4 ,we do not know whether it appeased the teacher1 but it certainly showed a readiness to size up and deal with a delicate situation that would have done credit to an older head4 ,the following paragraph1 in a letter which a merchant sent out to his customers1 is an example of shrewd business tact3 8,we should be thankful for any information of any dissatisfaction with any former transactions with us1 and we will take immediate steps to remedy it40 ,think of the wealthy customers that have been driven away from big concerns1 by the lack of tact on the part of a salesman4 ,a successful business man recently told me his experience in buying a suit of clothes at one of the leading clothiers in ,new ,york ,city4 8,the salesman who waited on me10 he said1 8showed me various suits of all colors and styles4 ,he did not interest me in any particular one4 ,he distracted my attention1 being plainly indifferent and showing that he did not care whether ,i bought or not4 ,after spending an hour's time1 ,i left the place in disgust4 ,i said to myself1 #8,a house carrying thousands of suits1 and a good salesman1 should certainly sell me one suit4' ,i went to another house4 ,then the purchase became to me more than anything else a study of salesmanship1 how various salesmen handle customers4 ,the salesman at this other place gained my confidence right at the start1 showed me only three suits1 interested me in a particular one1 showed me why ,i should buy that one1 and within eighteen minutes' actual time ,i paid the price1 and now ,i am enjoying the wearing of that suit40 ,this shows how even the best quality of merchandise will go back to the shelf unless handled by a conscientious1 tactful salesman4 ,it is true that there are always certain customers in every large establishment who are very hard to convince4 ,they are suspicious1 and often very disagreeable and difficult to get on with1 but their patronage is valuable1 and every employer prizes the salesman who can handle these difficult customers1 who can please them and send them away friends instead of enemies of the house4 ,it must be remembered that the real test of salesmanship is the ability to handle difficult customers4 ,most people don't realize what is best for them to buy2 they can't make up their minds without the salesman's help1 or they are peculiar in their nature and require tactful management4 ,many women make a business of going about among the department stores1 perhaps without the slightest idea of buying anything4 ,it becomes a sort of fixed habit with them4 ,some of them have a chronic habit of indecision4 ,they will run about the stores for weeks before they make up their minds to buy a thing that they need4 ,they are so afraid that they will see something cheaper and much better suited to their needs after they have purchased that they postpone purchasing as long as possible4 ,if they want a pair of shoes1 a dress1 a hat1 or some other article1 they will go round all the stores in town looking1 or 8shopping10 as they call it1 before they buy4 ,i know of a very clever saleswoman in a big store who has marvelous skill and tact in approaching these 8lookers0 or 8shoppers0 and turning them into customers4 ,she begins by asking if the lady has been waited upon1 and if there is anything she can do for her8 ,with a pleasant smile1 in a very sweet voice1 she gets into conversation with her1 and before the habitual 8looker0 realizes it she has become a purchaser4 ,to know what to do1 what to say1 at just the right moment is capital a thousand times more valuable than money capital1 for a man with rare tact will start in business without a dollar and make a greater success than the tactless man who starts with a fortune4 ,how many people in this country to-day owe their success and fortune more to the possession of tact than to ability8 ,tact will distance ability without it every time4 ,a man who with a party of friends had been fishing a long time became quite disgusted because he did not get a bite when everybody else was pulling in the speckled trout4 ,after awhile he discovered that he had no bait on his hook4 ,he might have been fishing there yet and never have had a bite4 ,everywhere in society and in the business world we find men fishing with baitless hooks4 ,they have no use for people with fine manners4 ,they are gruff1 uncouth4 ,they do not believe in catering to the feelings of others4 ,they have never learned the art of baiting things4 ,they call a spade a spade4 ,they have no use for frills1 for decorations4 ,they believe in striking out straight from the shoulder every time1 no matter what the conditions4 ,many tactless people go through life trailing bare hooks and they wonder why the fish do not bite4 ,they do not know how to adjust themselves to conditions4 ,they are misfits4 ,they appear to have been fitted for some rougher sphere and to have been dropped by accident to the earth amid conditions totally unsuited to them4 ,the tactless salesman is a misfit4 ,he must either learn how to bait his hook properly1 or else go into some other business for which he is better fitted4 ,,chapter ,x ,,sizing ,,up ,,the ,,prospect ,the art of all arts for the leader is his ability to measure men1 to weigh them1 to 8size them up40 ,a great authority on salesmanship said3 8,any one can call upon a prospective buyer and go away without an order40 ,it is up to the salesman to get what he goes after4 ,if he knows how to size people up readily1 he will be far more likely to get what he goes after than the man who can not do this4 ,the ability to read people at sight is a great business asset4 ,marshall ,field was an adept in character reading4 ,he was always studying his employees and gauging their possibilities4 ,nothing escaped his keen eye4 ,even when those about him did not know that he was thinking of them1 he was taking their measure at every opportunity4 ,his ability to place men1 to weigh and measure them1 to detect almost at a glance their weak and their strong points1 amounted to genius4 ,if ,general ,grant had had the same ability to read politicians and to estimate men for government positions that he had for judging of military ability1 he would have made a great ,president4 ,unfortunately1 he was obliged to depend too much upon the advice of friends in those matters4 ,the result was that1 as ,president1 he did not maintain the high reputation he had made as a general4 ,the salesman ought to make a study of his power of penetration1 of his character-reading ability4 ,he ought to make it a business to study men and the motives which actuate them4 ,to be an expert in reading human nature is just as valuable to a salesman as a knowledge of law is to a lawyer1 or as a knowledge of medicine is to a physician4 ,the man who can read human nature1 who can 8size up0 a person quickly1 who can arrive at an accurate estimate of character1 no matter what his vocation or profession1 has a great advantage over others4 ,the ability to read human nature is a cultivatable quality1 and we have a great opportunity in this country1 with its conglomerate population1 to study the various types of character4 ,it is an education in itself to form the habit of measuring1 weighing1 estimating the different people we meet1 for in this way we are improving our own powers of observation1 sharpening our perceptive faculties1 improving our judgment4 ,the salesman who knows anything about human nature1 for instance1 doesn't need to be told it won't do to approach a big business man1 the head of a great establishment1 as one would approach a small dealer4 ,he will follow a different method with each1 according to their different standing and temperament4 ,no two mentalities are exactly alike1 and you must approach each one through the avenue of the least resistance4 ,one man you can approach through his fads4 ,if he is passionately fond of music or crazy about golf2 or if he is a connoisseur in art1 in sculpture1 or in any other line1 this may give you a hint as to the right line of approach4 ,if you see by a man's head and face that he has a strong mentality1 that he is1 perhaps1 8from ,missouri10 you must approach him through argument1 through reason4 ,you cannot approach him in the same way you would an impressionable1 fat1 jolly-natured man4 ,then the man who is selfish1 domineering1 imperious1 who thinks he knows it all1 the man to whom you never can tell anything1 must be handled in quite a different manner from any of these4 ,some men will take a joke1 others will consider it an impertinence4 ,one man is only convinced by logical argument2 another by the judicious use of flattery4 ,the frigid mental temperament will not respond to pleasantry2 nothing but cold logic will appeal to him2 the expansive1 good-natured man is often reached through his fad or hobby4 ,sometimes you get a point of contact with your prospective customer by finding that you belong to the same lodge4 ,of course1 it is always a good thing to find out as much as possible about a man before you call on him4 ,such knowledge often gives a great advantage in sizing him up properly4 ,if you are a good reader of character1 however1 you get at a glance an impression of your prospect that is fairly reliable4 ,you can tell whether you are facing a little1 weazened1 dried-up soul1 a man who is stingy1 selfish1 grasping1 or whether he is a man of generous impulses1 magnanimous1 open-minded1 kind-hearted4 ,you can tell whether he is good-natured1 jolly2 whether it will do to crack a joke with him1 or whether he is austere and stern2 whether you can approach him in an easy1 friendly manner1 or whether you must keep your distance and approach him with a proper sense of his dignity and importance4 ,even if your prospect only assumes a stiff1 stand-off demeanor you must treat him as though it were perfectly natural1 otherwise he will be offended4 ,in sizing up a man the first thing to do is to make up your mind what kind of a heart he has4 ,if you conclude that he has a good heart1 and that he is honest and above board1 even though he may be cold in appearance1 and may prove a bit close-fisted1 you will stand a much better chance in doing business with him than you would with a man with small shifty eyes1 and the earmarks of shrewd1 sharp characteristics apparent in every feature and every look4 ,you can read a man by his facial expression much better than you can by the bumps on his head1 because the muscles of the face respond to the passing thought and reflect the idea1 the emotion1 every phase of the mental state4 ,you know how quickly a joke1 something funny1 is expressed in the facial muscles2 how quickly they respond to any mental state-disappointment1 bad news1 discouragement1 sorrow1 anger4 ,the muscles of the face1 its varying expressions1 change with the thought4 ,in other words1 the facial expression indicates the condition of a man's mind4 ,by this you can tell whether your prospect is in a good or a bad humor1 whether he is a human icicle1 cold1 unfeeling1 or a human magnet1 tender1 kind1 sympathetic4 ,salesmen who are poor judges of human nature1 who cannot size people up1 often have to batter away a long time at a wrong approach when1 otherwise1 they could sail right into a man's mind through the right avenue4 ,by making head study1 face study1 man study1 an art1 you can very quickly get your line of approach4 ,then you will not blunder and lose time in trying to set yourself right4 ,many a man calls upon a prospective buyer and goes away without an order because he didn't know how to size him up4 ,he had never studied this important side of his business4 ,remember that if you make a wrong approach you may have hard work to get a hearing at all2 your prospect may close his mind against you at the start1 and you may not be able to get into it1 no matter how earnestly you try1 when1 if you had approached him along the line of least resistance1 you could have sailed right in4 ,in fact1 the man would have invited you in4 ,do not be hasty in your judgment or make up your mind too quickly in sizing up people4 ,hold your decision in abeyance until you have read off the character hieroglyphics written on the face and person1 and in the manner1 for all these are significant1 and each means something4 ,in other words1 read all the earmarks or character labels on a man1 get in all the evidence you can before acting on your first quick impression1 because a great deal depends on the accuracy of your judgment4 ,every man's face is a bulletin board2 it is a program of the performance going on inside1 and the important thing is to learn to read it not only quickly1 but accurately4 ,the facial expression1 the attitude1 the manner1 the language1 the look of the eye1 are letters of the character alphabet which spell out the man4 ,everything that is natural1 spontaneous1 unpremeditated1 is indicative of certain qualities he possesses2 and if the man is putting on1 if he is posing1 you can pierce the mask of pretense and discount it4 ,if you are a good reader of character1 after a few minutes study you can put together the letters of the impressions you have received and spell out the sort of a man you have to deal with1 for he is covered all over with tags visible to those who have learned to read them4 ,some people judge character largely by a particular feature--the mouth1 the chin1 the eye1 the nose1 etc4 ,napoleon used to depend a great deal upon the size of a man's nose4 8,give me a man with a big nose10 he used to say when choosing men for important positions4 ,a large nose is supposed to indicate great force of character4 ,it is said that every one resembles in greater or less degree some particular animal4 ,many people base their reading of character on this animal clue4 ,look out for the fox face2 beware of the wolf face1 the bird-of-prey face1 for it is believed that the man who bears a strong resemblance to some animal will also usually have many of that animal's characteristics4 ,the main point for the salesman is to get the right start in approaching the buyer4 ,if he makes a close study of human nature he will seldom if ever make a mistake in sizing up his man4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,how ,,suggestion ,,helps ,,in ,,selling ,the ability to influence or induce people to purchase what you have to sell is a mental art that will repay cultivation4 8,salesmanship is the art of selling to the other fellow something he needs but doesn't know it40 8,a sale is a mental thing4 ,it results from harmonizing certain mental elements which enter into all common agreements between men40 ,a sharp-witted lawyer after successfully defending a man accused of horse-stealing1 asked him in confidence1 after the trial1 if he were really guilty4 8,well1 ,mister10 replied the man1 8,i thought at first ,i had took the critter1 but after listening to your speech ,i concluded ,i hadn't40 ,the power of suggestion may be used for base and illegitimate ends or for honorable and legitimate ones4 ,it is his suggestive power which makes the smooth1 long-headed promoter dangerous4 ,he uses it to make people buy what they do not need1 or to palm off on them fraudulent or spurious goods4 ,the victims of these unscrupulous promoters1 when under the influence of a suggestive ansthetic1 will mortgage their homes1 their furniture1 draw their last dollar from the savings-bank1 borrow every dollar they can1 to obtain the thing which is made to appear so desirable that they cannot see how they can get along without it4 ,now1 suggestion is just as effective when used for a lawful and honorable purpose as for an unlawful and dishonorable one4 ,one salesman succeeds where others fail1 largely because of his greater suggestive power4 ,he draws such a vivid description of the merchandise he is selling1 makes it seem so very desirable1 that his prospect feels he must give him an order4 ,the salesman knows he is selling a good thing that it is to his customer's advantage to buy4 ,the transaction is therefore of mutual benefit to both parties1 the buyer as well as the seller4 ,suggestion has been defined as 8whatever creates or inspires thought40 ,as a science1 suggestion 8shows us how to start and steer thought40 ,the five senses are the channels which bring us impressions from without4 8,an act of the will or some association of ideas0 brings impressions from within2 this latter is auto-suggestion4 ,suggestion can help you to upbuild and develop yourself1 to educate and train yourself in spirit1 mind1 and body4 8,in building up character a man must have spiritual and moral backing40 8,as a man thinketh in his heart1 so is he40 ,this is the essence of auto-suggestion4 8,thought is a creative force40 ,it is a 8motive1 impelling1 sustaining0 force4 ,hence1 when auto-suggestion keeps thought 8working in the right direction0 we have a powerful backing in all our undertakings4 ,by thinking definitely1 steadily and strongly on useful and exalted sentiments we come into the realization of our thought aspirations4 ,briefly1 we create within what we mentally desired steadily and intently4 ,thus we may build our character1 ever 8improving1 developing1 and adorning40 ,suggestion is our 8working force40 8,it 7suggestion7 can also help you to shape the desires and direct the will of the customers you seek to influence40 ,in the first place1 we direct the will of our customers by our very personality1 which has been developed through auto-suggestion4 ,then the various steps of attention1 interest1 desire1 and1 finally1 resolve1 in the customer1 must be induced by suggestion4 ,he must forget himself and his own senses1 ultimately2 or at least1 he must have had all his faculties so brought into harmony with those of the salesman that he readily accepts the salesman's ideas4 8,if you remember that suggestion is merely the working of the subjective mental force10 says ,mr4 ,sheldon1 8and if you consider that the activity of the subjective mind is in ratio to the strength and depth of the suggestion1 you have a pretty clear idea of the use that may be made of suggestion in the progress of a sale40 ,i have heard the story of a preacher1 in ,washington1 who told his congregation so dramatically and so convincingly that all humanity was hanging over hell by the single thread of a cobweb1 that1 when the climax was reached1 one man1 a very learned one too1 was clinging frantically to a pillar4 ,the simple study of psychology reveals that the activities of the will must be stirred up by approaching and capturing the outlying sentinels1 namely the intellect and feelings4 ,we get attention through the senses1 increase attention to interest through the intellect1 change interest to desire through the feelings1 and finally1 in decision we have induced the will to act4 ,to be sure1 there is no mathematical dividing line1 no architecturally apparent flights of steps2 nevertheless1 the true salesman is perfectly conscious of the different stages of progress of the customer's mind1 and he leads him easily and naturally from one to the other4 ,the importance of this point in selling is emphasized by a writer in 8,business ,philosopher10 who says3 8,it is just as reasonable to expect your prospect to reach a favorable decision without first having been brought through the three earlier stages--attention1 interest and desire--as to expect water to run up hill40 ,a sale is a mental process1 and depends largely upon the quality and the intensity of the mental suggestion1 and the confidence communicated to the would-be purchaser's mind4 ,suggestion is properly used in the conduct of a sale when it is unobtrusive1 and in no way savors of the pompous1 swaggering1 hypnotic methods of the impertinent intruder4 ,suggestion should be 8honest and well aimed40 ,it should help the customer's mind and inspire confidence4 ,suggestions to the customer should have for their object 8not to overcome or dethrone the will1 but simply to guide and influence it40 ,hypnotism1 consisting in dethroning a man's will1 is 8the complete setting aside of the objective mind40 ,every salesman should study psychology4 ,he should be able to understand the mental laws by which the mind of his prospect acts1 so as to be able to read his mental operations4 ,character is largely made up of suggestion2 life is largely based upon it4 ,salesmanship is pretty nearly all suggestion4 ,the salesman should always keep in mind this great truth1--8,the greatest art is to conceal art40 ,suggestion1 by its very nature1 is subtle1 if rightly used4 ,the salesman who has great skill in the use of suggestion helps the mind of the customer1 without making him feel that any influence is being exerted4 ,he leads his customer to buy after the same method by which ,pope suggests men should be taught3 8,men must be taught as if you taught them not1 ,and things unknown proposed as things forgot40 ,let the customer feel that he is buying1 not that you are selling to him4 ,professor ,hugo ,mnsterberg1 in an article on the psychology of salesmanship1 said3 8,if the customer knows exactly what he wants1 and has made up his mind1 no suggestion is needed40 ,it is then a case of letting well enough alone4 ,an ill-timed or negative suggestion may spoil a sale1 as in the following instance4 ,a farmer once went to town to buy a self-binder4 ,he looked at one binder and was so well satisfied that he was about to buy it4 ,at this point the salesman said3 8,i'll tell you1 this binder has given us very little trouble40 ,now1 this farmer wasn't looking for a binder that was going to give him even a little trouble4 ,he had troubles of his own4 ,that one suggestion scared him away4 ,he went out and bought a binder from a salesman who said1 8,this binder has given us excellent satisfaction40 ,in the offices of a ,new ,york business house there is a quotation framed1 which serves the purpose of a very effective suggestion4 ,this house is in the paper business1 and1 naturally1 they wish to impress upon all buyers the value of using good quality paper4 ,here is the quotation which1 ,i am sure1 has suggested to many customers the advisability of buying good quality paper3 8,a printer recently uttered this truth3 #8,printing doesn't improve the paper any1 but1 for a certainty1 good paper adds considerably to the appearance and worth of printing4'0 ,psychology in selling is in reality only a new name for the principles which good business men1 expert salesmen1 have used in all times4 ,diplomacy1 tact1 cheerfulness1 the good-will habit1 and the suggestion of confidence--all these form an important part of business psychology4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,force ,,of ,,cheerful ,,expectancy ,the habit of expecting great things of ourselves1 expecting the best things to come to us1 calls out the best that is in us and brings the best to us4 ,anybody can get 8no0 for an answer4 ,a negative attitude attracts a negative response--and most people become negative without realizing it4 ,if ,i had a school of salesmanship ,i would make a specialty of the philosophy of expectancy4 ,i would never lose an opportunity of driving home this philosophy of expecting to make good4 ,i would drive home this lesson of expecting success1 expecting to win out1 until it should become a dominant note in the salesman's life4 ,when a boy ,i used to go trout fishing in a rough ,new ,hampshire stream with a noted fisherman4 ,he understood the trout and their habits2 he knew where the good holes were and the rocks behind which the big trout were waiting4 ,i would fish on one side of the stream and he on the other1 and he would catch as many trout as he could carry1 while ,i caught very few4 ,when this man started out to fish he would say he knew that he was going to get a big string of trout4 ,whenever he threw in his line he expected to get a trout4 ,i1 on the other hand1 had no such hope or confidence1 ,i did not know trout and their habits as he did1 and ,i did not expect to catch any4 ,the consequence was ,i hardly ever got a bite1 while the trout nearly always went to his hook4 ,this is just the difference between a cracker-jack salesman and a poor one4 ,the former knows his business thoroughly and expects to succeed4 ,he approaches his prospect with the air of a conqueror1 as a man in the habit of winning4 ,the latter is not well posted1 or he fears he won't succeed4 ,he goes to his prospect in fear and trembling1 with doubt in his mind4 ,he doesn't believe he will get an order1 and1 of course1 he doesn't4 ,you should approach every prospect courageously1 confidently1 not only at the top of your physical condition1 but also at the top of your mental condition4 ,you positively must be hopeful1 you must expect to take an order4 ,doubt1 fear1 or anxiety will queer your sale1 because you will communicate whatever is in your own mind to your prospective customer4 ,we radiate our moods4 ,our doubts and fears are very contagious4 ,if you carry your goods in a hearse you will not sell them4 ,do not approach a customer with a long1 sad1 disappointed countenance1 as though you had just returned from a funeral4 ,remember you are a salesman1 not an undertaker4 ,go to him with a face filled with hope and cheer1 with confidence and assurance4 ,if you are a winner1 your whole canvass will be conducted as though you expected to change the prospect's mind before you get through with him1 no matter how antagonistic he may be1 or how determined at the outset not to purchase4 ,there is a good deal of truth in the remark1 8,if you cannot learn to smile1 you cannot learn to sell40 ,the best salesmen are cheerful1 optimistic1 hopeful4 ,they appreciate the commercial value of a smile1 of always looking pleasant4 ,optimism is contagious4 ,everybody likes a sunny soul4 ,i knew a young man who would not impress people as having any marked ability1 and yet this young man got fifteen thousand dollars salary1 and did business enough to warrant it4 ,he had a perfect genius for making friends4 ,people seemed to be drawn to him as naturally as iron filings are attracted to a magnet4 ,everywhere he went he was the center of a circle1 whether on a train1 in a store1 or in a hotel corridor4 ,everybody wanted to get near him4 ,he seemed to radiate a hearty good cheer and good-will towards everybody4 ,there was nothing mean or narrow about him4 ,he was generous to a fault4 ,he was always ready to jump up and grip you by the hand and shake it as if he was really delighted to see you--and he was4 ,there was nothing put on4 ,he loved everybody and wanted to help them4 ,he was in some ways not a good business man1 but his customers always anticipated his visits1 and would say1 8,isn't it about time for ,charlie to be around8 ,it does one good to see that fellow4 ,he is all sunshine40 ,everybody knew him on his ,western route1 which he traveled for years4 ,the hotel clerks all liked him and they tried to give him the best room possible whenever he came1 often saving one for him for days4 ,he was always given the best seat in the dining-room and the best waiter1 and when the orders were called off in the kitchen the waiter would say1 8,give me an ,al steak for ,charlie1 for he is such a good fellow40 ,wherever he went the door flew open to him4 ,he did not have to push hard1 as others do1 to get in1 for everybody knew that when he came it meant a good laugh and pleasant memories4 ,a strong determination and tenacious persistence will sometimes enable a man to become a fair salesman1 even when he lacks a pleasing personality or a persuasive manner4 ,he conquers from sheer force of continual pounding1 until he wears his would-be customer out4 ,but a pleasing personality1 charm of manner1 a sunny disposition1 an optimistic outlook upon life1 genuineness1 honesty of purpose1 and simplicity1 when accompanied by a positive mentality and robust determination1 are the qualities which win out in a big way4 ,everything depends upon the attitude of mind with which you approach a difficulty4 ,if you are cowed before you begin1 if you start out with an admission of weakness1 a tacit acknowledgment of your inability to meet the emergency that confronts you1 you are foredoomed to failure4 ,your whole attitude lacks the magnetism that attracts success4 ,a book agent sometimes comes into my office1 and ,i know by the way he enters that he does not expect to make a sale4 ,instead of walking with his head up1 with an air of confidence and assurance1 he sneaks in1 apologizes1 and asks me to please do him the honor to give him two or three minutes of my valuable time4 ,he has lost his first chance by making a bad impression upon me1 and it takes more time than ,i can give him to overcome it4 ,he is beaten before he begins4 ,quite another sort of agent calls on me occasionally1 and ,i always buy from him whether ,i want what he has for sale or not4 ,he enters with such an air of modest assurance1 such confidence and expectancy in his bearing2 he is so cheerful and interesting1 that ,i positively cannot turn him down4 ,he wins at the very outset by making a good1 quick impression upon me1 and getting my confidence4 ,dr4 ,frank ,crane1 in an article on 8,a ,consumer's ,views on ,salesmanship10 gives the salesmen among other valuable points1 these3 8,first of all1 be good-natured4 ,i here and now confess that nine-tenths of what induces me to buy1 is the ability of the seller to jolly me along4 ,cheerfulness and signs that you feel good1 enjoy life1 and are full of glee inside1 are better than a letter of introduction from ,mr4 ,rockefeller4 ,avoid personal intimacies4 ,let me talk about myself1 and look interested while ,i am explaining1 but don't speak of yourself any more than you can help4 ,take an ax and chop the pronoun #8,i' out of your vocabulary4 ,what do you care8--,jolly me along40 ,when ,dr4 ,crane says to 8jolly0 him along1 he does not mean that a salesman should be frivolous1 or deceitful4 ,he simply means that he ought to make a customer feel good1 make him realize his importance4 ,show your customer that you are interested in his needs and his problems4 ,if you really believe in your heart1 and expect1 that you are going to sell1 you will communicate your faith to your prospect4 ,this faith suggestion1 if vigorously backed by the magic of polite persistence1 and consistent cheerfulness1 will tend to produce results like itself1 just as the doubt1 the failure suggestion1 produces a failure result4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,the ,,gentle ,,art ,,of ,,persuasion ,he is great who can alter my state of mind4--,,emerson4 8,don't struggle up hill when you can work on the level40 ,when ,i was editor of a big magazine ,i sent an assistant to interview a young man who had had most remarkable success in the life insurance business1 to get from him the secret of his rapid rise4 ,when my assistant returned ,i asked him if he had succeeded in getting his interview4 8,no10 he said1 8but the insurance manager got me to take out quite a large insurance policy40 ,this was a triumph of the art of salesmanship4 ,the insurance man actually made his would-be interviewer forget what he had gone after1 and induced him to buy something he had not before thought of buying1 yet something which1 undoubtedly1 it was to his advantage to buy4 ,why is it that one man will so easily change our whole mental attitude and make us do voluntarily the very thing that we had no idea of doing an hour before1 and thought we never could do1 when another might have talked to us until doomsday about the same thing1 and never changed our mind a particle regarding it8 ,why is it that one man will convince us that we ought to buy an article which we were sure a few minutes before that we not only did not need or desire1 but under no circumstances would buy8 ,because he is a past master of the gentle art of persuasion4 ,how little we realize what a large part persuasion plays in our life4 ,the clergyman1 the teacher1 the lawyer1 the business man1 the salesman1 the parent1 each is trying to persuade1 to influence1 to win over others to his way of thinking1 to his principles1 to accept his ideas4 ,some characters are so tactful1 so sunny1 so bright1 cheerful1 and attractive that they never have to force or even to request an entrance anywhere4 ,the door is flung wide open and they are invited to enter1 just as we invite beauty1 loveliness and sunshine to enter our mind4 ,their very presence has a subtle influence in soothing and pleasing4 ,they know how to persuade almost without uttering a word4 ,of the many elements which enter into scientific salesmanship1 none is more essential than that of persuasion4 ,a salesman often finds a would-be customer's mind absolutely opposed to his4 ,he does not want the merchandise1 or at least he thinks he does not1 and is determined not to buy it4 ,he braces himself against all possibility of persuasion1 of being influenced to do what he has decided not to do4 ,a little later1 however1 he cheerfully buys the article1 pays for it1 and feels sure he really wants it4 ,his entire attitude has been changed by the art of persuasion1 of winning over1 which was all done by successive logical steps1 each of which had to be taken in order1 or failure would have resulted4 ,the first step was to get the man's attention1--otherwise the salesman could have done nothing with him4 ,this of itself is often a difficult matter--to get the attention of a man who is determined not to look at your goods1 who had made up his mind not to buy1 and is braced against you4 ,but a good salesman does not try to persuade a man to buy until he has not only secured his attention1 but also thoroughly interested him in his proposition4 ,then he arouses his desire to possess the thing he has for sale1 and when this is done1 the sale is practically over4 ,i was talking recently with some friends about the rapid rise of a young salesman which surprised everybody who knew him4 ,one of my friends said that the whole secret was his marvelous power to persuade people1 to change their mind1 to make a prospect see things from his point of view4 ,he said he had never before met another man who had such remarkable success in changing another's mind to his way of thinking4 8,and this10 he added1 8is the essence1 the quintessence1 if you will1 of salesmanship--the power to make another see things as we see them40 ,persuasive power1 the ability to win others over to our way of thinking1 our way of looking at things1 is not a simple quality4 ,it is in reality made up of many admirable qualities which have more to do with the heart than the head4 ,it is one of the lovable traits of human nature1 which enables one to win out in many instances where head qualities would be of no avail4 ,the best and most successful teachers are not always the most learned1 but those who get hold of the hearts of their pupils1 whose kindness1 personal interest1 and sympathy inspire them to do their best4 ,the same qualities which1 apart from scholarship1 make the best teachers1 also make the best salesmen4 ,while education and intelligence are indispensable1 it is not so much smartness1 long-headedness1 cunning1 as the warm human heart qualities which make a salesman popular and successful4 ,there is a sort of hypnotic power which passes for persuasiveness1 and enables a man to get orders at the outset1 but it is not based on honesty1 and in the long run seriously hurts a man's business4 ,a magnetic1 spellbinding salesman will often bring to his house larger orders than some other salesman1 but in the end will lose customers and injure himself and his concern1 while the one who does not sell nearly as much to start with will make many more friends1 and will hold his customers1 because he looks out for their interest1 and only tries to sell them what is to their advantage to buy4 ,he will not work off a large bill of goods upon them which he knows in his heart they should not buy4 ,he studies their needs1 and so wins their confidence and good-will4 ,the ability to make others think as you do is a tremendous power1 and carries great responsibility4 ,if it is not kindly and honestly used it will prove a boomerang and injure most the one who uses it4 ,he will soon become known as a 8spellbinder10 and people will not do business with him4 ,mere 8palaver and soft soap0 do not cut nearly so much of a figure in salesmanship as formerly4 ,the time has gone by forever when a salesman is chiefly measured by his ability to tell good yarns and crack jokes with his prospects4 ,honesty first1 is the business slogan to-day4 ,spellbinding methods are not in demand4 ,while you may1 and should1 be as affable as you please1 you must be thoroughly sincere4 ,even in trying to approach a man through his hobby1 great caution must be used4 ,if he is a shrewd1 long-headed man he is going to see through any subterfuge1 and if he gets the slightest idea that you are trying to 8string0 him1 or if he sees the slightest evidence of insincerity or cunning1 if he sees any plot back of your eye1 your game is up4 ,we must first believe in a man's integrity1 even though he may deceive us1 before he can persuade us to do what we thought we would not do4 ,to-day it is the clean1 straight-from-the-shoulder talk1 cold facts that the average business man wants4 ,yet the men of persuasive powers can present those facts in such a way that the prospect will be made to feel that the salesman is his friend and acting entirely in his interest4 ,no man relishes the idea of being 8managed10 and1 no matter how much he loves flattery1 he will question your motive if you attempt it4 ,very tactful and just praise1 however1 will help your cause considerably with the average man4 ,remember that your prospect will be always on his guard against any sort of deceit4 ,he will be looking for evidences of insincerity4 ,he has no intention of allowing himself to be duped or gulled4 ,above all1 remember that there is no substitute for sincerity in any field4 ,there is nothing that will take the place in our lives of absolute transparency1 simplicity1 honesty1 kindness4 ,the ,golden ,rule is the only rule of conduct that will bring true success in any business4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,helping ,,the ,,customer ,,to ,,buy ,satisfied customers are a perpetual lip-to-lip advertisement4 8,help your customer to buy4 ,don't merely sell to him40 ,a ,quaker merchant who had made a fortune in ,liverpool1 when asked how he had made it1 replied1 8,by a single article of trade in which every one may deal who pleases--civility40 ,this self-same 8article of trade0 has been the making of the celebrated ,bon ,march in ,paris4 ,the clerks in this famous establishment are instructed to show people1 whether customers or not1 every possible consideration4 ,strangers in ,paris are invited to visit the ,bon ,march1 and are taken in hand the moment they enter the store by those who can speak their language1 are shown over the whole place1 and every possible attention paid to them1 without the slightest influence being brought upon them to purchase4 ,a similar courtesy is shown visitors in many well-known ,american concerns4 ,it is the service we are not obliged to give that people value most4 ,everybody knows that the salesman is supposed1 at least1 to treat a customer decently2 but the over-plus of service1 the extra courtesy and kindness1 the spirit of accommodation1 the desire to be obliging1 the patience and helpfulness in trying to render the greatest possible service--these are the things customers appreciate most highly1 and these are just the things that tie customers to certain houses4 ,whether you are a traveling salesman or selling things behind a counter1 nothing will add more to your success than the practice of that helpful courtesy which is dictated by the heart rather than the head1 or by mere convention4 ,doing a customer a good turn has proved the turning point in many a career4 ,nothing will make such a good impression upon an employer as the courtesy of an employee who has so ingratiated himself into the hearts of his customers1 and so endeared himself to them1 that they will always seek him out and wait to buy from him even at great inconvenience to themselves4 ,every employer knows that a clerk who attracts trade is worth ten times as much as one who drives it away4 ,it is said that when ,john ,wanamaker went into business1 he paid a salesman thirteen hundred dollars the first year1 which was equal to all the rest of his capital4 ,he did this because of the man's wonderful personality1 his ability to attract trade1 to please and hold customers so that they would come again4 ,i know a man who has built up a big business largely because he is always trying to accommodate his customers1 to save them expense1 or to assist them in buying things which he does not carry4 ,to-day our large business houses make a great point of pleasing customers1 of obliging them and catering to their comfort in every possible way4 ,waiting-rooms1 reading-rooms1 with stationery1 attendants1 and even music and other forms of entertainment1 are furnished by many of them4 ,there is a premium everywhere upon courtesy and good manners4 ,they are taken into consideration in hiring employees just as much as general ability4 ,great business firms find it is impossible to carry on extensive trade without the practice of courtesy1 and they vie with one another in securing the most affable1 and most obliging employees possible in all departments4 ,they look upon their employees as ambassadors representing them in their business4 ,they know that they cannot afford to have their interests jeopardized by objectionable1 indifferent clerks4 ,they know that it will not pay to build attractive stores1 to advertise and display their goods1 to do everything possible to bring customers to them1 and then have them turned away by disagreeable1 repellent clerks4 ,many young men going into business seem to think that price and quality are the only elements that enter into competition4 ,there may be a score of other reasons why customers flock to one store and pass by a dozen half-empty stores on their way4 ,many people never learn to depend upon themselves in their buying4 ,they do not trust their own judgment1 but depend upon the clerk who waits on them4 ,a clerk who knows his business can assist a customer wonderfully in a very delicate way1 by suggestion1 by his knowledge of goods1 of qualities1 of fabrics1 of durability4 ,the courtesy and affability of clerks in one store pull thousands of customers right past the doors of rival establishments where the clerks are not so agreeable or accommodating4 ,everybody appreciates courtesy and an obliging disposition1 and a personal interest goes a great way in attracting and holding customers4 ,most of us are willing to put ourselves to some trouble to patronize those who show a disposition to help us1 to render us real service4 ,what is true in regard to the man or woman who sells in a store applies with equal or even greater force to the man who goes on the road to sell4 ,the motto of a well-known salesman1 8,help your customer to buy1 don't merely sell to him10 is one that it would pay every salesman to adopt4 ,put yourself in your customer's place1 help him with your knowledge of what he really needs2 mix sympathy1 kindliness1 helpfulness with your sales2 you can give him a lot of valuable points4 ,you are traveling all the time and constantly coming in contact with new ideas2 give him suggestions from other merchants in his line4 ,a wide-awake1 progressive salesman1 without violating confidences1 can help his customers wonderfully by keeping them posted on what his competitors are doing1 on the latest ideas in his line1 the new and original methods4 ,you may know of some novel and striking methods of reaching the public1 of displaying merchandise and arranging store windows1 or of reaching customers through unique local advertising4 ,give your customer every suggestion you can4 ,you may see that he is a good business man in many respects1 but seriously lacks something which you could help him to supply4 ,if he finds you are always trying to help him1 that every time you come round you give him some good suggestions1 it will be pretty hard for your competitor to get his order4 ,he will prize a man who gives him helpful suggestions4 ,for instance1 a salesman ,i know1 who travels for a cutlery and hardware concern1 makes a specialty of keeping his customers posted as to the arrangement of goods to the best advantage in window display4 ,he keeps track of the latest ideas1 new wrinkles in his line1 and gives his customers the benefit of them4 ,if he sees that any of them are getting into ruts1 or that they do not have good business systems1 very tactfully1 without offending them1 he suggests certain new devices1 say1 for saving expense1 little short-cuts in business methods1 new ideas in filing cabinets1 or some other labor or time-saving device which it will be to their advantage to adopt4 ,in his kindly1 unobtrusive way the man binds his customers to him by bands of steel so that no other salesman would have any show whatever in getting them away from him4 ,he has built up such a large patronage for his house that rival houses have made him most tempting offers for his services4 ,the extra service for which he is not paid does more in helping this man to get and hold customers than the actual routine for which he receives his salary4 ,business men who are at a distance from the big centers of trade fully realize what this extra service means to them1 and are glad to keep in touch with a helpful1 up-to-date salesman4 ,i know a successful merchant who is so afraid that his business will get into a rut1 that his standards will deteriorate through familiarity with his surroundings1 that every little while he invites friends to go all through his establishment in order to get the advantage of their fresh impressions1 their criticisms and suggestions4 ,the salesman should always remember that he has an opportunity to pick up a great many new1 progressive ideas which customers1 who are closely confined to their business or who do not have the time to go about much1 would not be likely to know about1 and he can render them1 as well as himself1 a very great service by keeping them posted and up-to-date4 ,traveling salesmen are also traveling business teachers4 ,i know of no one quality which will help a salesman so much as an obliging spirit1 the desire to be helpful1 to accommodate1 and to assist buyers4 ,large jobbing concerns are finding that it is to their own interest to look after the interests of their customers1 to aid them in every possible way1 such as suggesting attractive ways of advertising1 giving them new ideas and suggestions as to the best arrangement of their merchandise and advising them on other important points4 ,many large concerns aid their customers financially4 ,mr4 ,h4 ,n4 ,higinbotham1 ,marshall ,field's well-known credit man1 was noted for helping customers1 especially when they were financially embarrassed4 ,he often assisted them to get mortgages and loans1 and1 in fact1 frequently made personal loans to the customers of his house4 ,of course affairs of this sort must go to the credit man1 but at the same time a salesman often leads up to them1 and thus relieves the embarrassment of customers4 ,some time ago a manager of a large concern told me that he helped a customer to get a thirty-thousand-dollar mortgage on his property1 an accommodation he was not able to get at the bank on a strictly business basis4 ,many small houses1 especially in the ,west1 have come to look upon the jobbing and wholesale houses they trade with as real friends1 and whenever they are hard pushed for money they are the first places they go to for help4 ,hundreds of ,western concerns1 through the initiative of the salesman1 owe their prosperity to-day to the assistance of the jobbing house which carried them through hard times4 ,when they could not have secured the ready cash they needed upon purely business grounds1 firms accommodated through the efforts of a salesman become life customers and a perpetual advertisement for the concern which has helped them1 always saying a good word for it whenever possible4 ,there are a hundred and one small ways in which both wholesale and retail salesmen can accommodate their trade4 ,be alert to do all these trifling personal favors1 which mean so much and cost only a little thoughtfulness4 ,a word of caution in regard to promises4 ,guard carefully against making promises you can't fulfill4 ,in your zeal to help the customer do not1 for instance1 promise deliveries that are next to impossible or very hard for your house4 ,you thereby hurt yourself1 your customer and your firm4 ,be accommodating1 but always use common sense4 ,your customer may forget a lot of things which you say to him1 but he will not forget how you spent your time and energy in trying to show him that which would be a real benefit to him2 your effort to give him new ideas1 to show him how he could be a little more up-to-date2 your explaining to him how other progressive men in his own line were doing things4 ,there is nothing which makes a better impression on a man or woman than the unselfish effort to please1 to be of service1 and the demand for salesmen and all sorts of employees who will put themselves out to do this is constantly growing4 ,there was a time when human hogs could do business1 provided they had the goods and could deliver them1 but all this has changed2 to-day the art of getting on in the world is largely the art of pleasing4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,closing ,,the ,,deal ,don't talk yourself out of a deal4 ,there are many men trying to sell merchandise who are almost salesmen4 ,they seem to have about every qualification excepting the ability to close a sale4 8,brevity is the soul of wit40 ,a man who was waiting impatiently outside the church for his family1 asked the janitor if the pastor was not through with his sermon4 8,yes10 said the janitor1 8he is through1 but he hasn't stopped yet40 ,many a salesman queers a sale by not stopping when he is through--his tongue outlasts his brain4 ,he has not tact enough to see that when he has convinced his prospect it is time to close the deal4 ,others again make the mistake of lingering after their object is accomplished1 squandering their own and their prospect's time to no purpose4 ,if there is anything a business man appreciates in a caller it is a regard for the value of his time4 ,every minute is precious with a busy man1 and directness1 conciseness of statement1 saying a lot in a few words1 always makes a favorable impression4 8,when you get what you went after1 quit10 said one big selling agent of a national concern4 8,many a sale has been queered because the salesman #8stuck ground' after he had signed his man40 8,i knew a salesman who put over a big deal one afternoon4 ,then he lighted a cigar and sat talking with the man to whom he had sold4 ,presently the telephone rang4 ,it was a long-distance call from the buyer's financial headquarters4 ,evidently the president of the concern was advising his representative to economize1 to cut expenses everywhere he could1 to lay off men1 and to buy only necessities4 8,i'm glad you didn't go10 said the buyer to the salesman1 after he had hung up the receiver2 8,i find my appropriation has been decreased and ,i won't be able to take those goods now4 ,this saves my writing you to cancel the order40 8,that salesman always said he talked himself out of that deal4 ,he felt sure that if he had not been there1 the buyer would have kept the goods and would have started his economy on the next salesman40 ,some salesmen with many splendid qualities talk themselves out of business4 ,they tire out their prospect1 bore him1 disgust him4 ,they do not have tact enough to see that when a prospect begins to move about uneasily in his chair and to look around the room that he wishes they would get out4 ,now1 when a man feels pressed for time1 or when you no longer interest him1 it is a great mistake to try to hold him or to recover his lost interest4 ,it is high time to stop and close the deal4 ,brevity and directness are the very soul of business1 and make a good impression on a business man4 ,the roundabout talker1 the man who prefaces everything with a long introduction1 the man who goes around and around half a dozen times before he gets to the point1 tires and irritates a busy man4 ,good business men are direct4 ,they drive right to the marrow of things at the first plunge2 and when a deal is put through1 they want to close and go on to the next thing4 ,the closing step is one of the most important in any business transaction4 ,there are plenty of salesmen who can conduct the progress of a sale clear up to the point of closing the deal quite as well as infinitely better salesmen1 but here they fall down4 ,they cannot gather up their threads of persuasive argument and reasoning to make a successful close1 and when they become panicky they communicate their fear to the coveted customer1 and then the game is up4 ,like all other points of salesmanship1 the quickest and the simplest way of taking the final step is the best4 ,closing a deal is the result of having created an earnest wish on the part of the customer for what you have to sell4 ,he must have the 8,i want it0 feeling or you are likely to have trouble4 ,if you have made your customer want your goods1 made him see the profit and the pleasure that will accrue to him in buying1 then the question of closing the deal becomes very much simplified4 ,there is a school of experts strongly inclined to what they call 8,reason ,why0 advertising4 ,i think the 8,reason ,why0 school is strongly entrenched4 ,we buy things because there are reasons why we should buy them1 and the salesman who can set forth the strongest reasons why1 will have the least trouble in closing his deals4 ,the goods may be all right in themselves1 but the sale will not be made unless you can make the customer see why he1 personally1 should buy4 ,a shrewd salesman will let his prospect or customer handle the samples as much as possible1 and let him do the talking4 ,you watch him4 ,you will learn a great deal about the operation of the man's mind4 ,if he shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head when he picks up a particular sample you had better not talk too much about that2 it will not pay to try to convince him2 you had better try something else1 at least for the moment4 ,if you see that he is anxious to make an impression upon you by his skill and his knowledge of goods1 don't try to switch him to something else4 ,if he expresses an admiration for a certain piece of goods follow it up4 ,if it is regarding the color1 or shade1 do not go too much into the quality of the texture4 ,let him take the lead4 ,in closing1 always look for a peaceful and cheerful surrender of the will4 ,if the standards of the house are high1 and if the goods are of a high quality1 the customer will feel quite reassured in surrendering his will to that of the salesman4 ,he really thinks his will is deciding4 ,very often he is right1 but it is the duty of the salesman to guide the will of the customer1 so that the right decision will be made with the least loss of time and energy4 ,the 8winner0 salesman does not wait for his prospect to say1 8,you can put me down for so and so4 ,yes1 ,i'll take that40 ,he uses his own positive mind to guide and bring to a focus the vacillating1 almost-decided mind of the prospect1 for he knows from experience that the temptation of most buyers is to hang off1 to wait4 ,knowing the processes through which his prospect's mind is passing1 he seizes upon the psychological moment to close up the thing1 to bring the man's mind to a decision4 ,always be ready to close4 ,have plenty of well-sharpened pencils1 a fountain pen in good working order1 clean order blanks1 and every facility at hand for signing orders4 ,the customer should not be expected to fill in name1 facts or figures any more than is absolutely necessary4 ,when asked to sign his name1 the salesman should indicate clearly the exact line on which the name should be written4 ,the idea is to make everything so simple and easy that the mind of the customer does not have a chance to balk4 ,human nature is peculiar4 ,very often men are contrary4 ,they will act against their own best interests1 just because they think some one is trying to compel them to do a particular thing4 ,we all love freedom4 ,in closing a deal1 have all minor points made clear1 such as time of delivery1 method of packing1 method of delivery1 the way payment is to be made1 and all similar details4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,the ,,greatest ,,salesman--,,enthusiasm 8,what are hardships1 ridicule1 persecution1 toil1 sickness1 to a soul throbbing with an overmastering enthusiasm80 ,enthusiasm is the best salesman4 ,cultivate it2 it is contagious4 ,you can't build a fire with the fuel all wet4 ,why is it that one salesman can often accomplish three or four times as much as another8 ,the difference is not always that of ability4 ,it is often a difference in the effort--in the character of the effort4 ,one salesman tries harder4 ,he adds enthusiasm and a splendid zest to his work1 which increases the quality as well as the quantity of the result4 ,joyous zeal1 dead-in-earnestness1 will sell more goods than all the technical training in the world1 minus enthusiasm4 ,how often have ,i heard salesmen say in the morning that they fairly dreaded the day's work1 that the hours dragged and that they were glad when the ordeal was over4 ,they felt no enthusiasm for their employment4 ,can any one hope to succeed in life who considers a day's work an ordeal1 who goes to it as a slave lashed to his task8 ,an employer measures his employees largely by the spirit in which they do their work4 ,the salesman who goes to his task with energy1 determination1 and enthusiasm1 by his very bearing gives assurance that the thing he undertakes will not only be done1 but will be done as well as it can be done4 ,on the other hand1 when a salesman drags himself about as though existence were a burden1 when he takes hold of his work with repugnance1 as though he dreaded it1 it does not take an expert judge of human nature to know that he will never amount to anything4 ,no matter how strongly and perfectly constructed1 or how powerful a locomotive may be1 unless the water is heated to two hundred and twelve degrees1 the train will not move an inch4 ,warm water1 water at two hundred and eleven degrees will not answer4 ,the water must be at the boiling point4 ,no matter how fine a brain or how good an education a salesman may have1 without the steam of enthusiasm1 which propels the human machine1 his work will be ineffective4 ,it is the enthusiastic man in every trade or profession1 the man with fire and iron in his blood1 whose enthusiasm is at the boiling point1 who makes things move in this world4 ,the half-hearted1 indifferent1 aimless worker1 who is never aroused to the two-hundred-and-twelve degree of live interest and enthusiasm in his especial task1 is headed for failure4 ,he will never be his own manager4 ,he is lucky if he succeeds in holding down even a poor job4 ,the prizes of life are for the dead-in-earnest and enthusiastic4 ,the world has ever made way for enthusiasm4 ,it compels men to listen4 ,it convinces the most skeptical4 ,as ,bulwer-,lytton once said3 8,nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm2 it is a real allegory of the ,lute of ,orpheus2 it moves stones2 it charms brutes4 ,enthusiasm is the genius of sincerity2 and truth accomplishes no victories without it40 ,knowledge and skill have never been a match for enthusiasm4 ,it multiplies a man's power1 raises whatever ability he has to its highest4 ,one talent with enthusiasm back of it has ever accomplished more than ten talents without it4 ,enthusiasm is the powder that drives the bullet home to its mark4 ,to produce the best results1 enthusiasm must be steady1 continuous1 not fitful or uncertain4 ,i know a man who is a valuable solicitor if his employers can only keep him keyed up to the right point1 supplied with enthusiasm4 ,when his enthusiasm is at high tide he accomplishes wonders1 but the moment it ebbs he is good for nothing4 ,and his enthusiasm often ebbs2 it is very uncertain4 ,one day he will impress you as a powerful man1 a man with great determination1 vigor and push--he makes everything move2 then you meet him on one of his off days1 when the tide is out1 and scarcely know him4 ,his mentality is flabby1 his courage is down4 ,he goes about with a blue and discouraged look1 and is practically good for nothing4 ,but when he rallies and his courage and enthusiasm come back1 he is a regular giant4 ,if this man would learn to control his moods and get complete possession of himself2 if he would strengthen his will so that he should always be ruler in his mental kingdom1 instead of abdicating every now and then and allowing his pessimism1 his blue moods to take control and rule him1 he would be invaluable--a king in his line4 ,enthusiasm must be guided by level-headedness or it may defeat its object4 ,some people allow their enthusiasm to run away with them and thus greatly weaken their power and possibilities4 ,while it is an indispensable factor in salesmanship1 too much enthusiasm develops weakness1 destroys one's good sense and good judgment and one's ability to convince people4 ,and the power of carrying conviction to the mind of a prospective buyer is the very marrow of salesmanship4 ,i have known over-enthusiastic young salesmen to be so completely carried away with the possibilities of what they were selling1 to exhibit so little judgment and so much fervor in their canvass1 that they aroused suspicion in the minds of their prospects as to their good judgment4 ,in cases of this sort a level-headed man will say to himself3 8,this young fellow is too wrought up over this article2 he is hypnotized by it and has an exaggerated idea of its merits4 ,no man in this state of mind is reliable2 his judgment is warped4 ,he is honest enough1 but ,i cannot afford to rely on what he says4 ,he is too enthused to be trustworthy40 ,you can be as enthusiastic as you please without overstepping the bounds of reason4 ,the ,a#a salesman knows how to steer his course between the enthusiasm that excites suspicion1 arouses distrust1 and the enthusiasm that persuades and convinces4 ,there is now and then one who with abounding enthusiasm1 guided by good judgment and horse-sense1 pours his very life into his sale1 just as a great advocate flings his life into his pleading4 ,he is the sort of man who will win out in any proposition he attempts to put through4 ,on the other hand1 there are lukewarm salesmen who put so little of themselves into their sale1 so little enthusiasm and zest1 so little magnetism1 so little diplomacy and tact1 and so little of the art of persuasion1 that they remain third or fourth rate all their lives4 ,they barely get a living in a field where the energetic1 enthusiastic man makes a fortune4 ,the salesman or other worker who gives only his second best instead of his best1 who gives indifference instead of enthusiasm1 who doesn't think it worth while to fling his soul into his work1 never amounts to much4 ,in an age when increasing stress is everywhere placed on efficiency1 and yet more efficiency1 there is no future for the indifferent4 ,give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,the ,,man ,,at ,,the ,,other ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,bargain ,a ,golden ,rule for every salesman3 8,put yourself in your customer's place40 ,when you are in doubt as to how your acts will affect another1 you must ask yourself this question1 8,would ,i like to have some one else do this to me80 ,nathan ,strauss1 when asked what had contributed most to the success of his remarkable career1 replied1 8,i always looked out for the man at the other end of the bargain40 ,he said that if he got a bad bargain himself he could stand it1 even if his losses were heavy1 but he could never afford to have the man who dealt with him get a bad bargain4 ,there is no one thing that has so much to do with a business man's success as the absolute confidence of the public4 ,confidence has everything to do with patronage4 ,we like to patronize the firm which has a good reputation1 and many prefer to pay more for articles in a reliable store that guarantees their quality than to buy similar articles at a much lower price in an unreliable store4 ,people are afraid to go into unreliable places4 ,they have a feeling that they will be swindled in some way2 that the lower price only covers up poor quality4 ,you may bring customers to your store once by shrewd schemes and advertising1 but you cannot hold them by this means alone4 ,unless you satisfy them1 give them good value for their money1 you cannot induce them to come again4 ,but the satisfied customer is a perpetual advertisement4 ,he not only comes again1 but he sends his friends1 and they furnish a perpetual lip-to-lip advertisement which gives stability and permanence to a business4 ,the man who thinks he is going to make a fortune without considering the man at the other end of the bargain is very short-sighted4 ,in the long run1 the customer's best good is the seller's best good also2 and1 other things equal1 the man succeeds best who satisfies his customers best1 who gains their confidence1 so that they will not only come back1 but always bring others with them4 ,in the same way1 the ideal salesman must impress his customers with his honesty1 sincerity and frankness4 ,he must be shrewd and sagacious without being deceptive4 ,trickiness1 dishonest methods1 may procure a man's orders at the start1 but before long he will find that in selling goods1 as in everything else1 honesty is the best policy4 ,a little while ago ,i heard a salesman say to a friend1 8,i don't care whether a man sells my goods or not1 ,i sell him every dollar's worth ,i can1 just the same4 ,if he is overstocking the store1 that is his business4 ,i push my sales just as far as ,i can40 ,now1 when this young salesman's customers find that out1 as1 sooner or later1 they will1 they will distrust him4 ,they will be on their guard against him1 and ultimately he will lose their patronage4 ,remember1 ,mr4 ,brilliant ,salesman1 that stuffed1 forced orders are dangerous4 ,they are boomerangs4 ,when1 by hypnotic over-persuasion1 you work off goods upon a customer which he does not need1 you are likely to hear from him again4 ,the profits of a single such sale have often lost a salesman the profits of a life customer4 ,there is nothing so disastrous as a disappointed or a deceived customer4 ,many people are beguiled into buying what they do not need and cannot afford1 because they do not know how to protect themselves from the expertness or hypnotism of unprincipled salesmen4 ,especially is this true of colored people in the ,south1 whose simple1 untrained minds are the easy victims of the smooth oily promoter or salesman4 ,i have known of negro families who did not have a whole plate1 or a knife and fork in the house1 to buy from unscrupulous agents plush autograph albums1 books which they could not read or understand1 pictures1 picture frames1 organs1 pianos1 etc41 when they were so poor that every member of the family was ragged1 and apparently only half nourished4 ,many such agents and solicitors1 who travel through the country1 live upon the gullibility of people who are not mentally equipped to protect themselves against their dishonest wiles4 ,every salesman is familiar with the 8tricks of the trade0 which the unscrupulous practice1 but to which the conscientious man will not resort4 ,his clean record1 his straightforward methods1 his reputation for reliability1 mean infinitely more to him than to get an order by driving a sharp bargain1 deceiving1 taking advantage of1 or hypnotizing his customer4 ,his honesty1 his character1 is dearer to him than any gain1 temporary or permanent1 however great4 ,nor is there any great demand for the man whose sole aim is to 8deliver the goods10 regardless of the methods employed4 ,they may be hired by cheap-,john concerns which have no reputation to sustain1 but high-class houses will have nothing to do with them4 ,they know very well that men who practice real dishonesty in their mental methods1 who use unfair means in winning confidence1 only to abuse it1 who make a business of overcoming weak minds for the purpose of deceiving them--they know that such men would hurt their house1 injure their reputation4 ,they know very well that the tricky1 dishonest man who deceives or who over-sells his customer1 is not a good man for his house4 ,the high-class salesman1 like the high-class house1 thinks too much of his good name1 too much of his customers' good opinion of him1 to attempt to practice the slightest deception in his dealings with them4 ,their implicit faith in him1 their belief that they can absolutely depend upon what he tells them1 that it will not be the near-truth1 but the exact truth1 his real desire to serve them1 these things mean infinitely more to him than the taking of an order4 ,his reputation for straightforwardness1 for reliability1 his reputation as a man1 is his chief capital4 ,he is doing business without money2 his only assets are his ability and his character1 and he cannot afford to throw these away or vitiate them by dishonest mental practices4 ,aside from the vital question of character1 he is a very poor salesman who does not study the interest of the man at the other end of the bargain4 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,meeting ,,and ,,forestalling ,,objections ,opposition is the physical culture of determination4 ,you must have the courage of your convictions1 and if you have theories you should be able to put them to a practical test4 ,don't canvass too much with your legs--use your brains4 ,there are two kinds of objections which are met by all salesmen--valid and invalid4 ,naturally1 it is impossible to overcome valid objections4 ,it would be a mistake on the part of the salesman to try to overcome them4 ,the important thing is for him to recognize that they are valid1 and to abide by the decision of the prospective customer4 ,very frequently1 however1 what appear on the surface to be valid objections1 are merely excuses4 ,never accept an excuse as a real objection4 ,do not come out bluntly and tell the customer that he is merely making an excuse1 or that he is hedging1 but1 rather1 switch the selling talk on to a little different track1 so that he will see there is no real1 good reason for the stand he is taking4 ,it is not so easy to meet such objections as--8,the goods are not suitable for our needs10--8,the price is exorbitant10 or 8,we cannot afford to buy now40 ,but in some cases1 objections of this sort may not be really valid2 often they are merely excuses to put off buying4 ,here is where the salesman must show his power of reasoning and persuasion4 ,he should make clear to the customer that1 at first thought1 these may seem to be valid objections1 but that1 in reality1 if he will only think of such and such points and reasons1 he will see1 after all1 he should buy4 ,no doubt there is far more trouble constantly arising on this score than there should1 because the salesman cannot gently guide the mind of the customer to where all objections are forgotten4 ,it is human nature to object1 find fault1 and pick flaws1 and the salesman must be prepared both for the real or valid1 and for the unreal1 or invalid objections4 ,above all he must be prepared beforehand to answer1 and to answer clearly and logically1 the many very common objections which are brought up in connection with his line of goods4 ,the older1 more experienced salesmen and the sales managers1 usually1 have thought out the most effective answers to the objections that are ordinarily made4 ,the young inexperienced salesman must go to them for advice4 ,he must be posted1 if possible at the start1 on the right answers to1 let us say1 the ten most ordinary objections that are heard in his line of business4 ,one of the most successful life insurance managers in the ,united ,states has given to his men a standard answer to this very common objection1 met by salesmen when trying to sell life insurance1--8,i would like to take the matter up with my wife40 ,the salesman is taught to use the law of non-resistance1 and to say3 8,that's a very good idea1 ,mr4 ,blank4 ,this is such an important matter you certainly ought to have your wife's opinion about it2 but1 allow me to suggest that before you take the matter up with her1 it would be best to have our doctor examine you1 to make sure that you can pass the physical examination1 because1 if you told your wife that you were going to take life insurance1 and you then failed to pass the examination1 she would be very much worried about you as long as she lives40 ,the prospect will1 almost invariably1 say--8,yes1 you're right about that--,i think ,i ought to take that precaution40 ,it is needless to say that nine times out of ten1 after the doctor has made the examination1 it is quite easy to close the sale1 whereas it would have been impossible1 or very difficult1 had the matter first been taken up at home1 and a lot of objections brought up in the absence of the salesman4 ,some say that you should never risk antagonizing a customer by departing from the law of non-resistance4 ,ordinarily1 this is sound logic2 but just as there are exceptions to every rule1 so there are certain types of men1 with whom at least seeming opposition or an attitude of 8take it or leave it0 will be most effective4 ,there are men and moods and times when only a good knowledge of human nature and a thorough sizing up of a customer will enable the salesman to get what he goes after4 ,also there are occasions when the most expert salesman will meet at least temporary defeat4 ,by the time you have exchanged a few sentences with your prospect1 you can size him up fairly well and can get a pretty good idea of what you are up against1 and how difficult a task is before you in order to interest him1 to change his thought1 to neutralize his natural prejudice against every one who has anything to sell1 and against you in particular4 ,there is a natural barrier1 at first1 between two people who meet under such conditions1 and it depends largely upon you as a man1 upon your talk1 your ability to open up your nature1 to show the best side of yourself1 the attractive1 the popular1 magnanimous side1 whether you gradually change the prospect's opposition to indifference1 his indifference to interest and his interest to desire to possess what you have to sell4 ,you should never argue with a customer in the sense of quarreling or disputing with him1 but there are times when you must reason with him1 to show him he is wrong4 ,do not1 however1 make a customer feel 8cheap10 or humiliated1 or anger him by opposition1 especially in matters outside of your business4 ,i have in mind a salesman who had practically closed a big order with a prospect when some allusion was made to the political situation4 ,the salesman reflected upon the administration1 and the prospect jumped on him with both feet and became so angered that he positively refused to give him the order4 ,now1 this salesman was not there to discuss politics or to convince his prospect that he was on the wrong side of any public question4 ,he was there to sell his goods and not to talk politics4 ,no matter what happens never lose your head and never1 under any circumstances1 show resentment or disappointment or allow yourself to be drawn into an argument4 ,there is always a temptation to have the last word1 and it is of the utmost importance that you should leave a pleasing picture of your call4 ,otherwise when you return the association of a disagreeable experience may bar you out4 ,some sales managers do not believe in paying any attention to objections4 ,they say it is best to make the salesman so familiar with his goods1 and so enthusiastic about them1 that he will forestall all objections1 or overcome them by ignoring them1 in the sense that he will not try to answer objections if they are made1 and he will not talk or act as if he expected any to be made4 ,there is a certain amount of sound philosophy in this attitude1 but it is my opinion that a salesman will have more confidence in himself1 and will be better equipped for many emergencies1 if he has been thoroughly coached in the most commonly met objections1 by having good1 sound answers right at the tip of his tongue4 ,never meet objections by cutting prices4 ,it is the easiest thing in the world to prejudice a prospect's mind by offering to cut prices4 ,he will think you are doing it to get his first order1 and that you will make it up the next time4 ,he is watching you with 8all his eyes40 ,his perceptive faculties are on the alert1 ready to catch any unguarded word1 the slightest contradiction1 measuring up the improbabilities in your argument4 ,in other words1 he is trying to find holes in your proposition4 ,it is human nature to brace up against a new salesman and to try to down him with objections4 ,don't destroy confidence at the start by price cutting4 ,remember1 objections are1 generally1 mere excuses4 ,more than half the time they are not sound reasons for not buying4 ,therefore1 do not take objections too much to heart4 ,know how to answer them satisfactorily1 but be careful not to magnify their importance4 ,,chapter ,,xix ,,quality ,,as ,a ,,salesman ,integrity is the ground of mutual confidence4 ,never misrepresent your goods2 when it becomes necessary to do so it is time to quit the business4 ,a4,j4 ,lauver1 ,general ,manager ,burroughs' ,adding ,machine1 says1 8,the ideal salesman is one who is making an honest and determined effort to render a real service to his customers4 ,he believes thoroughly in the value of his goods and has faith in the honesty and ability of the house he represents40 ,an unqualified confidence in the value of what you are selling will multiply your selling ability tremendously1 just as a lack of confidence in its merit will greatly diminish your power to make a sale4 ,all of your mental operations follow confidence4 ,your faculties will not give out their best unless they are led by the honest faith in your house and in your goods which generates enthusiasm4 ,the salesman communicates his faith1 or lack of it1 to the experienced buyer4 ,whatever passes through your mind will be telegraphed with lightning rapidity to your prospect's mind4 ,he will feel what you feel4 ,he will sense mentally what you are picturing secretly1 as you imagine1 in your own mind4 ,if doubt is there1 if unbelief is there1 he will feel them no matter what you may say to the contrary4 ,he can tell very quickly whether you really believe what you are saying or whether you are just talking for a sale4 ,he can tell whether you honestly believe that what you are trying to sell would be good for him to buy or not4 ,the consciousness that you are representing an absolutely reliable firm1 and that you are selling a superb thing1 something which you really believe it would be as advantageous for your prospect to buy as it would be for you to sell1 will not only increase your self-confidence1 but will also lend wonderful dignity and power to your bearing and your manner1 and greater force to your presentation and persuasion4 ,on the other hand1 if you are conscious that you are selling shams1 that you are merely trying to get a person to buy that which you know will not be of much value to him1 you are immediately shorn of power4 ,the conviction that you are not doing your fellow-man a good turn1 that1 on the contrary1 you are trying to deceive him1 trying to palm off on him an article which you would not buy yourself1 will make you contemptible in your own eyes and also in the eyes of the man who is shrewd enough to see through you4 ,nothing can take the place of confidence in the quality of what you are selling4 ,quality is really the best salesman in the world4 ,the article that is a little better than others of the same kind--that is the best1 even if the price is higher--8carries in its first sale the possibilities of many sales1 because it makes a satisfied customer1 and only a satisfied customer will come again40 ,the salesman thinks more of himself when he is conscious that he is giving his customer the best that can be had4 ,the assurance that it is not possible for another to beat what he offers is a wonderful tonic and encourager to the seller4 ,he does not need to resort to 8tricks of the trade02 nor does he have to hang his head or apologize when he approaches his prospect1 for he knows that he is backed by quality and that there will be no disappointment or 8come backs40 ,a superb quality1 like good things to eat1 always leaves a good taste in the mouth1 and the salesman who deals in the best knows that he will be welcome when he goes back for another order to a buyer who has once had a taste of the quality of his goods4 ,the reputation of a house noted for its square dealing is of itself a powerful salesman1 and representatives of such a house have a tremendous advantage over those who represent tricky1 sharp-dealing1 shoddy houses1 where the buyer knows that he has got to look out for himself1 to drive a sharp bargain or get taken in--and he knows that he is liable to be taken in anyway4 ,quality is the best possible advertisement4 ,the salesmen of a house thoroughly established in the confidence of the public have a comparatively easy time of it1 because they do not have to do nearly as much talking and convincing as those who represent unreliable concerns4 ,the high reputation of a house is a great business asset1 and a salesman's best argument4 ,it is not so difficult a matter to persuade men to buy what they know from experience to be all that it is represented to be4 ,when a customer has been in the habit of buying the best1 dealing with a quality house1 and has acquired a taste for the best1 he does not like the second-best--only the best is good enough for him4 ,international sales experts tell us that is where ,american salesmen fall down1 especially in seeking foreign trade--in ,south ,america for instance4 ,they dwell at too great length on price1 and skim over quality4 ,they dilate on cheapness1 and the inference is that the goods must be low grade to be marketed at such a low price4 ,no matter how hard pushed you may be1 never undertake to sell questionable goods2 never taint your reputation1 or smirch your character by becoming the representative of a shifty1 dishonest concern4 ,resolve that whatever comes you will not cheapen yourself by stooping to low-down methods1 that you will not sell shabby goods1 or deal in cheap-,john commodities4 ,resolve that you will be a high-class man or nothing1 that you are not going to do another's lying for him1 that you are not going to deceive for a salary1 that you are not going to do anything which will make you think less of yourself1 which will make you less of a man4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,a ,,salesman',s ,,clothes ,the apparel oft proclaims the man4--,,shakespeare4 ,the consciousness of being well and fittingly dressed has a magic power in unlocking the tongue and increasing the power of expression4 ,in differentiating the essentials of success in selling1 a specialty expert said3 8,i find that when ,i am in prime condition physically1 and am well dressed1 so that ,i do not have to think about myself or my clothing1 ,i can put up a much better canvass1 because ,i can concentrate my mind with greater force40 ,in a letter to his home office1 a rising young salesman wrote3 8,to me there is a great mystery in the influence of good clothes4 ,somehow ,i think more of myself when ,i am conscious that ,i am well groomed1 well dressed1 and ,i can approach people with much more confidence4 8,when ,i first started canvassing ,i tried to economize too much on my clothing4 ,some stormy mornings ,i would start out wearing shabby old clothes and without fixing up as ,i should1 and somehow ,i felt cheap all day4 ,i could not approach a prospect with the same air of victory2 ,i did not feel quite right2 ,i could not put up as good a canvass1 and of course did not make as many sales as when ,i was up to the mark in clothes and general appearance4 8,i thought at the start ,i could not afford to dress well1 but ,i soon found that this was a very great mistake1 and that a good appearance is a big asset in canvassing4 ,i was going through college then1 and1 as ,i had to pay all of my expenses1 a dollar meant a good deal to me2 but ,i actually borrowed money to buy a good suit of clothes1 and ,i found it paid4 ,i felt better when ,i had that suit on4 ,i could take more orders1 and in a short time returned the amount ,i had borrowed4 ,this influence of good clothes is a curious thing1 but it is certainly a power40 ,whatever one's business1 it is worth while to try to ascertain as nearly as possible the paying point of your clothes4 ,you cannot afford to go much below or above this point4 ,in some cases it pays to dress superbly1 right up to the mark in every detail1 because people judge our business standing by our appearance1 and we cannot afford to give the impression of poverty1 especially if we are representing a prosperous line of business4 ,if a man's appearance indicates lack of prosperity1 people naturally get a poor impression not only of his own success1 but also of the quality and success of the firm he represents4 ,a4 ,t4 ,stewart was one of the first great merchants to appreciate the tremendous influence upon customers1 especially women customers1 of good-looking1 well-dressed young men clerks4 ,he would not have a clerk in his employ who did not present an attractive appearance4 ,he knew and appreciated the importance of putting up a good front as an asset4 ,he did not care much for human diamonds in the rough4 ,he preferred a cheaper stone1 polished1 to a pure gem1 unpolished4 ,every progressive merchant knows that a first unfavorable impression on a customer is a costly thing4 ,he knows that soiled collar or cuffs1 a frayed tie1 unpolished shoes1 uncared-for finger nails1 grease spots on a suit1 will not only make a bad impression1 but will drive away trade4 ,most large business houses make it a rule not to employ any one who looks shabby or careless1 who does not at least try to make a good appearance1 the best his means will permit1 when he applies for a position4 ,neatness of dress1 cleanliness of person and the manner of the applicant are the first things an employer notices in a would-be employee4 ,if his clothes are unbrushed1 his trousers baggy1 his shoes unblacked1 his tie shabby1 his hands soiled or his hair unkempt1 the employer is prejudiced at once1 and he does not look beneath this repellent exterior to see whether it conceals merit or not4 ,he is a busy man and takes it for granted that if the youth has anything in him1 if he is made of the material business men want in their employ1 he will keep himself in a presentable condition4 ,at all events1 he does not want to have such an unattractive looking person about his premises4 ,you may say that an employer ought to be a reader of real merit1 real character1 and that it is not fair to estimate an applicant for a position by such superficial things as the clothes he wears4 ,you may also say that a customer should not allow himself to be prejudiced against a man1 or the house he represents1 because he is not a fine dresser4 ,but that doesn't help matters or alter facts4 ,we go through life tagged all over1 labeled with other people's estimate of us1 and it is pretty difficult to get away from that1 even if it is unjust4 ,say what we will1 our position in life1 our success1 our place in the business or professional world1 or in society1 depends very much upon what other people think of us1 and our clothes1 at first especially1 while we are making our way in the world1 play an important part in their judgment of us4 ,they have a great deal to do with locating us4 ,in a way our lives are largely influenced by other people's opinion of us1 and we should not be indifferent to it4 ,this does not mean that we cannot be independent and exercise our own will1 but that we cannot afford to create a bad impression4 ,suppose1 for example1 you are a young business man and that every bank official in your town is so prejudiced against you that they will not give you credit4 ,you need it very much1 but while the fact that you know you are absolutely honest and absolutely reliable gives you great inward satisfaction1 it does not give you the needed money4 ,the prejudice of the bank officials may be unfounded1 but it acts powerfully against you4 ,you may know perfectly well that you would make a better mayor for your town than anybody else in it1 but if the majority of the voters are prejudiced against you1 no matter how worthy of their confidence1 you will not be elected4 ,whatever your business or profession the impression you create will make a tremendous difference in the degree of your success4 8,every man has a letter of credit written on his face40 ,we are our own best advertisements1 and if we appear to disadvantage in any particular we are rated accordingly4 ,you cannot estimate the influence of your personal appearance upon your future4 ,other things equal1 it is the young man who dresses well1 puts up a good front1 who gets the order or position1 though often he may have less ability than the one who is careless in his personal appearance4 ,most business men regard a neat1 attractive appearance as evidence of good mental qualities4 ,we express ourselves first of all in our bodies4 ,a young man who is slovenly in appearance and who neglects his bath will1 as a rule1 neglect his mind4 ,to save money at the cost of cleanliness and self-respect is the worst sort of extravagance4 ,it is the point at which economy ceases to be a virtue and becomes a vice4 ,in this age of competition1 when the law of the survival of the fittest acts with seemingly merciless rigor1 no one can afford to be indifferent to the smallest detail of dress1 or manner1 or appearance1 that will add to his chances of making a success in life4 ,remember that the world takes you largely at your own valuation2 your prospective customer will be repelled or attracted by your appearance1 and your clothes are as important as your bearing and manners4 ,in fact they will to a great extent determine your bearing and manner4 ,it has been well said that 8the consciousness of clean linen is in and of itself a source of moral strength1 second only to that of a clean conscience4 ,a well ironed collar or a fresh glove has carried many a man through an emergency in which a wrinkle or a rip would have defeated him40 ,our clothes have a subtle mental influence from which there is no escape4 ,the consciousness of shabbiness1 incompleteness1 or slipshodness tends to destroy self-respect1 to lessen energy and to detract from one's general ability4 ,in order to dress properly1 you must study the colors and the styles that are most becoming to you1 that add most to your appearance4 ,don't wear a profusion of rings or flashy jewelry2 don't indulge in 8loud0 neckties or anything that would make you conspicuous4 ,all these things make a bad impression4 ,an excellent rule for dress is found in the advice of ,polonius to his son ,laertes1 when he is about to start for the royal court of ,france4 8,costly thy habit as thy purse can buy ,but not express'd in fancy2 rich not gaudy2 ,for the apparel oft proclaims the man40 ,polonius did not mean that ,laertes should be extravagant in the matter of clothes4 ,far from it2 he simply meant that he should dress in a manner befitting his rank as a representative of the court of ,denmark4 ,the salesman is the representative of his firm1 and to a great extent both he and his firm will be judged by his general appearance1 including his clothes1 8,for the apparel oft proclaims the man40 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,finding ,,customers 8,where there's a will1 there's a way40 ,the ,king is the man who can4--,,carlyle4 ,the hardest problem with any business man is to find customers1 that is to say1 desirable and profitable customers4 ,identical with the problem of finding customers1 is the more difficult one of finding the men who can find the right kind of customers4 ,there's the rub--8,to find the man who can swim40 ,the right kind of salesman will solve for himself this problem of getting customers as he will most others connected with selling4 ,how1 you ask8 ,this is how the question was answered recently by a little1 short1 unprepossessing salesman who is said to have written the largest amount of life insurance in one of the largest insurance companies in the world4 ,some time ago this salesman went to ,canada and at an influential gathering saw a man whom he sized up as a good prospect4 ,he got his name and address1 found out all about him1 his habits and hobbies1 one of which was the success of a big hospital in which he was especially interested4 ,next day the salesman went to this hospital1 and asked to be shown through it1 after which he called on his prospective customer1 told him he had heard of his interest in ---- ,hospital1 and said1 8,i have been studying this hospital1 also2 it is doing splendid work1 and ,i would like to make a little contribution to its funds40 ,he thereupon wrote out a check for #bej4jj and handed it to this man4 ,this check was the entering wedge for a #bej1jjj4jj life insurance policy1 which this resourceful salesman soon after wrote for the man whose pet hobby was the big hospital in question4 ,the main trouble with most salesmen is that they put the problem of finding customers up to the sales manager or heads of the company4 ,they want them to do all the thinking in the matter of where to go1 and how to proceed in this difficult business4 ,let me say right at the start2 there is no iron-clad rule for finding customers4 ,some say it is just a matter of 8plan and push10 as illustrated in the above instance4 ,the ,sheldon ,course in ,salesmanship gives five ways for finding a customer1 namely2 ,advertising1 ,window ,display1 ,general or ,door to ,door ,canvass1 ,selected ,list ,canvass1 and ,following ,up 8,leads0 or ,inquiries4 ,many books have been written on the various forms and values of advertising4 ,it is a well-known fact that much money is wasted through injudicious advertising1 but no successful business man can dispense with the right kind of publicity4 ,whether he uses the newspapers1 or the magazines1 bill-boards1 or cards in street-cars1 or novelties1 will all depend on the goods and the various conditions which have to be met in the marketing of his particular product4 ,different kinds of advertising should be adapted to each particular territory4 ,a salesman quickly becomes familiar with such conditions as affect different places and different seasons1 so that he plans his campaigns accordingly4 ,where a man has a fixed territory and is handling goods which are used by a restricted class of people1 then the matter becomes relatively simple1 although it is important to be always alert1 so as not to miss any possible customers1 and so as to learn well in advance about new firms who may want your goods4 ,a specialty salesman will have to use more originality in finding customers than would have to be used1 ordinarily1 in the wholesale or retail business1 where the home office1 or the head of the firm1 can map out pretty well just what people should be reached1 and how to reach them4 ,many salesmen lose a lot of valuable time1 and waste much money chasing from one town to another1 or from one part of a city to another1 following up so-called 8leads40 ,unfortunately1 the majority of these 8leads0 are answers to advertisements which were so alluring1 and seemed to promise so much for nothing1 that a large number of curiosity seekers have written to the home office1 with little thought of buying1 and more often with little ability to buy1 what was advertised4 ,the salesman who has the courage 8to go to it10 without any 8lead0 or point of contact1 is the one who will ultimately make the biggest success4 ,if you have something to sell1 do not be afraid to walk into a man's place of business and introduce yourself1 telling just what service you are prepared to render4 ,the only good reason for being in business is because you can render service4 ,you should feel that you are the benefactor of the man whom you approach4 ,he may be your superior financially1 but in the matter of your particular article or articles for sale1 you should feel that you are his superior1 and therefore you should approach him with the utmost ease and confidence4 ,the big winners in salesmanship are those who possess the initiative1 the originality1 and the poise1 which enable them to go out and find customers quickly and intelligently1 covering the biggest amount of territory in the shortest time1 and concentrating their energies4 ,the use of the telephone in finding customers and making appointments is a method that requires considerable skill4 ,there are those who believe that it is too easy for a man to 8turn you down0 on the telephone4 ,there are others who believe that it is foolish to waste carfare and time1 when you can quickly arrange matters over the telephone4 ,experience and native ability must guide the salesman in the use of the telephone4 ,so1 in the matter of letter-writing1--often where a letter would be thrown in the waste-basket1 or receive a negative reply1 a personal call from the salesman might get a big order4 ,yet1 in many cases the right kind of letters would get the business and save the salesman much useless expenditure of time1 money and energy4 ,the day may come when1 if our goods are exactly as represented1 customers will make a beaten track to our door1 but this will not happen until human nature has changed very much4 ,the human element enters so much into sales that it is still quite an important part of salesmanship for the salesman to make personal visits1 so as to get the orders4 ,to be sure1 we have the department stores and specialty houses which have built up a well-known reputation for merchandise of high quality and reasonable price4 ,these will continue to draw customers1 with the help of wise advertising1 but they must employ the right kind of sales-force to handle properly the customers who visit their places of business4 ,finding a customer does not mean simply inducing him to look over what you have to sell4 ,it means actually inducing him to make a purchase1 and satisfying him so thoroughly that he will continue to do business with you4 ,it is because finding the customer is so vitally important that the selling end of a business continues to be1 by long odds1 the most important department4 ,no better advice can be given1 to sum up1 than this3 ,if you would find customers1 study all the means and ways in your power2 keep thinking1 thinking1 thinking1 and the right thoughts will come1 then act1 act1 act4 ,never wait for to-morrow4 8,to-morrow0 is a loser4 ,it will never find customers4 ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,when ,,you ,,are ,,discouraged ,the man who has acquired the power of keeping his mind filled with the thoughts which uplift and encourage1 the optimistic thought1 the cheerful1 hopeful thought1 has solved one of the great riddles of life4 8,don't hunt after trouble1 but look for success1 ,you'll find what you look for1 don't look for distress2 ,if you see but your shadow1 remember1 ,i pray1 ,that the sun is still shining1 but you're in the way2 8,don't grumble1 don't bluster1 don't dream and don't shirk1 ,don't think of your worries1 but think of your work4 ,the worries will vanish1 the work will be done1 ,no man sees his shadow who faces the sun40 ,a young salesman who has mastered himself and also the secret of success recently wrote from the field3 8,yesterday it seemed as though everything was going against me4 ,there appeared to be something the matter everywhere ,i called1 and although ,i put up a most determined fight failure after failure met me1 until very late in the evening4 ,i had not then taken a single order1 but ,i made up my mind that ,i could not go back to my boarding place until ,i had done a decent day's work4 ,it was this resolution that saved the day1 for ,i took fifteen orders before ,i got home at nine o'clock4 ,if ,i had given up to my discouragement ,i should simply have said to myself1 #8,what's the use8 ,this day is gone and ,i might as well go home1 take it easy1 and make the best of it4' ,but ,i said1 #8,no1 young man1 you are not going to bed to-night until you have done a good day's work4' 8,many a time such a resolution has saved me when1 otherwise1 ,i would have made a miserable showing4 ,i just make up my mind that no matter what attractions come in my way1 no matter what discouragements ,i meet1 ,i will conquer before the night or ,i will stay up all night4 ,i find that victory usually follows such a resolution40 ,the prospect feels the influence of such a determination on the part of the salesman4 ,we radiate our moods1 our discouragement1 or our courage4 ,the man we approach feels what we feel1 and when we approach him with the spirit of a conqueror1 when we go to him with victory in our face1 we generally win out4 ,a notably successful salesman says that he made his first great hit after overcoming a fit of deep discouragement1 consequent on the loss of his position4 ,when he got another place he said he started out the first morning with one word ringing in his mind1 8,determination40 ,he resolved not to return without an order4 ,he was determined to make that day a red letter day in his life1 to show his new employer what was in him1 to convince his prospects4 ,he approached every one that day with the determination of victory uppermost in his mind4 8,one man afterwards told me10 he said1 8that ,i overwhelmed him with my dead-in-earnestness1 won him by my determination40 ,the power of the mind1 whether favorable or unfavorable1 is tremendous4 ,when a man gives way to discouragement he loses his grip and begins to go down4 ,the bottom seems to drop out of things1 and everything helps him the way he is going4 ,his thought connects him with all the thought currents of misfortune1 poverty and failure4 ,he attracts those things1 for it is a psychological law that failure attracts failure1 discouragement more discouragement1 poverty more poverty4 ,to a salesman discouragement is fatal1 for when a man assumes the discouraged1 failure attitude1 he loses power and magnetism1 there is nothing inspiring in him1 and he not only loses confidence in himself but his fellow men also lose confidence in him4 ,you will find it next to impossible to make a sale with a mind filled with discouragement1 pessimistic1 failure thoughts4 ,the exercise of a little will power is all that is necessary for the control of our moods1 to change discouragement and depression into courage and hope4 ,we all know how quickly a child will work itself into a fearful spasm simply by beginning to pity itself4 ,the more he indulges in self-pity1 the louder and louder will he cry1 until he completely upsets his mind and becomes hysterical4 ,when inclined to be blue and discouraged1 men and women are like children4 ,the temptation is to begin to pity ourselves1 then we go on hanging up more dark pictures on the walls of the mind1 until we have our whole mentality dressed in mourning4 ,it is not very difficult at the beginning of a discouraged mood to shut it off by resolutely turning our minds in the opposite direction4 ,instead of adding to our depression by pitying ourselves the thing to do is to tear down the black flags1 the hideous pictures1 the gloomy visions of our imagination1 to clear them all out of the mind1 and let in sunlight and joy1 peace and happiness4 ,these will very quickly drive away the gloom and discouragement1 and they are just as ready to enter our minds and to stay with us as their opposites1 if we will only make room for them4 ,when you feel downhearted and mentally depressed2 when1 perhaps1 business is dull and you begin to fear you won't make any sales this trip1 go somewhere where you can be alone and give yourself an audible self-treatment4 ,if this is not possible1 then give yourself a silent or mental one1 the form in both cases may be the same4 ,but the audible treatment is apt to be more effective1 since the spoken word makes a deeper impression than that which is merely thought or passed through the mind4 ,say to yourself something like this3 8,i am a child of ,god1 ,i have a living1 vital connection with the great ,source and ,sustainer of all things which nothing can sever4 ,therefore ,i have nothing to fear4 ,i have strength and ability to do whatever it is necessary for me to do4 ,i was made to be successful1 to be happy4 ,this is my birthright and nothing can rob me of it4 ,i will succeed in everything ,i undertake to-day4 ,i will be cheerful and happy4 ,i am happy1 because ,i was made for joy and gladness1 not for gloom and sadness4 ,they are foreign to my nature1 and ,i will have nothing more to do with them40 ,just fill your mind with good1 cheerful1 uplifting thoughts and you will find that your feeling will quickly correspond with your mental attitude4 ,after a few minutes of this auto-suggestive treatment you will be surprised at the complete transformation of your outlook4 ,it is astonishing how we can brace ourselves up by auto-suggestion1 replacing the distressing1 blue1 discouraging thoughts with cheerful1 hopeful1 optimistic thoughts4 ,there are men who are usually quite level-headed but who do the most foolish things when discouraged or suffering from the 8blues10 acting under the influence of their moods1 when the brain is clouded1 inexact1 uncertain in its processes1 instead of clear1 active1 and well balanced4 ,discouragement colors the judgment4 ,whenever you see a person who has been unusually successful in any field1 remember that he has usually thought himself into his position2 his mental attitude and energy have created it2 what he stands for in his community has come from his attitude toward life1 toward his fellowmen1 toward his vocation1 toward himself4 ,above all else1 it is the outcome of his self-faith1 of his inward vision of himself2 the result of his estimate of his powers and possibilities4 ,self-depreciation is one of the characteristics of those suffering from the 8blues40 ,most of us do not encourage ourselves enough by optimistic thinking1 by auto-suggestion4 ,if you are a victim of your moods1 push right into the swim of things1 and take an active part1 as well as a real interest1 in what is going on around you4 ,associate with people4 ,be glad and happy1 and interest yourself in others4 ,keep your mind off yourself4 ,get away from yourself by entering with zest into the family plans1 or the plans and pleasures of others about you4 ,the expelling power of a contrary emotion has a wonderful effect upon the mind4 ,the cure for bad moods is to summon good ones to take their places in the thought and thus force them out4 ,i know of a woman who was prone to fits of the 8blues10 who conquered them by forcing herself to sing bright1 joyous songs1 and to play lively1 inspiring airs on the piano whenever she felt an 8attack0 coming on4 ,do not let anybody or anything shake your faith that you can conquer all these enemies of your peace and happiness1 and that you inherit an abundance of all that is good4 ,if we were properly trained in the psychology of mental chemistry1 we could change the state of our mind as quickly as we can change our clothing4 ,the simple fact1 however1 that two opposite thoughts or emotions cannot live together an instant gives us the key to the whole matter4 ,every sane person can control and guide his mind4 ,he can choose his thoughts1 and the good encouraging thought will neutralize the evil1 depressing one4 ,it is just a question of holding in the mind the antidote of the thought that is torturing us1 robbing us of our birthright1 of success and happiness4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,the ,,stimulus ,,of ,,rebuffs ,it is defeat that turns bone to flint1 and gristle to muscle1 and makes men invincible1 and formed those heroic natures that are now in ascendancy in the world4 ,do not1 then1 be afraid of defeat4 ,you are never so near to victory as when defeated in a good cause4--,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 ,he only is beaten who admits it4 ,do not allow yourself to think that you are weak4 ,the man who has never formed the victory habit is timid1 because he does not know that he can conquer2 he doesn't know his strength1 because he has never tested it sufficiently to know that it will win4 ,the manager of a big insurance company not long since asked me what books ,i would recommend for putting stamina into a salesman who wilted under a direct 8,no40 8,we have in our employ10 he wrote1 8a fine mannered1 well-educated and very intelligent man4 ,we have thoroughly educated him in the technical part of our business and have done our best to perfect him in salesmanship1 but he is not attaining the success we believe he should4 ,his defect is his inability to continue a conversation with a party who abruptly tells him that he is not interested in life insurance4 ,he states that in a number of such instances he has been unable to say a word1 his throat becoming dry4 ,from the above description it might appear to you that the man was wanting in courage4 ,we1 however1 do not believe this to be the case as his record in the past does not justify that conclusion40 ,how do you stand up under a 8,no08 ,do you lose heart8 ,does your cheerfulness vanish8 ,are you conquered then and there8 ,or does it only act as a stimulant to more determined effort8 ,does it brace you to meet opposition1 put you on your mettle1 or do you wilt under it8 ,a salesman who is made of the right stuff thrives upon opposition4 ,he braces up under rebuffs1 rises to the occasion in proportion to the difficulties to be overcome4 ,socrates said1 8,if the ,almighty should come to me with complete success in ,his right hand1 and an eternal struggle for success in ,his left1 ,i would take the left40 ,it is through struggle1 through bravely meeting and overcoming obstacles that we find ourselves and develop our strength4 ,a successful business man tells me that every victory he has gained in a long career has been the result of hard fighting1 so that now he is actually afraid of an easily-won success4 ,he feels that there must be something wrong when anything worth while can be obtained without a struggle4 ,fighting his way to triumph1 overcoming obstacles1 gives this man pleasure4 ,difficulties are a tonic to him4 ,he enjoys doing hard things1 because it tests his strength1 his ability4 ,he does not like doing easy things1 because it does not give him the exhilaration1 the joy1 that is felt after a victorious struggle4 ,some natures never come to themselves1 never discover their real strength1 until they meet with opposition or failure4 ,their reserve of power lies so deep within them that any ordinary stimulus does not arouse it4 ,but when they are confronted with obstacles1 when they are ridiculed1 8sat down upon10 or when they are abused and insulted1 a new force seems to be born in them1 and they do things which before would have seemed impossible4 ,whenever a motive is great enough1 an emergency large enough1 a responsibility heavy enough1 to call out the hidden reserve in our nature1 latent energies spring forth which astonish us4 ,the thin-skinned1 sensitive salesman succumbs to the first breath of opposition or discouragement4 ,it is unfortunate to allow the customer ever to say 8,no10 but do not let a 8,no0 overwhelm you4 ,remember this is your test4 ,if you stick to your guns and don't show the white feather a 8,no0 will bring out the best that is in you4 ,whenever you hear 8,no10 call to mind men like ,napoleon and ,grant1 who thrived on opposition and rebuffs4 ,it is not an easy matter to find salesmen who are capable of coping with all sorts of antagonism4 ,but they are the ones in demand4 ,such men are not easily argued down--they can put up a stiff fight against every kind of opposition4 ,where the weak salesman retires from the field beaten1 the man with grit and stamina is only taking his second breath4 ,he does not let a rebuff or two phase him4 ,some salesmen are so weak that they cannot even maintain their own individuality in the presence of a prospect with a strong1 vigorous mentality4 ,he will annihilate their arguments in a twinkle4 ,they fall down before his onslaught and say1 8,yes1 ,i guess you're about right1 ,mr4 ,blank4 ,i hadn't thought of that before4 ,but ,i guess you know best40 ,they cannot hold their ground1 maintain their arguments1 because they allow themselves to be drawn out of their current of mental vibration1 to be overcome by the current of the stronger mentality4 ,i know two salesmen who go out from different houses over similar territory with the same line of goods4 ,one of them sells four or five times as much in a year as the other4 ,one man starts out with the expectation1 the determination to sell1 and1 of course1 he gets a very large salary on account of his great ability to sell4 ,the other man gets a very small salary1 just barely enough to enable him to hold on to his job1 because obstacles seem so great to him4 ,he returns oftener with excuses for not selling than with orders4 ,he has not the ability to annihilate difficulties1 to overcome obstacles1 which the other man has4 ,he brings back to his house small orders1 or none1 because he cannot overcome the objections of his customers1 cannot convince them that they want what he has to sell4 ,i once saw an advertisement of a big firm for a manager1 which1 after describing the sort of man wanted1 and saying that no other need apply1 closed with1 8,the man must be able to cope with antagonism40 ,now1 the trouble with the unsuccessful salesman ,i speak of is3 he is not able to cope with antagonism4 ,he hoists the white flag the moment the enemy confronts him4 ,he has no fight in him1 and surrenders before a shot is fired4 ,when a prospect or customer puts up an objection he is done4 8,well1 ,i guess perhaps you are right10 he says1 8it may be better for you not to buy now40 ,this salesman lacks stamina4 ,there is not enough lime in his backbone1 not enough iron in his blood4 ,he is a good honest soul1 but he lacks the virility that characterizes the great salesman4 ,remember that every weak strand in your character1 every hindering peculiarity1 every unfortunate habit1 will cripple your sales and mar your success4 ,sensitiveness1 timidity1 shyness1 lack of grit or courage1 all of these weaknesses are virtually cutters-down of your ability to sell4 ,timid1 shy or sensitive people are often morbidly self-conscious4 ,they are always analyzing1 dissecting themselves1 wondering how they appear1 what people think of them4 ,these things keep the mind diverted from its real object and are all destroyers of concentration and power4 ,over-sensitiveness is a very serious handicap in salesmanship4 ,the man who is not able to take his medicine with a smile1 who is not able to cope with a surly1 a cantankerous1 a quick-tempered or a sharp-tongued customer1 has no place in salesmanship4 ,in other words1 a great salesman must be able to carry on his selling campaign at the points where the ordinary salesman falls down4 ,to do this he must not be thin-skinned4 ,he must be able to stand all sorts of abusive talk under which the sensitive1 over-refined salesman quails4 ,he must be ready to push on vigorously at the point where the salesman who lacks grit will quit and turn back4 ,he must be able to stand having pepper and salt sprinkled on his sore spots without wincing4 ,he should keep one thing continually in mind3 that his business is1 at all costs1 to make a sale4 ,this does not mean that a good salesman must have a rhinoceros hide2 that would make him unfeeling1 unsympathetic1 and he would lack the human quality which is so essential in salesmanship4 ,nor does it mean that he should be pugnacious or over-aggressive4 ,it simply means that he must be able to antidote and neutralize the prospect's thrusts1 however cruel or aggravating4 ,in short1 while keeping perfect control of himself1 remaining pleasant and agreeable throughout1 he must be able to put up a stiff fight1 a dignified1 manly fight that will leave him master of the situation4 ,this is where the timid or over-sensitive salesman falls short4 ,he is thrown completely off his base by the vigorous thrusts and arguments of the rough1 energetic business man who doesn't stop to choose his words4 ,he feels injured at the slightest reflection upon his ability1 his truthfulness1 the character of his goods1 or his house4 ,i know a salesman of this sort who will never make his mark1 who flares up1 8gets up on his ear10 as they say1 whenever his sensitive1 sore spots are touched4 ,he lacks that masterfulness and superb confidence in himself which make a salesman proof against abuse or opposition4 ,the self-confident man is impervious to the slights or slurs that make the sensitive man shrink into himself4 ,he is too sensible of his own dignity to let them interfere with his business4 ,when the small man1 the peppery or morbidly sensitive man1 feels that he must protect his 8honor10 even if he lose a sale1 the big1 broad man knows that no one can hurt his honor but himself1 and that it is best served by refusing to feel hurt or insulted where in reality no insult is intended4 ,another point that works to the great disadvantage of the timid or sensitive salesman is this3 he is afraid to make what is called the 8cold0 or 8straight0 canvass2 that is1 to approach people without having a 8lead0 or an introduction4 ,this is a great weakness1 and very often false pride is at the bottom of it4 ,the man feels above his task4 ,again1 ignorance of goods or of selling principles will cause a man to lack confidence in himself1 and then1 naturally1 he is timid1 fearful1 for he foresees the failure that awaits him when he calls on a customer4 ,ignorance is timid2 knowledge is bold1 courageous4 ,it is not enough to have possession of yourself if you don't also have possession of your business1 that is1 if you are not thoroughly grounded in the principles of salesmanship4 ,thus grounded1 if you adopt the right attitude toward your business and toward yourself1 nothing can keep you from success4 ,throw off your shyness1 your morbid sensitiveness1 your timidity4 ,get rid of your lack of faith and courage4 ,confidently expect that you are going to be a great salesman1 a distinctive one1 a salesman with individuality1 with originality1 with inventiveness1 a man of resource and power4 ,never allow yourself to think that anything is true about you that you wish to be otherwise1 because the thought you hold in mind is the model of your life building4 ,think faith1 think courage1 think strength1 and you will develop those qualities4 ,the reason why so many of us build so slowly and so poorly is because we are constantly destroying our building by shifting our model4 ,one day we have confidence in ourselves1 and our mental model is full of courage1 hope and expectancy1 and the life forces build accordingly4 ,the next day we are in the dumps1 have no faith in ourselves1 are discouraged1 and of course these are the models for that day's building1 destroying the building of the previous day1 and thus many of us go through life1 building up and tearing down4 ,be consistently courageous1 hopeful1 confident in yourself and in the power of your ,creator to make you what you long to be1 and nobody1 nothing on this earth1 can down you4 ,there is everything in flinging out a superb confidence in yourself1 a firm belief that you are going to win4 ,expel all doubt and fear1 all uneasiness1 from your mind and approach every prospect with the expectation of success4 8,courage10 says ,emerson1 8comes from having done the thing before40 ,your first success will give you the momentum that will push you on to the next4 ,every achievement adds to our self-confidence1 the great leader of all our other faculties4 ,if confidence does not go ahead1 the other faculties refuse to go on4 ,every time you conquer what you undertake1 you add so much to the power of all the faculties you possess4 ,just as a snowball grows larger and larger as it rolls down hill1 so our lives grow larger1 richer1 with each experience4 ,we lose nothing of what we achieve4 ,it is all added to the life-ball4 ,not long ago ,i asked a very successful man1 really a 8born salesman10 what he considered the essential qualifications for good salesmanship4 ,he put in the first category of qualifications3 confidence in your goods1 confidence in your firm1 and confidence in yourself1 plus enthusiasm1 plus earnestness1 plus perseverance1 plus hard work1 plus enjoyment of your work4 ,in the second place he put3 general knowledge of merchandise4 ,in the third place he put3 personality1 and under this heading he included1 honesty1 neatness of appearance1 poise1 courtesy1 sincerity1 and temperance4 ,the natural born salesman1 he said1 possesses all of these things1 and in addition1 tact1 shrewdness1 and understanding of human nature4 ,now1 there is nothing in this list of qualifications that is not within the reach of every honest intelligent youth who has enough stamina and will power to make his life a success4 ,you are a child of the ,infinite2 you bear the stamp of the ,creator1 and you must partake of ,his qualities4 ,it is up to you1 then1 to make good2 it is your duty as a man to show your origin1 to stand your ground1 to maintain your independence1 your self-reliance1 your dignity1 against all attacks4 ,it is up to you to stand for something in your life work1 to be counted as one to be reckoned with in any transaction4 ,it is your own fault if you are sucked out of your own plane of vibrations by a bully1 a fighter1 by any one1 be he great or small4 ,selling honest goods is an honorable pursuit4 ,bring out your ,god-given powers4 ,improve the qualities ,he has given you and make your work1 make your life significant4 ,don't be apologetic2 don't be afraid2 don't cringe or wilt under opposition4 ,feel the importance and dignity of your work and let others feel that you feel it4 ,say to yourself1 8,i too am a son of ,god1 the equal of this or any other man4 ,i am going to maintain my poise1 my individuality1 my faith in myself1 no matter what he says4 ,i am as self-reliant1 as independent1 as forceful as any other man4 ,i shall not be cowed by any one4 ,i am not going to be downed by an obstacle40 ,you will find it a wonderful help in overcoming obstacles in every phase of your work to assume a victorious mental attitude1 and to carry yourself like a conqueror4 ,if you go about among your fellows with a defeated expression in your face1 giving the impression that you are not much of a man anyway1 that life has been mostly a defeat1 and that you don't look forward to any success worth while1 you certainly cannot hope to1 and never will1 inspire confidence in others2 if your face1 on the other hand1 glows with the expression of victory1 if you carry a victorious attitude1 if you walk about the earth like a conqueror1 a man victory-organized1 you are headed toward victory4 ,nothing can keep you from winning out1 because--and don't forget this--,success begins in the mind4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,meeting ,,competition3 8,,know ,,your ,,goods0 8,this is the age of push1 struggle and fierce competition40 8,study your competitor--his manner and method of doing things40 ,there are certain lines of business in which the salesman has no competition2 this1 however1 is the exception4 ,there are many lines in which the competition is more imaginary than real2 that is to say1 the quality of the goods of the so-called competitor is so much inferior to that of the goods carried by a first-rate house that there is no real competition4 ,the buyer1 however1 who is usually shrewd1 and1 unfortunately1 is often unscrupulous1 will1 if possible1 lead the salesman to think that competitors have given better prices or better terms1 and that their goods are superior4 ,the salesman who is not armed at every point to meet his tactics runs the risk of being imposed on4 ,one superlatively good rule is this3--8,know ,your ,goods40 ,that will enable you to meet both real and imaginary competition4 ,by this we mean1 be familiar with the intrinsic merits of the goods you are selling1 and know the market conditions which surround the trade4 ,read very carefully all the literature and advertisements put out by your house4 ,nothing will destroy a buyer's confidence more quickly than to find a salesman ignorant of the claims made by his own house1 or of the specific qualities of the goods offered for sale4 ,salesmen need to keep themselves fresh and enthusiastic in regard to their goods1 not only by thorough reading of their house organs1 and all literature issued with the view of creating patronage1 but also by getting information from every possible source that will help them in their special line4 ,outside of what a man can learn from the printed matter furnished by his own house1 he may learn much additional from leading trade journals and by talking with men who are familiar1 in a practical way1 with his line4 ,in getting information from the salesmen of a competing house it is best not to exchange confidences4 ,learn all you can in an open1 fair way1 but do not resort to trickery1 or to any methods which you would be unwilling to have a competitor use with your house4 ,the second rule for meeting competition is 8,know ,competitors' ,goods40 ,this again involves not only being familiar with the quality and uses of the goods1 but with the reputation of the manufacturer and his selling agents1 as well as the class of trade to which competitors cater1 the class of salesmen they employ1 and the ethics they observe in doing business4 ,some believe that three-quarters of all business is done on a friendship basis4 ,but it is a different friendship than that meant by the accepted term4 ,it is business friendship1 not social friendship4 ,naturally1 if you do business amicably with a man for a long time you are 8friendly40 ,you call each other ,smith and ,brown1 possibly 8,charlie0 and 8,eddie02 maybe you lunch together occasionally4 ,but such friendship is in nowise like that bestowed on your old neighbors1 your college classmates1 or your club brothers4 ,many a man who has started out to do business on a real friendship basis has found out to his sorrow that it can't be done4 8,friendship and business don't mix0 is an old adage and a true one4 ,you can't presume on your intimacy with a man to sell him goods2 and it is seldom you can get his trade away from a successful salesman1 even if you have identical goods and quote the same price4 ,the salesman has become the buyer's friend too1 in a different way to what you are1 but still a friend and deserving of consideration4 ,no doubt business friendship plays a very large part in business getting with all salesmen4 ,you know how hard it often is1 to break in on the trade of another man1 simply because he has won the friendship of his customers4 ,keep this in mind1 and do everything to win the friendship and merit the continued confidence of your trade4 ,in this connection1 remember that 8knocking0 is bad4 ,when giving the rule1 8,don't knock10 as a good one for every salesman1 ,i mean simply that a salesman should not criticise unfairly or bitterly the goods of another4 ,there is no harm in pointing out the real defects or inferiority of rival merchandise1 but it is a great mistake to show ill-will or to make unkind1 uncalled-for criticisms4 ,if it is necessary to protect a man from buying what is going to cause him a loss1 we should not hesitate in criticizing and pointing out defects1 but our criticisms should be made in a tactful way1 so as not to leave the impression that we are 8sore-heads40 ,in the next place1 avoid the great mistake of young salesmen1 and of many experienced men1 who talk their competitors' goods far too much4 ,i know a salesman of very pleasing personality who frequently hurts his sales in this way4 ,he has a way of scattering his customer's attention by introducing the possibilities of rival products in his own line4 ,at the present time he is selling automobiles1 and is constantly comparing his car with others1 diverting the customer's attention1 by enlarging on the advantages and disadvantages1 the good and bad points1 of rival cars1 confusing a man by bringing into his mind so many things at the same time4 ,he seems to take delight in exhibiting his thorough knowledge of the points of those other cars1 and1 in doing so1 he often raises a question in the customer's mind as to the desirability of some other than the one the salesman is selling1 and will in many instances postpone purchasing until he investigates the rival cars4 ,the best salesmen say very little about a competitor's goods4 ,they simply explain and emphasize the advantages and good points of their own4 ,don't ignore questions about competitors1 and don't fail to banish from the customer's mind all doubts and prejudices1 but it is a serious mistake to spend a lot of time talking about competitors' goods1 when you ought to be sticking to the merits of your own4 ,answer quickly all questions1 and then switch back to the excellence of what you are selling4 ,be so enthusiastic about your own selling points that rivalry will be forgotten4 ,in meeting competition1 do not be fooled by the question of price4 ,at present1 very many staple lines are of about the same quality and the same price1 so that you must bring out1 as a high-grade salesman should1 the fact that service is the main consideration4 ,show what your house can do in the matter of prompt deliveries1 careful packing1 dependability as regards uniform quality1 correct count1 liberal terms1 etc41 and do not forget that the general reputation of your house is a selling point4 ,the facilities which you have for keeping abreast of the times1 like the employing of experts to do experimental work1 thereby improving your product all the time1 is a point of service well worth consideration4 ,not the least important of the methods to meet competition is for the salesman to analyze both the conditions of the people on whom he calls and the territory in which he works4 ,any suggestions that he may make to his house will help in the matter of educational advertising1 which always can be used to advantage in selling4 ,above all1 a salesman can meet competition most effectively by a strong personality4 ,remember that your goods are judged by yourself1 sometimes1 even1 unfairly2 and remember that we are always judged by our weakest points2 hence1 in order to hold your old trade from competitors1 and to get new trade1 you must possess 8business magnetism10 which is another way of saying 8a strong personality40 ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,the ,,salesman ,,and ,,the ,,sales ,,manager ,every salesman should feel that he is a partner in the business4 ,the man who thinks he knows it all is taking a header for oblivion4 ,it is of the utmost importance that every salesman should have full confidence in his sales manager4 ,there are many peculiar conditions which exist in all lines of business4 ,the conditions of the trade are best known to those who have reached the position of sales manager or general manager1 and their advice should always be sought with an open and receptive mind4 ,in many lines of business1 treating and entertaining play an important part4 ,often1 business can be procured through taking your customer to the theater1 or taking him to your club for lunch or dinner1 and quite often an afternoon playing golf may be the best way to 8land0 a large contract4 ,there is far less entertaining done nowadays1 however1 than formerly4 ,entertaining is always so agreeable for the entertainer1 as well as for the customer1 that many salesmen are likely to overdo in this respect4 ,they attach too much importance to social meetings outside of the actual getting of orders2 hence1 it is wise to abide by what the head of the firm1 or the sales manager1 may think in the matter of just how far to go when expending money1 even for cigars that are to be given with the view1 not of bribing the customer1 but of getting him in a friendly attitude of mind4 ,always be open-minded at the weekly or daily meetings1 when instructions are given by the sales manager4 ,do not refer to his words as 8hot air0 and 8bunk40 ,if you have suggestions1 do not hesitate to call his attention to what you think would be helpful to the other men4 ,remember that if you really know more than the sales manager does1 it is not going to be long before you will have his job4 ,if you only think you know more than he does1 and you persist in showing this1 either by words or actions1 you will soon lose your job4 ,written instructions from a sales manager are the best kind4 ,he would always do well to sum up briefly the main points of his advice1 and get them out in the form of a letter or bulletin4 ,half a page of typewritten ideas1 containing a few words of inspiration1 will work wonders1 both for the discouraged and for the enthusiastic members of his force4 ,to get the best results1 sales managers should always be friendly and sympathetic with their men4 ,harsh criticisms upset a man1 sometimes1 to the extent that he will be worried and nervous for several days4 ,positive and emphatic reprimands are often called for1 but they should always be courteous and tactful4 ,and the salesman1 when listening to the criticisms of his sales manager1 should remember this old quotation1 8,better the wounds of a friend than the kisses of an enemy40 ,sales managers of the old school believe that finding fault and harsh1 driving methods will get the best results4 ,they are mistaken4 8,you can get more flies with molasses1 than you can with vinegar10 is a saying perfectly true in its application alike to the salesman and the sales manager4 ,this does not mean that the weak-kneed1 spineless manager can get good results4 ,being friendly does not mean losing dignity4 ,different men must receive different treatment4 ,there are lazy men1 untidy men1 those who do not try to make the most of whatever ability they have1 and men with other more or less grave faults4 ,in dealing with these1 it is necessary to 8lay down the law0 much more emphatically than with the timid but ambitious ones4 ,marshall ,field was in the habit of saying to his employees1 8,remember that the customer is always right40 ,i would advise every salesman to keep in mind these words3 8,remember1 your sales manager is always right40 ,a matter you must invariably refer to your sales manager is that of swaying your customer by gifts4 ,many people want something for nothing1 and a salesman often thinks that the easiest way to get an order is to use one or another kind of bribery4 ,this may take the form of rebates1 or cash on the spot1 or presents4 ,be very discreet in such matters4 ,as a scientific salesman1 do not forget to consider the buyer4 ,he is buying scientifically4 ,he is suspicious4 ,every one is trying to drive a very close bargain4 ,he tries to make you yield on price1 to make some concessions on payments1 to give special privileges about returning goods1 etc4 ,beware of all these tactics4 ,here1 again1 you must consult frequently1 and with confidence1 your sales manager4 ,he knows the tricks of your particular trade1 and he will be able to give you proper coaching4 ,be sure1 above all things1 that if your sales manager had a chance to put an epitaph on your tombstone it would not be this3 8,he meant well1 tried a little1 and failed much40 ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,,are ,,you ,a ,,good ,,mixer8 ,charm of personality is a divine gift that sways the strongest characters1 and sometimes even controls the destinies of nations4 ,the art of the salesman is akin to that of the orator4 ,both seek the mastery of the mind1 the sympathy of the soul1 the compulsion of the heart4 ,personal magnetism in a man corresponds to charm in a woman4 ,an attractive1 pleasing personality makes a striking first impression4 8,getting what you want from kings or statesmen10 ,de ,blowitz said1 8is all a matter of dining with the right people40 ,through the power of his charming presence1 his gracious manner1 this famous journalist accomplished greater things at the dinner table1 in the drawing-room or ball-room than any other newspaper man in ,europe accomplished through letters of introduction1 influence and special 8pulls40 ,his popularity1 his power to interest and please others1 was his strongest asset4 ,the ability of ,charles ,m4 ,schwab to make friends1 his strong social qualities1 his faculty for entertaining1 for making himself agreeable1 played a powerful part in his rapid advancement from a dollar-a-day job to the position of millionaire steel manufacturer4 ,it was his social qualities which first drew ,mr4 ,carnegie so strongly to him4 ,during the ,homestead troubles1 according to reports1 young ,schwab used to cheer ,mr4 ,carnegie with humorous stories and the singing of ,scottish ballads1 and the iron master was always in better spirits after a visit from the young man4 ,there is no other one thing in such universal demand everywhere1 in social life and in business1 as the power to attract and please4 ,a magnetic personality often commands a much bigger salary than great ability with a disagreeable personality4 ,i have in mind a young business man1 with such a captivating manner1 with such power to interest and please1 that there are many firms in this country which would pay him a fabulous salary for his services4 ,we all like to do business1 with people who attract us4 ,if we could analyze cracker-jack salesmen in this country1 we should find that they are men who have a fine magnetic personality4 ,they are great 8mixers10 they understand human nature4 ,they are usually men of broad sympathies1 are large-hearted1 and of magnanimous natures4 8,diamond ,jim0 ,brady--,james ,buchanan1 he was christened1--is a shining example of the ultimate salesman4 ,mr4 ,brady has advanced himself to the position of selling rolling stock and supplies to railroads1 and occasionally he sells entire railroads1 making enormous fees as broker4 ,he is perhaps the personification of 8personality0 and as a 8mixer0 he has no peer4 ,his name is synonymous with 8good fellow10 and his list of acquaintances is said to be as large as that of any other one man in ,new ,york4 ,there is something about one's personality which eludes the photographer1 which the painter cannot reproduce1 which the sculptor cannot chisel4 ,this subtle something which every one feels1 but which no one can describe1 which no biographer ever put down in a book1 has a great deal to do with one's success in life4 ,it is this indescribable quality1 which some persons have in a remarkable degree1 which sets an audience wild at the mention of the name of a ,lincoln or a ,blaine1--which makes people applaud beyond the bounds of enthusiasm4 ,it was this peculiar atmosphere which made ,clay the idol of his constituents4 ,although1 perhaps1 ,calhoun was a greater man1 he never aroused any such enthusiasm as 8the mill-boy of the slashes40 ,webster and ,sumner were great men1 but they did not arouse a tithe of the spontaneous enthusiasm evoked by men like ,blaine and ,clay4 ,a historian says that in measuring ,kossuth's influence over the masses1 8we must first reckon with the orator's physical bulk1 and then carry the measuring line above his atmosphere40 ,if we had discernment fine enough and tests delicate enough1 we could not only measure the personal atmosphere of individuals1 but could make more accurate estimates concerning the future possibilities of schoolmates and young friends4 ,we are often misled as to the position they are going to occupy from the fact that we are apt to take account merely of their ability1 and do not reckon this personal atmosphere or magnetic power as a part of their success capital4 ,yet this individual atmosphere has quite as much to do with one's advancement as brain-power or education4 ,indeed1 we constantly see men of mediocre ability1 but with fine personal presence1 being rapidly advanced over the heads of those who are infinitely their superiors in mental endowments4 ,walt ,whitman used to say that a man is not all included between his hat and his boots4 ,this is but another way of putting the fact1 proved by science1 that our personality extends beyond our bodies4 ,it is not who we are1 how we are dressed1 or how we look1 whether we are homely or handsome1 educated or uneducated1 so much as what we are that creates that subtle mysterious atmosphere of personality which either draws people to us or drives them from us4 ,if you are exclusive2 if you always want to keep by yourself and read1 even though it be for self-improvement2 if you love to get in a seat by yourself when you travel2 if you shrink from mixing or getting acquainted with others on the road or in hotel lobbies2 if people bore or irritate instead of interest you1 you will never make a great salesman4 ,you must be a good mixer1 a 8good fellow0 in the highest sense of the word 7not a dissipater72 you must be popular because of your lovable human qualities1 or you will not have that peculiar drawing power which invites confidence and attracts business4 ,no matter what other excellent qualities he may possess1 the exclusive man is rarely1 if ever1 magnetic2 he doesn't draw people to him2 on the contrary1 he keeps them at a distance4 ,i know of an exclusive salesman of this sort who for lack of this drawing quality is making a very poor showing in his business4 ,although a splendid fellow in many respects1 a man of high ideals and sterling honesty1 he is not popular1 because he has never learned to be a mixer1 never learned to be a good fellow1 to approach people with a smile and a cheery greeting1 to hold out the glad hand of fellowship4 ,when he registers in a hotel1 even if he has been there many times1 he just bows to the clerk1 secures his room1 and retires to it at once4 ,he loves books1 is quite a student1 but he does not care to be with people any more than he can help4 ,the other traveling salesmen do not like him4 ,his distant1 dignified personality repels them4 ,in a word1 his exclusiveness and his lack of magnetism have largely strangled his effectiveness as a salesman4 ,it takes warm human qualities to make a good salesman4 ,you cannot sell things by the use of mere cold technique1 however perfect4 ,you must establish sympathetic1 wireless connection with the prospect's mind by making him feel that you are not only very much of a man to start with1 but that you have a lot of human sympathy1 and are really anxious to serve him1 to put a good thing in his way4 ,some salesmen have no more real sympathy for their prospect than they would have for a ,hindoo image4 ,their voices carry no more sympathy1 no more real human feeling than a talking machine4 ,the house that employs them might as well send out phonographs to repeat their mechanical salesman story4 ,they may hold customers who know that the firm they represent has an excellent reputation1 but they have no power to attract new ones4 ,there is no other factor which enters so largely into success in business1 in social1 and in professional life1 as does personality4 ,there is nothing else which has such an influence in our dealings with others4 ,it is one of the salesman's greatest assets4 ,it will make all the difference in the world to him whether he is sociable1 magnetic1 with an attractive1 agreeable1 cheerful temperament1 or whether he is grouchy1 cranky1 disagreeable and arouses antagonism in those with whom he deals4 ,it is not always the man of the greatest ability1 the greatest mental power1 by any means1 who makes the great salesman4 ,a man may be a mental giant2 he may have a ,websterian brain and yet be a pigmy of a salesman4 ,a pleasing1 attractive personality is a tremendous drawing power4 ,it has the same advantage a sweet1 beautiful girl has when you first meet her4 ,the girl doesn't have to try to make a good impression2 her personality1 her charm1 her grace do this without any effort on her part4 ,i have heard merchants say they looked forward with keen pleasure to the coming of a certain salesman because he was such a good fellow2 he was so sociable1 cheery and agreeable4 ,it is a very difficult thing to resist that magnetic charm of personality which has swayed judges and juries from justice1 and has even changed the destinies of nations4 ,we have not the heart to deny or refuse1 to say 8,no0 to the man or woman who grips us with the impalpable force of a magnetic personality4 ,when logic and argument fail1 when genius says 8impossible10 when pluck and persistency give up1 when influence has done its best and quits1 when all the mental qualities have tried in vain1 the subtle something which we call personal magnetism steps in and without apparent effort wins4 ,it makes a tremendous difference whether you bring a personality to your prospect which makes a striking1 pleasing first impression1 or whether you bring a cold1 clammy1 unenthusiastic1 unresponsive nature1 which makes an indifferent or an unfavorable impression1 one that you must endeavor to overcome with a lot of long1 tedious arguments4 ,it is the personal element which makes the chief difference between the great salesman with a big salary and the little fellow with a little salary4 ,the little fellow may try just as hard as the big fellow1 indeed he may try much harder2 he may have had a better training in the technique of salesmanship1 but because he lacks the warm1 sympathetic1 human1 sociable qualities1 his industry and hard work are largely neutralized4 ,i know a man who through the force of his personality is a colossal power in attracting business4 ,men follow him1 are attracted to him1 just as needles are attracted to a magnet4 ,they can't very well help dealing with him1 he gets such a magnetic grip upon them4 ,he does not need to make a very strong appeal2 his personality speaks for him4 ,phillips ,brooks had such a personality4 ,strangers who passed him on the street felt his power to such a degree that they would turn and look after him4 ,in his presence none could resist the pull of his magnetism1 of his most wonderful personality4 ,i was once a member of his ,sunday ,school class in ,trinity ,church1 ,boston1 and every one in the class instinctively felt from the first that he was in the presence of a great1 a superb specimen of humanity4 ,he had such tremendous magnetic power that when he wanted money for any charitable or philanthropic purpose1 he did not have to beg for it1 he merely suggested the need of it1 and the closest pocketbooks would fly open4 ,everybody believed in ,phillips ,brooks because of the power of his superb character1 the magnetism of his remarkable personality4 ,emerson says1 8,what you are speaks so loudly that ,i cannot hear what you say40 ,we cannot conceal what we are1 how we feel1 because we radiate our atmosphere1 our personality2 and this is cold or warm1 attractive or repellent1 according to our dominant traits and qualities4 ,a person who is selfish1 always thinking of himself and looking out for his own advantage1 who is cold1 unsympathetic1 greedy1 cannot radiate a warm1 mellow atmosphere because one's atmosphere is a composite and takes on the flavor of all of one's qualities4 ,if selfishness1 indifference1 avarice and greed are dominant in one's nature1 this is the kind of an atmosphere he will radiate and it will repel because these qualities we instinctively detest4 ,the qualities that attract are out-flowing1 buoyant2 the qualities that repel are in-flowing2 that is1 people who have no magnetism are self-centered1 they think too much about themselves2 they do not give out enough2 they are always after something1 absorbing1 receiving some benefit1 trying to get some advantage for themselves4 ,they lack sympathy1 lack cordiality1 good fellowship2 they are bad mixers4 ,some people are naturally magnetic1 but when you analyze their character you will find they possess certain qualities which we all instinctively admire1 the qualities which attract every human being1 such as generosity1 magnanimity1 cordiality1 broad sympathies1 large views of life1 helpfulness1 optimism4 ,there is not one of these qualities that the salesman can not cultivate and strengthen a great deal4 ,if he does so he will get a hearing where others have thrown back at them the fatal words1 8,no time to see you to-day--very busy40 ,many upright1 honorable young men with political aspirations have been thwarted in their election campaign because they did not know how to make themselves popular4 ,splendid young men1 striving for political honors1 are constantly being beaten by men much their inferior in many respects4 ,and this not because of graft or pull on their opponents' side1 but because the latter are good mixers4 ,they know how to meet people1 how to be good fellows1 how to mix with others2 in short they know how to make themselves popular4 ,we all know what a great demand there is in every line of business for traveling salesmen who are good mixers1 men who have a genius for interesting1 attracting and holding customers4 ,whatever your business1 your reputation and your success will depend in a great degree upon the quality of the impression you make upon others4 ,it means everything1 therefore1 to young men1 and to young women also1 to develop a magnetic1 forceful personality4 ,this is not a very difficult thing to do4 ,every one can cultivate the ability to please and the strength of character that will make him felt as a real force in the world4 ,knowing the qualities and characteristics that distinguish the magnetic and the unmagnetic1 it is comparatively easy for us to cultivate the one and to eliminate the other4 ,that is1 we can cultivate the generous1 magnanimous1 cheerful1 helpful mental qualities and crush their opposites2 and in proportion as we do this we shall find ourselves becoming more interested in others1 and they in turn becoming more interested in us4 ,we shall find ourselves more welcome wherever we go1 more sought after2 we shall attract people to us more and more1 as we make ourselves personal magnets by fashioning our aura of the kindly thoughts and words and deeds that day by day go to the making of a rich1 magnetic personality4 ,in other words1 if you cultivate the qualities which you admire so much in others1 the very qualities which attract you1 you will become attractive to others4 ,just in proportion as you become imbued with these qualities so that they shall characterize you1 will you acquire a magnetic1 attractive personality4 ,a good education is a great advantage to a man or a woman1 but most of us put too great emphasis upon education1 upon mental equipment and training4 ,we seem to think that this is everything1 but our personal atmosphere may have more to do with our success in life1 more to do with determining our place in the world1 our social or business advancement1 our standing in our community1 than our mere mental equipment4 ,the first step toward making yourself magnetic is to build up your health4 ,vigorous health1 coupled with a right mental attitude1 an optimistic1 hopeful1 cheerful1 happy mind1 will increase your magnetism wonderfully4 ,a person having robust health radiates an atmosphere of strength1 a suggestion of vigor and courage1 while one who lacks vitality drains from others instead of giving to them4 ,physical force and abounding joyousness of health help to create a magnetic1 forceful personality4 ,the man with buoyant1 alert mind1 with a sparkle in his eye and elasticity in his step1 the man who is bubbling over with abundant physical vitality1 has a tremendous advantage over those who are devitalized and are weak physically4 ,to be magnetic you must face life in the right way4 ,pessimism1 selfishness1 a sour disposition1 lack of sympathy and enthusiasm--all of these tend to destroy personal magnetism4 ,it is a hopeful1 optimistic1 sunny1 sane1 large-hearted person who radiates the kind of personal magnetism we all admire1 the kind that commands attention1 that attracts and holds all sorts of people4 ,above all if you want to have a magnetic1 attractive personality1 cultivate the heart qualities4 ,intellect1 brain power1 has little1 if anything to do with personal magnetism4 ,it is the lovable1 not the intellectual1 qualities that draw and hold people4 ,you must make people feel your sympathy1 feel that they have met a real man or a real woman4 ,don't greet people with a stiff1 conventional1 8,how do you do80 or 8,glad to meet you10 without any feeling1 any sentiment in it4 ,be a good mixer and adapt yourself to different dispositions4 ,look every person you meet squarely in the eye and make him feel your personality4 ,give him a glad hand1 with a smile and a kind word which will make him remember that he has come in contact with a real force1 which will make him glad to meet you again4 ,if you would be popular1 you must cultivate cordiality4 ,you must fling the door of your heart wide open1 and not1 as many do1 just leave it ajar a little1 as much as to say to people you meet1 8,you may peep in a bit1 but you cannot come in until ,i know whether you will be a desirable acquaintance40 ,a great many people are stingy of their cordiality4 ,they seem to reserve it for some special occasion or for intimate friends4 ,they think it is too precious to give out to everybody4 ,do not be afraid to open your heart2 fling the door of it wide open4 ,get rid of all reserve2 do not meet a person as though you were afraid of making a mistake and doing what you would be glad to recall4 ,you will be surprised to see what this warm1 glad handshake and cordial greeting will do in creating a bond of good-will between you and the person you meet4 ,he will say to himself1 8,well1 there is really an interesting personality4 ,i want to know more about this lady or gentleman4 ,this is an unusual greeting4 ,this person sees something in me1 evidently1 which most people do not see40 ,some people give you a shudder1 and you feel cold chills creep over you when they take hold of your hand4 ,there is no warmth in their grasp1 no generosity1 no friendliness1 no real interest in you4 ,it is all a cold-blooded proceeding1 and you can imagine you hear one of these chilling individuals say to himself1 8,well1 what is there in this person for me8 ,can he send me clients1 patients or customers8 ,if he does not possess money1 has he influence or a pull with influential people8 ,can he help or interest me in any way8 ,if not1 ,i can not afford to bother with him40 ,cultivate the habit of being cordial1 of meeting people with a warm1 sincere greeting1 with an open heart2 it will do wonders for you4 ,you will find that the stiffness1 diffidence and indifference1 the cold lack of interest in everybody which now so troubles you will disappear4 ,people will see that you really take an interest in them1 that you really want to know1 please and interest them4 ,the practice of cordiality will revolutionize your social power4 ,you will develop attractive qualities which you never before dreamed you possessed4 ,if you cultivate a magnetic personality you will increase your sales and lessen your work1 besides getting a lot more enjoyment out of life than you otherwise would4 ,remember1 customers are drawn1 not pushed4 ,trade to-day is largely a question of attraction1 and the salesman who is the most magnetic1 who has the most affable manners1 who is a good mixer1 will attract the largest amount of orders4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,,character ,,is ,,capital ,character is greater than any career4 ,manhood overtops all titles4 ,character is the greatest power in the world4 ,nothing can take its place2 talents cannot1 genius cannot1 education cannot1 training cannot4 ,the reputation of being absolutely square and clean and straight1 of being a man whose word is his bond1 is the finest recommendation4 ,simple genuineness1 transparency of character1 will win the confidence of a customer whether he is prejudiced or not1 and the confidence of the purchaser is half the sale1 for no matter how pleasing the speech or the manner of the salesman1 if he isn't genuine1 if he doesn't ring true1 if he doesn't inspire confidence1 if the customer sees a muddy streak back of his eye1 he is not likely to purchase4 ,lack of absolute integrity often keeps salesmen in inferior positions4 ,take the average salesman in a retail clothing store4 ,a customer tries on a coat4 8,how does it look80 he asks the salesman in a pleased tone4 8,perfect1 fine10 answers that worthy4 ,then a garment of totally different cut is put on4 ,if the customer seems to like it1 the salesman echoes his view4 ,it is just the coat he should buy4 ,pretty soon the customer realizes that the salesman's advice is worthless2 he won't tell him the truth as to how the garment looks1 fits and hangs2 he is intent only on making a sale4 ,when the customer sees this1 naturally he will not buy there4 ,he will go to another house or to a salesman who will tell him the truth1 who will be honest with him4 ,sincerity1 genuineness1 transparency1 carry great weight with us all4 ,just think what it means to have everybody believe in you1 to have everybody that has ever had any dealings with you feel that1 there is a man as clean as a hound's tooth and as straight as a die2 no wavering1 no shuffling1 no sneaking1 no apologizing1 no streak of any kind in his honesty2 you can always rely on his word4 ,there is a young man who has nothing to cover up2 he has no motive but to tell the truth2 he doesn't have to cover up his tracks because he has lied once and must make his future conduct correspond2 he knows that honesty needs no defense1 no explanation4 ,his character is transparent4 ,one doesn't need to throw up guards against him4 ,we all know what a comfort it is to do business with such a man1 a man who cannot be bought1 who would feel insulted at the mere suggestion that any influence could swerve him a hair's breadth from the right4 ,is there anything grander than the man who stands foursquare to the world1 who does not love money or influence as he loves his reputation1 and who would rather be right than be ,president8 ,the salesman who has made such a reputation1 a reputation of never misrepresenting1 never deceiving1 never trying to cajole or over-influence1 who never tries to sell a man what he knows he does not want or what would not be good for him1 who does not try to palm off 8out of season0 goods or cover up defects1 is certainly a comfort and a treasure both to his employer and his customers4 ,how much more comfortable and satisfactory it is for oneself not to have to watch every step and to guard every statement for fear one will let out some previous deception6 ,how much easier and how much better it is to be honest than always to have to be on the lookout for discrepancies in one's statements1 to be obliged continually to cover one's tracks6 ,no training1 no bluffing1 no tricks1 will take the place of genuine sterling character2 your prospect's instinct1 if he is a sharp student of human nature1--and most business men are1--will very quickly tell him whether you are shamming an interest in him or whether it is genuine4 ,he can tell whether you are pure gold or a base counterfeit2 and if your character is unalloyed you will establish a friendly relation with him which will be of very great value4 ,a good salesman will not fail to realize that the men he approaches have been swindled many times1 and that a hooked trout is shy of new bait4 ,he will not forget that his would-be customers probably have had many unfortunate experiences1 that possibly they have bought many gold bricks1 that their confidence has been shaken many times by violated pledges1 so that they will be on their guard1 and at the outset will look upon every salesman who approaches them as a smooth-tongued swindler4 ,the experienced man knows that business chickens come home to roost1 that a dishonest policy1 any underhand business1 any effort to take advantage will surely be a boomerang for the firm4 ,it is only a question of time4 ,every misrepresentation1 every mean transaction will sooner or later cost the firm very dear4 ,remember that every sale you make is an advertisement that will either help or hinder your business4 ,it is an advertisement of the character and general policy of your firm4 ,it advertises the squareness1 the honesty1 or the cunning1 the trickery of the whole concern2 in other words1 the man you approach will get a pretty good idea of your firm1--their policy and methods of doing business1--by the impression which you make on him4 ,he can tell pretty well whether he is dealing with high-class men1 whether he can absolutely depend upon the word of the house1 whether he can rely upon their statements1 whether he will be protected1 or whether he will have to protect himself by watching and guarding every little step in every business transaction with the house4 ,he can tell whether he can rely absolutely upon its doing the square thing by him or not4 8,a company is judged by the men it keeps40 ,the best salesmen to-day1 besides making a study of their business1 make a study of their customers and their wants4 ,many customers regard such salesmen as their business advisers1 and they give them their confidence1 knowing they will receive from them 8white0 treatment1 that they will only sell them the merchandise which it is to their advantage to buy4 ,after he has gained their confidence it would be easy enough for the salesman to violate it and sell a much larger bill of goods than is to the advantage of the customer1 but the modern salesman knows that this is a poor sort of business policy4 ,the old-time method of holding up a customer when you get him for every dollar you can squeeze out of him1 and piling onto him just as many goods as he can be induced to take1 and at the biggest possible price1 has gone by forever4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii ,,the ,,price ,,of ,,mastership 8,three things are necessary1 first1 backbone2 second1 backbone2 third1 backbone40--,,charles ,,sumner4 8,when other people are ready to give up we are just getting our second wind10 is the motto of a ,new ,york business house4 ,a good one for the success aspirant4 8,ships sail west and ships sail east1 ,by the very same winds that blow2 ,it is the set of the sails1 and not the gales1 ,that determines where they go40 8,wrecks of the world are of two kinds10 said ,elbert ,hubbard4 8,those who have nothing that society wants1 and those who do not know how to get their goods into the front window40 ,the way to succeed in salesmanship is to get your goods into the front window and hustle for all you are worth4 ,hard work and grit open the door to the ,success firm4 ,two college students started out to sell copies of the same book4 ,after some weeks in the field one wrote to headquarters as an excuse for his poor business that 8everything had been trying to keep him down of late40 ,the weather had been so bad he could not get out a great deal of the time2 then everybody was talking 8hard times10 and no money1 and making all sorts of excuses for not buying4 ,he said he was so disgusted and discouraged that he saw nothing for it but to give up canvassing as a bad job4 ,the other young man1 canvassing in similar territory1 sent in his report about the same time4 ,this is what he wrote3 8,in spite of bad weather and the fact that everybody is trying to hedge on account of the war scare and the general business depression ,i have had a banner week1 and my commissions were over eighty dollars4 ,i get used to this #8hard times and no money1' and #8can't afford it' talk1 and ,i just sail right in and overwhelm all these objections with my arguments4 ,i make the people ,i talk to feel that it would be almost wicked to let the opportunity pass for securing a book1 the reading of which has doubled and trebled the efficiency of a multitude of men and women and has been the turning point in hundreds of careers4 ,i have made them feel that it will be cheap at almost any price1 and that ,i am doing them a great favor in making it possible for them to secure this ambition-arousing book40 ,this young man sold1 on the average1 to eight people out of ten he called upon during the week4 ,a traveling salesman for a big concern got it into his head that his territory out through the ,west was played out4 ,his orders were shrinking1 and he told his employers that the territory had simply been worked to a finish1 that there was no use in staying in it any longer4 ,his sales manager1 however1 knew the section well1 and doubted the man's glib statement4 ,he put a young fellow in his place who had had very little experience1 but who was a born hustler1 full of energy1 ambition and enthusiasm4 ,on his first trip he more than doubled his predecessor's record4 ,he said he saw nothing to indicate a played-out route1 and was confident that business would increase as he became better acquainted with the territory4 ,the fact was that1 not the territory1 but the man was played out4 ,the older salesman was not willing to forego his comforts1 his pleasures1 to hustle for business4 ,he was not willing to travel across the country in bad weather on the chance of getting an order in a small town4 ,he preferred to remain in the ,pullman cars1 to go to the larger towns and sit around in hotel lobbys1 to take things easy1 to go to the theaters instead of hunting up new customers and making friends for the house4 ,he wanted his 8dead0 territory changed1 because he had no taste for hustling4 ,his successor did not see any lack of life in that 8played-out0 route because he was 8a live wire40 ,the trouble was not in the territory2 it was in the man4 ,at an agricultural convention while discussing the slope of land which was best suited to a certain kind of fruit tree1 an old farmer was called upon to express his opinion4 ,he got up and said1 8the slope of the land don't make so much difference as the slope of the man40 ,it isn't the slope of the territory that counts so much in selling as the slope of the salesman2 that is everything4 ,in every business it is always a question of the sort of a man behind the proposition4 ,it is the slope of the man1 his grit1 his stick-to-it-iveness1 that count most4 ,no matter how letter perfect you may be in the technique of salesmanship1 or how well posted on all the rules of effective procedure1 if you lack certain qualities you never will make a first-class salesman4 ,if you lack grit1 industry1 application1 perseverance2 if you lack determination and that bull-dog grip which never lets go or knows when it is beaten2 if you lack sand1 you will peter out4 ,having these qualities you will overcome many handicaps4 ,i have known a little sawed-off dwarf of a salesman to wade into a prospect and1 through sheer grit1 get an order where the ordinary salesman1 with good physical appearance1 would have failed4 ,this fellow said that grit had been his only capital in life2 that when he found he was so handicapped by his size and his ugly features that he would probably be a failure and a nobody in the world1 he just made up his mind he would not only overcome every one of his handicaps1 but that he would be a big success in his line4 ,he did everything he had resolved to do1 and through sheer force of grit 8made good40 ,he had paid the price of success1 and won out1 as will every one who is willing to pay the price4 ,only the weakling prates about 8luck10 a 8pull10 or 8favoritism10 or any other backstairs to success4 ,your success and your luck are determined by yourself and by no other4 ,we are the masters of our destiny4 ,we get just what we want4 ,to be sure1 all of us wish for a lot of things2 we would like very much to have them1 but we don't really want them1 or we would straightway set to work and try very hard by every means in our power to get them4 ,many of us wish for a position worth anywhere from ten thousand dollars to one hundred thousand dollars a year1 but we want to get it without much effort1 and to hold it with still less effort4 ,what we really want is success without effort1 an easy job at the highest market price1 like the cook pictured in a recent cartoon1 applying for a place4 ,her first question is3 8,and what's the wages1 mum80 8,oh1 ,i always pay whatever a person's worth10 answers the employer4 8,no1 thank ye1 mum4 ,i never works for as little as that10 replies the disgusted would-be employee4 ,let us remember that there is no easiest way to success in any business or profession4 ,we are here to develop ourselves to the highest point of our ability2 to be the broadest1 ablest1 most helpful men and women we can be1 and this is only possible through the assiduous cultivation of our highest faculties4 ,we can only grow and progress through self-development4 ,no patent method has yet been discovered by which a man or woman can be developed from the outside4 ,abraham ,lincoln tells us1 8,the way for a young man to rise1 is to improve himself every way he can1 never suspecting that any one wishes to hinder him40 ,hudson ,maxim1 the famous inventor1 has formulated ten success rules1 the essence of which are1 study and work4 ,he makes two vital assertions3 #a4 8,never look for something for nothing2 make up your mind to earn everything1 and remember that opportunity is the only thing that any one can donate you without demoralizing you and doing you an injury40 #b4 8,man must eliminate from his mind any belief that the world owes him a living40 ,now1 some people differ with ,mr4 ,maxim on this last point4 ,they believe the world does owe each one of us a living4 ,if they are right1 it is pleasant to think that the world is very ready to pay this debt1 when we come around to collect it in the right way4 ,if we can do any one thing superbly1 no matter how humble it may be1 we shall find ourselves in demand4 ,the world will most willingly pay its indebtedness to us4 ,men and women who have won distinction in every business and profession are unanimous in their agreement as to two cardinal points in the achievement of success--,work and ,grit4 ,the ,honorable ,thomas ,pryor ,gore1 the blind ,senator of ,oklahoma1 who raised himself from a poor1 blind boy to be an influential member of the ,united ,states ,senate1 has this to say on the secret of pushing to the front3 8,a fixed and unalterable purpose1 pursued under all circumstances1 in season and out of season1 with no shadow of turning1 is the best motive power a man can have4 ,i have sat in physical darkness for twenty-seven years1 and if ,i have learned anything it is that the dynamics of the human will can overcome any difficulty40 ,here1 indeed1 is encouragement for every youth in this land of opportunity4 ,think of a poor1 blind boy1 unaided1 achieving such distinction as ,mr4 ,gore has won6 ,think of a blind ,milton writing the greatest epic in the world's literature6 ,think of a ,beethoven1 stone deaf1 overcoming the greatest handicap a composer could have1 and raising himself to the distinction of being one of the greatest composers the world has known6 ,one of this wonderful man's sayings is well worth keeping in mind by every young man struggling with difficulties3 8,i will grapple with fate2 it shall never drag me down40 ,it is well also to remember this truth3 8,usually the work that is required to develop talent is ten times that necessary for ordinary commonplace success40 ,men naturally brainy1 or with some great gift1 have to work most assiduously to achieve big results4 ,without untiring perseverance1 industry1 grit1 the courage to get up and press on after repeated failures1 the historic achievers of the world would never have won out in their undertakings4 ,columbus said that it was holding on three days more that discovered the ,new ,world2 that is1 it was holding on three days after even the stoutest hearts would have turned back that brought him in sight of land4 ,tenacity of purpose is characteristic of all men who have accomplished great things4 ,they may lack other desirable traits1 may have all sorts of peculiarities1 weaknesses1 but the quality of persistence1 clear grit1 is never absent from the man who does things4 ,drudgery cannot disgust him1 labor cannot weary him1 hardships cannot discourage him4 ,he will persist no matter what comes or goes1 because persistence is part of his nature4 ,more young men have achieved success in life with grit as capital1 than with money capital to start with4 ,the whole history of achievement shows that grit has overcome the direst poverty2 it has been more than a match for lifelong invalidism4 ,after all1 what do all the other accomplishments and personal decorations amount to if a man lacks the driving wheel1 grit1 which moves the human machine4 ,a man has got to have this projectile force or he will never get very far in the world4 ,grit is a quality which stays by a man when every other quality retreats and gives up4 ,for the gritless every defeat is a ,waterloo1 but there is no ,waterloo for the man who has clear grit1 for the man who persists1 who never knows when he is beaten4 ,those who are bound to win never think of defeat as final4 ,they get up after each failure with new resolution1 more determination than ever to go on until they win4 ,have you ever seen a man who had no give-up in him1 who could never let go his grip whatever happened1 who1 every time he failed1 would come up with greater determination than ever to push ahead8 ,have you ever seen a man who did not know the meaning of the word failure1 who1 like ,grant1 never knew when he was beaten1 who cut the words 8can't10 and 8impossible10 from his vocabulary1 the man whom no obstacles could down1 no difficulty phase1 who was not disheartened by any misfortune1 any calamity8 ,if you have1 you have seen a real man1 a conqueror1 a king among men4 ,as we look around at other men1 enjoying the good things of life1 basking in the sunshine of success1 let us remember that they didn't get their place in the sun by wishing and longing for it4 ,they didn't get to ,easy ,street by the road of ,inertia4 ,when you are tempted to envy those people1 and long to have a 8pull0 or some one to give you a 8boost10 just call to mind this jingle3 8,you must jump in1 and fight and work1 nor care for one defeat2 ,for if you take things easy1 you won't reach ,easy ,street4 ,don't waste time in envy1 and never say you're #8beat1' ,for if you take things easy1 you won't reach ,easy ,street40 ,there is no royal road to anything that is worth having4 ,only work and grit will do the trick4 ,as ,j4 ,pierpont ,morgan says1 8,hard1 honest1 intelligent work will land any young man at the top40 ,the great business world is always on the hunt for the man who can do things a little better than they have been done before1 the man who can deliver the goods1 the man who can manage a little better1 the man who is a little shrewder1 a little more scientific1 a little more accurate1 a little more thorough2 it is always after the man who can bring a little better brain1 a little better training to his job4 ,with our constantly widening national interests1 our enormously expanding trade1 the demand for ,a#a salesmen is ever on the increase4 ,the young man who is not satisfied with the ordinary required equipments for salesmanship1 but who will add to this a thorough knowledge of modern languages1 especially those most used in commercial intercourse--,german1 ,french and ,spanish--will not have very great difficulty in finding his place in the sun4 ,the making--or the marring--of your life is in your own hands4 8,the gods sell anything and to everybody at a fair price40 ,success is on sale in the world market place4 ,all who are willing to pay the price can buy it4 ,in the final analysis1 success in salesmanship1 as in everything else1 is simply a matter of 8paying the price40 ,,chapter ,,xxix ,,keeping ,,fit ,,and ,,salesmanship ,to keep fit is to maintain perfect health2 and perfect health depends upon a perfect balance of mind and body1 unimpaired physical vigor and absolute inner harmony1 a mental poise which nothing can disturb4 ,there is a vast amount of ability lost to the world through poor health1 through not keeping in condition to give out the best that is infolded in us4 8,i want you10 said ,philip ,d4 ,armour to one of his employees1 8to grow into a man so strong and big that you will force me to see that you are out of place among the little fellows40 ,if you want to be a salesman 8so strong and big0 that you will be 8out of place among the little fellows10 you must be as physically fit as was ,john ,l4 ,sullivan in his prime4 ,at that time the mere sight of ,sullivan entering the ring struck such terror into the heart of his opponent that the fight was half won before a blow was struck4 ,it seemed to the small man like a desperate venture to tackle a giant with such a superb physical presence4 ,the famous pugilist's appearance had as much to do with his success as had his knowledge of the technique of the ring4 ,if you want to win out 7and who does not87 you must enter the ring--the arena of life--with all the power you can muster1 in superb health1 at the top of your condition1 capable of putting up your biggest fight4 ,you can do this and come out with your flag flying if you are good to yourself1 if you keep fit4 ,but if you allow all sorts of leaks of power to drain away your energy1 your brain force1 your will power1 you will be in no condition to make the fight of your life4 ,you should be as well prepared physically for the contest as the prize fighter who is determined to keep his record4 ,or1 like the ,greek god ,hercules1 you should be able to win largely by the force of your reserve power4 ,it was said that ,hercules made such an impression of great reserve force on his antagonist that he never had to put forth much strength in wrestling4 ,he won as much by the impression of confident power which he radiated1 as by the degree of strength he exerted4 ,in other words1 if you do not back up your general ability and special training with robust health you will be forever at a disadvantage in the game of life4 ,you must keep yourself fit for your job1 always in a condition to do your best or you will be handicapped in the game4 ,it is the law of life that the 8weakest shall go to the wall40 ,frailness of body is an inevitable handicap in life4 ,physical weakness largely discounts the possibilities of achievement4 ,the slow but striving tortoise may beat out the hare in the race4 ,the steadfast1 plodding student may take the prizes of life which his more brilliant competitor never attained4 ,but the tortoise1 though slow1 is sound of body4 ,cripple him and all his plodding will avail him little4 ,true1 there have been weak men who have done wonders in life in spite of frailness and physical infirmity4 ,but they are only the exceptions that prove the rule4 ,alexander ,pope1 8the gallant cripple of ,twickenham10 sewed up in canvas2 ,st4 ,paul1 short in stature1 of inferior presence and almost blind1 are types of the men whose great souls overcame their bodily weakness4 ,csar1 ,pascal1 ,nelson1 were other types of the indomitable spirit which can not be limited by sickness or infirmity4 ,but1 in the main1 the man who 8makes good0 has good health4 ,as a salesman you carry all your capital with you4 ,you are in business1 but you carry everything connected with it1 your factory1 your sales department with you4 ,your machinery assets are mental1 and if you don't do your best to keep them in fine condition you will show about as much sense as a farmer who would leave all his valuable farm machinery out-doors in all sorts of weather1 to be ruined by wind and dew1 rain and snow4 ,your skill1 your expertness1 your facility of expression1 your tact1 your discretion1 your power of discrimination1 your knowledge of human nature1 your courage1 your initiative1 your resourcefulness1 your cheerfulness1 your magnetism1 in fact1 every one of your mental faculties is a part of your business capital1 is an asset1 and its condition depends entirely on the care you take of the engine which furnishes the motor power for all your mental machinery4 ,that engine is your body4 ,the physical soil is the soil in which your faculties are nourished4 ,if this soil is impoverished1 if your vitality is low1 if you are sapping your energies by vicious1 ignorant1 or foolish habits1 your faculties will not thrive4 ,some time ago an ambitious young fellow came to me and asked me to tell him how to increase his ability and his power to achieve things4 ,he was pale and emaciated1 with something like signs of dissipation in his face4 ,the young man seemed very anxious to get along in the world but1 evidently1 he had taken the wrong path4 ,a few questions brought out the fact that although not dissipating in the ordinary sense1 the course he was pursuing was almost as disastrous to his health4 ,he was sitting up till one or two o'clock at night1 studying1 while working very hard in the day-time1 and to brace up his depleted strength he was not only drinking coffee and tea to excess1 but he was also taking whiskey1 and even drugs4 ,he did not seem to know that this artificial stimulus to his brain was like a whip to a tired horse1 and that it was only a question of time until he would be a physical and mental wreck4 ,it is amazing how ignorant many otherwise intelligent people are when it comes to a question of body and health building4 ,young people often ask me to tell them how they can increase their ability1 and in nine cases out of ten ,i find that1 like the young man above1 they are doing some fool things that defeat the very object they have in view4 ,now1 the surest way to increase your ability1 to multiply and strengthen your faculties1 is to lay a good foundation of health1 and to guard it as you would your most precious possession--for that is really what it is4 ,vigorous1 abounding health will emphasize1 reinforce and multiply the forcefulness of all the faculties1 and the sum of these faculties constitutes your ability1 the force that achieves1 that creates4 ,it will make a tremendous difference to you what sort of a man you take to your prospect4 ,i say 8you take10 because you are the master of the salesman4 ,there is something bigger back of the salesman1 than the salesman himself4 ,you are the salesman's manager1 his trainer1 his educator4 ,there is a master in you1 who1 to a very large extent1 dictates the sort of a man 8you take0 to your prospect1 because he will be the sort of a man you make him4 ,to be a whole man1 mentally1 physically1 and spiritually is your business4 ,to be deficient on any of these planes is to be only two parts a man4 ,to be one hundred per cent4 a man--that is your problem4 ,the human machine is very complicated1 and even a little thing may seriously impair its harmony and efficiency4 ,a bad fitting shoe may cut down your effectiveness temporarily1 or as long as you wear it1 twenty-five per cent4 ,a speck of dirt in the eye would cripple a ,napoleon1 as a hair in the works would seriously injure the best timepiece in the world4 ,a hasty1 bolted lunch1 of poor1 adulterated food1 may impair your digestion1 cut down your brain power and make you ineffective when it is of the utmost importance that you be effective4 ,efficiency lies in the symmetry and perfect functioning of all of your organs4 ,if they are not trying to help you make a sale2 if you have treated them badly and they are protesting1 they will beat you4 ,you may think that1 no matter how you feel1 you can put a deal over by sheer will power1 but remember that your will power is dependent upon the harmonious action of all your bodily functions4 ,it will weaken just as soon as any one of these is impaired4 ,if not one1 but several of them--your digestive organs1 your liver1 your heart1 your kidneys1 your brain1 are fighting against you1 trying to defeat your purpose1 you will not win out no matter how hard a fight you put up4 ,many a superb salesman has finally lost out by making an enemy of all the organs which make for health and success4 ,do you realize what goes into every sale you make8 ,did it ever occur to you that your brains1 your education1 your training1 your experience1 your skill1 your ingenuity1 your resourcefulness1 your originality1 your personality--about all your life capital is flung into every selling transaction8 ,the result of every canvass you make will depend very largely upon how much of yourself you fling into it1 and how intensely1 how enthusiastically1 cheerfully1 and tactfully you fling yourself in4 ,you cannot bring the whole of yourself to the sale unless every function of your body gives its consent4 ,your physical organism must be in perfect harmony or your vitality will be lowered1 and you will be robbed of a certain percentage of your possible power4 ,the great thing when you approach a prospect is to be all there1 not to leave ten1 fifteen1 twenty or twenty-five per cent4 of yourself in the bar-room or in some other vicious resort the night before4 ,do not fling a lot of your ability away in bad food1 or in a too rich and complicated diet1 viciously taken4 ,be sure when you call on a prospect that you take a good digestion along with you2 it is the best friend of your brain4 ,if your digestion is ruined by over-eating1 or if your brain is not well fed1 no amount of will power1 or cocktail or whiskey braces1 will compensate for the loss you suffer4 ,many a promising salesman has failed to make good because he made a habit of turning night into day and could take only about half of himself to his work4 ,many a cracker-jack salesman has lost a sale by partaking too heartily of dinner1 or by a fit of indigestion brought on by some indiscretion in eating4 ,multitudes of people go through life working hard1 trying desperately to succeed1 but are terribly disappointed by the meagerness of their achievement1 simply because they did not take care of their health4 ,they are all the time devitalized2 they lack blood1 or it is of poor quality2 it lacks fire and force1 and1 of course1 the brain and all the faculties deteriorate to correspond with the blood4 ,the achievement follows the vitality1 and this in turn depends on the general care of the body4 ,the kind of food1 its quality and amount1 the manner in which we partake of it1 our physical habits1 work1 rest1 recreation1 sleep1--these are the things on which health and vitality depend4 ,these furnish our physical energy and achievement depends upon energy4 ,it would be impossible even for the brain of a ,webster to focus with power1 if fed with poor ill-nourished blood4 ,everywhere we see bright1 educated young men and women1 with good brains1 crippled by poor health1 mocked by great ambitions which they can never realize4 ,a large part of their ability is lost to the world because of some physical weakness which might be remedied by careful1 scientific living4 ,just glance over the young men you know and see what a small part of their ability goes into their life work1 because of their impaired assets1 through foolish or vicious living habits4 ,they are selling their integrity1 squandering their life capital in all sorts of dissipation1 bringing perhaps not more than twenty-five per cent4 of their actual ability to their life work4 ,how often we hear the remark3 8,poor fellow6 he was always a victim of bad health1 but for that he would have accomplished great things40 8,mentally able but physically weak0 would make a good epitaph for thousands of failures4 ,a weakness anywhere in you will mar your career4 ,it will rise up as a ghost all through your life work1 at unexpected moments1 mortifying1 condemning1 convicting you4 ,every indiscretion or vicious indulgence simply opens a leak which drains off your success and happiness possibilities4 ,there is no compensation for waste of health capital4 ,health raises the power of every faculty and every possibility of the man1 and there is no excuse for losing it through carelessness1 dissipation or ignorance4 ,nor can one plead mere weakness or lack of energy as a handicap1 an excuse for failure4 ,nature is no sentimentalist4 ,if you violate her law you must pay the penalty though you sit on a throne4 ,she demands that you be at the top of your condition1 always at your best1 and will accept no excuse or apology4 ,whatever your work in life1 the secret of your success and happiness is locked up in your health1 in your brain1 your nerves1 your muscles1 your ambition1 your ideal1 your resolution4 ,it is up to you to be a whole man4 ,you cannot afford to be less4 ,you cannot afford to dwarf your career or botch it by going to your task with stale brains4 ,you cannot do first-class work with second-class brain power1 with a brain that is fed by poison1--blood vitiated by abnormal living or dissipation4 ,you cannot afford to go to your work used up1 played out4 ,trying to sell merchandise with stale brains keeps many a salesman capable of real mastership in a mediocre position4 ,you cannot do a master's work with a muddy brain which was not renewed1 refreshed1 by plenty of sound sleep1 healthful recreation1 and vigorous exercise in the open air4 ,in other words1 if you expect to make the most of yourself you must be good to yourself4 ,strangled health means strangled ability4 ,if you murder your health you murder all your chances in life4 ,no man ever does a great thing in this world who does not protect the faculties he is using with jealous care4 ,watch your generating power4 ,remember that you see the world largely through your stomach4 ,its condition will determine the condition of your brain4 ,poor digestion gives you poor blood1 and poor blood a poor brain4 ,few people realize what a tremendous factor health plays in their success4 ,men give the brain credit for a large amount of their success which is due to the stomach1 which has everything to do with physical health and robust vitality4 ,not long ago ,i was talking to a salesman who said he guessed he was losing his grip2 didn't know how it was1 but he was not making sales as he used to4 ,he didn't have the same grit and enthusiasm2 guessed he was sliding down hill1 going backward instead of forward4 ,formerly1 he said1 he always approached a customer with the expectation of getting an order1 but latterly he was in great doubt2 he could not get on full steam1 a resolute determination to win4 ,now1 when a man gets into this condition he is not fit to solicit business4 ,nature is calling to him3 8,stop1 ,look1 ,listen40 ,it is time for him to call a halt1 and see what is the trouble with his engine4 ,if you would be a master in your specialty heed ,nature's danger signals1 which she puts up all through your body4 ,that 8tired feeling0 is one of them2 brain fag1 headache1 is one of them2 indigestion is one of them2 apathy1 8don't feel like it10 poor appetite1--all these things are signals to slow down4 ,but instead of slowing down and repairing1 most of us try to speed up with all sorts of stimulants and run past these danger signals1 with the result that we either wreck our life train or very seriously injure it4 ,no man can afford to ignore ,nature's warnings1 but least of all can the salesman1 on whose physical condition everything depends4 ,other men can depute their work1 at least for a time1 to those under them2 but the salesman cannot do this1 for he is strictly a one-man concern1 and everything depends on his health4 ,he must always be at the top of his condition2 and every quality needed in his work is sharpened and braced by vigorous health4 ,how comparatively easy it is1 for instance1 for a healthy man to be hopeful1 optimistic1 enthusiastic4 ,how difficult for a chronic dyspeptic to be any of these--to be kind1 gentle1 generous1 cheerful1 obliging4 ,his natural disposition may not be at fault1 for the tendency of ill health is to make a man cross1 crabbed1 fault-finding1 fretful1 hard1 pessimistic4 8,touchiness10 a defect which makes so many men and women unbearable1 usually comes from some weakness or physical ailment4 ,a great many so-called 8sins0 are due to a depleted physical condition4 ,it is so much easier for a man to control himself when he is well1 to say 8,no0 with emphasis1 when1 if he were suffering from some physical disability1 he might say 8,yes10--anything to get rid of annoyance and to get into a more comfortable condition4 ,how much health has to do with one's manners6 ,how easy to be courteous and accommodating when one feels the thrill of health surging through his whole being2 but how hard to be polite1 gentle1 amiable1 when one feels ill1 weak1 and nervous1 and wants to be let alone6 ,how hard to carry on an interesting conversation when all of one's physical standards are down6 ,then again1 how the health affects the judgment6 ,the judgment is really a combination of a great many other faculties1 and the condition of each seriously affects the quality of the combination4 ,one's courage is largely a matter of physical health4 ,how quickly the ailing man1 to whom everything looks blue1 becomes discouraged6 ,everything looks black to people whose physical standards are demoralized4 ,horse trainers know that a horse's courage during the contest depends a great deal upon its being in a superb physical condition4 ,it is the same with the horse's master--man4 ,courage1 poise1 masterfulness1 resourcefulness1 physical vigor go together4 ,nervousness1 timidity1 uncertainty1 doubt1 hesitation1 usually accompany depleted vitality4 ,the bull-dog tenacity which plays such a part in every life worth while has a physical basis4 ,the will power1 which is a leader in the mental kingdom1 depends very largely upon the health4 ,how different1 for example1 obstacles look to the man who is ailing all the time1 suffering pain1 compared with the way they look to a man who is full of vigor and energy4 ,the man who is well plans great things to-day1 because he feels strong and vigorous4 ,obstacles are nothing to him2 he feels within himself the power to annihilate them4 ,but to-morrow he is ill1 and the obstacles which were only molehills yesterday1 loom up like mountains1 and he does not see how he can possibly conquer them4 ,we look at things through our moods1 and moods are largely a question of physical health4 ,the man who is strong and full of the courage of abounding vitality wants something hard to wrestle with2 he feels the need of vigorous exercise4 ,but the man whose vitality is low has no surplus to spare4 ,slight difficulties look formidable to him2 trifles are exaggerated into serious obstacles1 which seem insurmountable4 ,there is confusion all through his mental kingdom1 and his faculties will not work harmoniously4 ,there is a tremendous wear and tear on the physical economy of the man in poor health4 ,the faculty of humor was given man to ease him over the jolts1 to oil the bearings of life's machinery2 but ill health often crushes out the sense of humor1 and makes life1 which was intended to be bright and cheerful1 sad and gloomy4 ,loss of good red blood corpuscles has much to do with one's sense of humor as well as one's manners and disposition4 ,the man in poor health is in no condition to appreciate the joys of life4 ,everything loses its flavor in proportion to his lowered vitality4 ,ill health very materially weakens the power of decision4 ,a man who1 when in vigorous health1 decides quickly1 finally and firmly1 when in poor health1 wobbles1 wavers1 reconsiders4 ,his purpose1 which was once a mighty force in his life1 lacks virility1 has lost much of its strength4 ,in fact1 all of his life standards drop in proportion to the decline in physical vigor4 ,again1 the quality of health has a great deal to do with the quality of thought4 ,you cannot get healthy thinking from diseased brain cells or nerve cells4 ,if the vitality is below par the thought will drop to its level4 ,what magic a trip to ,europe or a vacation in the country often produces in the quality of one's thought and work4 ,the writer1 the clergyman1 the orator1 the statesman1 who was disgusted with what his brain produced comes back to his work after a vacation and finds himself a new man4 ,he can not only do infinitely more work with greater ease1 but his work has a finer quality4 ,the writer is often surprised at his grip upon his subject and his power to see things which he could not get hold of before4 ,there is a freshness about his style which he could not before squeeze from his jaded brain4 ,the singer who broke down comes back from a vacation with a power of voice which she did not even know she possessed4 ,the business man returns with a firmer grip upon his business1 a new faculty for improving methods1 and a brighter outlook on the world4 ,the brain ash has been blown off the brain cells which were clogged before2 the blood is pure2 the pulse bounding1 and1 of course1 the brain cells throw off a finer quality of thought1 keener1 sharper1 more penetrating1 more gripping4 ,many a salesman could add twenty-five or fifty per cent4 to his power by easing the strain of life now and then1 especially when ,nature hangs out any of her warning signals4 ,supposing an ,edison or some other great inventor should discover a secret for doubling one's ability1 what would we not all do or give to get this secret8 ,yet every one knows a process for doubling ability which never fails4 ,it is health-building1 vitality-building1 by simply exercising common sense in the matter of living4 ,there is nothing complicated in this2 it means eating just enough1 not too much or too little1 of the foods that give force and power1 scientific eating of these foods2 scientific care of ourselves1 exercise1 recreation1 play2 getting out of doors whenever possible and absorbing power from the sun and air2 getting plenty of sleep in a well-ventilated bedroom2 regular systematic habits2 right thinking1 triumphant thinking1 holding the victorious attitude toward life1 toward our work1 toward our health1 toward everything4 ,now here is the secret of doubling ability4 ,we all have it2 all that is necessary is to put it in practice4 ,there is no other thing that will pay a salesman better than putting it in practice every day4 ,keeping himself in superb physical condition will not only give a wonderful flavor to life1 but it will add great interest and charm to his personality4 ,good health is the foundation of personal magnetism2 it is the secret of the sparkle in the eye1 the buoyant spirit1 the keen whip to the intellect which sharpens all the wits4 ,many a sale has been clinched by the pleasing appearance of a salesman1 the charm of a bright1 flashing eye1 a clear skin1 a firm step1 and a straight pair of shoulders4 ,how quickly we can tell by the appearance of horses on the street what sort of care they get4 ,how fine a carefully groomed horse looks and how well he feels4 ,he seems to have a sense of pride in his personal appearance1 whereas the horse which is seldom if ever groomed1 shows his neglect by the sharp contrast4 ,the same thing is true of individuals4 ,i have a friend who takes infinite pains to keep himself in prime condition4 ,he says his human machine is his most precious asset and that he cannot afford to neglect his exercise2 he cannot afford to be irregular in his eating habits1 or to eat foods which are not body builders1 health and force producers2 he cannot afford to lose sleep1 or to do anything which will lower his vitality4 ,he is equally careful about his grooming1 and always looks fit1 in the pink of condition4 ,another friend of mine is just the opposite4 ,he will take a hot bath in about ten minutes2 he dresses in a hurry2 never bothers about his exercise or his food1 and the result is the two men present as great a contrast as the well-groomed1 well-cared for horse and the ill-groomed1 ill-cared for one4 ,it is of little use to have all the qualities which make a good salesman if these qualities are not kept in prime condition4 ,yet there are a great many salesmen who do not take time enough to care for themselves properly1 to keep their wonderful machine in fine trim1 in superb physical and mental condition4 ,it was said that ,ole ,bull could never be induced to go on playing unless his violin was in perfect tune4 ,if a string stretched the least bit1 no matter how many thousands were waiting for him1 he would stop until he had put his violin in perfect tune again4 ,ole ,bull would not allow himself even for a moment to be anything but a master4 ,you cannot go to your prospect with the brain of a master salesman1 victory-organized1 if your instrument is out of tune4 ,if you do not keep yourself tuned to concert pitch2 if you do not take the trouble to make a fine adjustment of your wonderful human instrument each day2 if you do not put yourself in tune each morning for the day's work2 if there is the least inharmony in any of the marvelous mechanism of your body1 you will go on all day producing discord instead of harmony4 ,in other words1 you will be a failure instead of a success4 ,when you approach a prospect be sure you are 8in tune with the ,infinite10 7with the highest law of your being7 that you are all there1 that you are not sixty1 seventy-five1 eighty1 ninety or ninety-nine per cent4 present1 but that you are all there1 that you are a hundred per cent4 present1 and that this hundred per cent4 is ready to strike the blow4 ,more will depend upon your body and mind being in complete harmony1 in perfect tune than on all of your special training in salesmanship4 ,in this age of fierce competition physical vigor plays a tremendous part4 ,it is an age of efficiency force1 an age which requires masterfulness4 ,the victors in the great life game to-day1 as a rule1 are men with powerful vitality1 tremendous staying power4 ,whether you win out or lose in the game will depend largely on your reserve power1 your plus vitality4 ,keep yourself always fit so that you can do your best1 the highest thing possible to you1 with ease and dignity1 without struggle or strain1 and you will be a master salesman4 ,always be at the top of your condition1 and you can approach your prospect with the assurance of victory1 the air of a conqueror1 with the superb confidence that wins4 ,keep your human machine in perfect tune1 and you will radiate power1 masterfulness2 you will exhale force and magnetism from every pore2 you will be the sort of salesman that every customer is glad to see--,a ,,master ,,salesman4 ,,appendix ,,sales ,,pointers 8,there are two chief classes of men that you will approach4 8,one class is ruled chiefly by reason1 the other by impulses--emotion--prejudices--enthusias m--likes and dislikes4 8,the first class can be convinced only by hard matter-of-fact1 mathematical arguments--the kind of evidence that will pass a judge in court4 ,the minds of these men are clear1 cold1 logic engines4 ,they are impressed only by facts and figures1 and will do no business with salesmen who offer them anything else4 8,the other class--of impulsive or emotional men--is amenable to heart sway persuasion4 8,you will not find it so necessary to convince their reasons4 ,give them the best evidence you have1 but mix it with something more4 8,be careful of their prejudices1 watch out for the revelation of their likes and dislikes1 discover their enthusiasm1 suit yourself to their moods4 8,sooner or later1 if you know your business1 you will uncover the vulnerable spot in an emotional man and he is yours4 ,strike him with the right kind of persuasion and you can walk out with his order4 8,study your prospects4 ,learn to read the book of human nature4 ,the formulas for success in selling are written on its pages40 99 99 99 99 99 ,don't be a slave of precedent4 ,it is an enemy of progress4 ,know the technique of salesmanship1 but don't be its slave4 ,study men at the top and then ask yourself1 8,why can't ,i do what they have done80 ,,resolve ,,not ,,to ,,be ,a ,,little ,,fellow4 99 99 99 99 99 ,no matter how much you know about salesmanship your personality1 your character1 will be the chief factors in your success4 ,while the technique of salesmanship is important1 yet it is the man behind the salesman that does the business4 ,it is the human power back of the mere technique that makes the sale4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,three ,,kinds ,,of ,,salesmen ,the ,heavyweight1 ,the ,featherweight1 and ,just plain ,,wait4--,selected4 99 99 99 99 99 8,some salesmen are not always successful salesmen--,,but1 successful salesmen are always ,,some salesmen40 99 99 99 99 99 8,a master salesman is a self-made salesman--,,but a self-made salesman isn't always a master salesman40 99 99 99 99 99 ,always keep in mind the man at the other end of the bargain4 ,if he does not make a good bargain you will lose in the end1 no matter how much you may sell him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,follow your prospect's mind4 ,let him do much of the talking4 ,if he sees you are trying to push him and expecting to change his mind he will brace up against you4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,salesman',s ,,creed ,to be a man whose word carries weight at my home office1 to be a booster1 not a knocker1 a pusher1 not a kicker2 a motor1 not a clog4 ,to believe in my proposition heart and soul2 to carry an air of optimism into the presence of possible customers2 to dispel ill temper with cheerfulness1 kill doubts with strong convictions and reduce active friction with an agreeable personality4 ,to make a study of my business or line2 to know my profession in every detail from the ground up2 to mix brains with my effort and use method and system in my work4 ,to find time to do everything needful by never letting time find me doing nothing4 ,to hoard days as a miser hoards dollars2 to make every hour bring me dividends in commissions1 increased knowledge or healthful recreation4 ,to keep my future unmortgaged with debt2 to save money as well as earn it2 to cut out expensive amusements until ,i can afford them2 to steer clear of dissipation and guard my health of body and peace of mind as my most precious stock in trade4 ,finally1 to take a good grip on the joy of life2 to play the game like a gentleman2 to fight against nothing so hard as my own weakness and to endeavor to grow as a salesman and as a man with the passage of every day of time4 ,,this ,,is ,,my ,,creed4--,w4 ,c4 ,,holman4 99 99 99 99 99 ,salesmanship is the ability to sell the largest possible quantity of goods1 to sell an increasing quantity of goods1 to get the greatest possible results from the advertising done by his house1 to make a regular customer of a new buyer1 and to hold the friendship of a regular customer4--,h4 ,e4 ,,bowman4 99 99 99 99 99 ,never sit down or stand1 if you can possibly avoid it1 below where your prospect is seated4 ,the man who is the highest always has the advantage1 the superior position4 ,many salesmen can do better standing while the prospect is sitting4 99 99 99 99 99 ,approach your prospect as a professional1 not as an amateur1 not as a little fellow1 or almost a salesman1 but approach him with the air of a professional4 ,give him to understand that you are no third-rate salesman4 ,your manner will have everything to do with the impression you make4 ,establish confidence as quickly as possible4 ,business men are constantly dealing with mean1 tricky men1 unscrupulous men1 hypnotizers1 bull-dozers1 but when they strike the real article1 the genuine man1 they will give him their confidence4 99 99 99 99 99 ,remember your whole success will often turn on the first two or three minutes of your interview4 ,just here your knowledge of human nature is a tremendous factor4 ,you must size up your man quickly and find the line of least resistance1 the best approach to his mind4 ,not only his temperament but his health1 the frame of mind he happens to be in1 all must be taken in at a glance4 99 99 99 99 99 ,be a tactful salesman4 ,you will often be told that tact cannot be cultivated1 that it is a quality that is born in one1 but remember that every man is tactful when he is courting the girl he is dead in love with4 ,if you are dead in love with your work and bound to win you will be tactful4 99 99 99 99 99 ,make it an invariable rule never to use any influence or to say anything in the presence of a prospect which will lessen your self-respect4 ,if you do1 you lose power4 ,you are not paid for being less than a man4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a real salesman sells goods4 ,fakers sell customers4 ,don't be a mere order-taker2 be a salesman4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,another 8,,salesman',s ,,creed0 8,i believe in the goods ,i am handling1 in the company ,i am working for1 and in my ability to get results4 8,i believe that honest stuff can be passed out to honest men1 by honest methods4 8,i believe in working1 not weeping2 in boosting1 not knocking1 and in the pleasure of my job4 8,i believe that a man gets what he goes after2 that one deed done to-day is worth two deeds to-morrow1 and that no man is down and out until he has lost faith in himself4 8,i believe in to-day and the work ,i am doing2 in to-morrow and the work ,i hope to do1 and in the sure reward which the future holds4 8,i believe in courtesy1 in kindness1 in generosity1 in good cheer1 in friendship1 and in honest competition4 8,i believe there is something doing somewhere for every man ready to do it4 8,i believe ,i am ready right now40 99 99 99 99 99 ,do you ever go to see a prospect expecting to be turned down--to meet unanswerable arguments or deep-rooted prejudices that you can't overcome8 ,if you do1 it's pretty likely that that's what happens4 99 99 99 99 99 ,half-knowledge is worse than ignorance4--,,macaulay4 99 99 99 99 99 ,this is one business man's motto3 8,nothing pays like quality40 ,there is a whole sermon in this motto1 for what is there that pays like quality8 ,there is no advertisement like it4 ,quality needs no advertisement1 for it has been tried4 ,talk quality4 ,a high-class salesman tries to convert his prospect from a lower to a higher grade1 for there is not only greater satisfaction but also larger profit both for seller and buyer in the high grade article4 99 99 99 99 99 ,did you ever realize that when you are working for another you are really selling yourself to him1 that your ability1 your education1 your personality1 your influence1 your atmosphere--everything about you is sold for a price8 ,every time you sell goods you are selling part of yourself1 your character1 your reputation1 what you stand for--it is all included in the sale4 99 99 99 99 99 ,progress depends upon what we are1 rather than upon what we may encounter4 ,one man is stopped by a sapling lying across the road2 another1 passing that way picks up the hindrance and converts it into a help in crossing the brook just ahead4--,,trumbull4 99 99 99 99 99 ,fate does not fling her great prizes to the idle1 the indifferent1 but to the determined1 the enthusiastic1 the man who is bound to win4 99 99 99 99 99 ,how true it is1 as some one says1 that true salesmanship consists in selling goods that don't come back to people who do4 ,this is the whole story4 ,selling goods that give perfect satisfaction in such a pleasing1 attractive way that the customer comes back2 leaving a pleasant taste in the customer's mouth1 pleasant pictures in his memory of the way you treated him1 so that he will put himself out to look you up the next time1 this is the salesmanship which every one can cultivate4 ,one doesn't need to be a born salesman to do this4 ,every one can treat a customer kindly1 pleasantly1 with a cheerful1 helpful manner1 in an accommodating spirit4 ,the best part of salesmanship can be acquired4 99 99 99 99 99 ,winning back a customer who had quit buying of your house because you have offended him1 or because he thinks the house did not treat him right1 is a tough proposition4 ,it is not every salesman who can successfully tackle such a job as this4 ,it takes great tact and a lot of diplomacy1 and yet a diplomacy that does not show itself4 ,the art of arts is to conceal art4 ,a great diplomat leaves no visible trace of his diplomacy4 ,it will pay to acquire the art of the diplomats4 ,it will pay better to avoid offending customers4 8,we broke all output records to-day40 ,this was the message ,andrew ,carnegie's superintendent sent him one day4 8,why not do it every day80 wired back the ironmaster4 ,why not beat your sales record every day8 ,you don't know what you can do until you try4 99 99 99 99 99 8,the salesman that tries to sell1 without using his upper story1 has a lot of good loft space unoccupied40 99 99 99 99 99 ,to be a conqueror in appearance1 in one's bearing1 is the first step toward success4 ,walk1 talk and act as though you were a somebody4 ,let victory speak from your face and express itself in your manner4 99 99 99 99 99 ,every dishonest trick1 every deception1 every unfair transaction1 is a boomerang which comes back to hit the thrower4 99 99 99 99 99 ,you should make your prospect feel that you are a real friend1 that you are something more than an ordinary seller of merchandise1 that you are trying to be of real service to him1 and that you would not take the slightest advantage of him in any way4 ,a man's friendship should be worth a great deal to you1 whether you get the particular order you are after or not4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the 8selling sense0 is to the salesman what the 8nose for news0 is to the journalist4 ,no knowledge1 however profound1 of mere technical salesmanship will make a salesman of you if you lack selling sense1 into which many factors enter1--such as tact1 spirit of kindliness1 good fellowship1 good judgment1 level-headedness1 horse sense1 initiative1 courage4 99 99 99 99 99 ,like the good things you eat1 a superb quality leaves a good taste in the mouth4 ,the article that is a little better than others of the same kind1 the article that is best1 even though the price is higher1 8carries in its first sale the possibilities of many sales1 because it makes a satisfied customer1 and only a satisfied customer will come again40 99 99 99 99 99 ,staying power is the final test of ability4 ,the real caliber of a man is measured by the amount of opposition that it would take to down him4 ,the world measures a man largely by his breaking down point4 ,where does he give up8 ,how much punishment can he stand8 ,how long can he take his medicine without running up the white flag8 ,how much resisting power is there in him8 ,what does the man do after he has been knocked down8 ,this is the test4 ,where is your giving up point1 your breaking point1 your turning back point8 ,this will determine everything in your career4 99 99 99 99 99 ,if you represent a large house1 make a careful study of the top-notchers and cracker-jack salesmen in your firm4 ,study their history1 their methods2 get at the secret of their great success and their big salaries4 ,the study of men above you will whet your ambition1 will sharpen your perceptions and will make you more ambitious1 more determined to win out1 and this will enable you to make an impression of progressiveness upon your firm4 ,they will see that you are growing1 that you are reaching out1 that you have no idea of getting into a rut or becoming petrified in your methods4 99 99 99 99 99 ,thomas ,brackett ,reed1 the famous ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives for many years1 used to say that one-half of the battle in ,congress is to get the speaker's eye4 ,get your prospect's eye first of all1 and then you will not only get his attention1 but you will interest and hold him4 ,no other feature has such power to command and hold as the eye4 ,it is said that the moment a wild beast tamer shows the slightest signs of fear when he enters a cage of wild animals his game is up4 ,they will leap upon him and kill him4 ,the animals watch the trainer's eye and they can very quickly tell when he has lost his courage or shows the slightest sign of fear4 99 99 99 99 99 ,remember that suggestion is the soul of salesmanship4 ,the first thing you should do when you go into a prospect's office is to suggest harmony1 good will4 ,antidote all possible antagonism1 kill prejudice4 ,a pleasing personality is all suggestion4 ,suggestion is the soul of advertising1 and to sell you must advertise4 ,a salesman must be his own advertisement4 99 99 99 99 99 8,,just ,,keep ,,on1 ,,keepin' ,,on40 ,if the day looks kinder gloomy ,and your chances kinder slim2 ,if the situation's puzzlin'1 ,and the prospects awful grim2 ,and the prospects keep pressin' ,till all hope is nearly gone1 ,just bristle up and grit your teeth1 ,and keep on1 keepin' on4 ,fumin' never wins a fight1 ,and frettin' never pays2 ,there ain't no use in broodin' ,in these pessimistic ways4 ,smile just kinder cheerfully1 ,when hope is nearly gone1 ,and bristle up and grit your teeth1 ,and keep on1 keepin' on4 ,there ain't no use of growlin'1 ,and grumblin' all the time1 ,when music's ringing everywhere1 ,and everything's a rhyme4 ,just keep on smiling cheerfully1 ,if hope is nearly gone1 ,and bristle up and grit your teeth1 ,and keep on1 keepin' on4--,,selected4 99 99 99 99 99 ,all salesmen may take to themselves the following advice on promises1 printed by ,gimbel ,brothers1 for the benefit of all employees of their ,new ,york store4-- 8,,make no promises which you cannot fulfill40 8,every individual connected with this establishment is hereby instructed not to make promises which cannot be absolutely satisfied4 8,you must fulfill at all costs those promises you do make2 in behalf of this business40 99 99 99 99 99 8,he who is content to rest upon his laurels1 will soon have laurels resting upon him40 99 99 99 99 99 8,a sour clerk will turn the sweetest customer40 99 99 99 99 99 8,a real salesman is one part talk and nine parts judgment2 and he uses the nine parts of judgment to tell when to use the one part of talk40 99 99 99 99 99 ,whenever you say 8,good morning10 8,good afternoon10 or 8,good evening10 let your words be not only cheerful1 but sincere4 ,the only was to be genuinely sincere is through cultivating a genuinely friendly disposition4 ,it is hard to fake sincerity4 ,many salesmen think they can1 but they only fool themselves4 ,learn to love mankind as a whole1 and you will then be able to be genuinely sincere with each unit in humanity4 99 99 99 99 99 8,never explain the nature of your business on the door-step--that is1 before you are advantageously placed in the presence of your prospect4--,expect to get in1 and you will40 ,these are the words of an expert in salesmanship4 ,every expert realizes how full of truth they are4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a salesman must be self-possessed1 which means that he should have no fears4 ,keep before your mind constantly these facts3 ,you are all right2 your goods are all right1 and your house is all right2 therefore you have no cause for fear2 you have every reason to be serene4 99 99 99 99 99 ,keep your samples out of sight as much as possible1 even for your regular trade4 ,many salesmen leave their samples at the hotel1 and call first on prospective customers1 making an appointment for a certain hour4 ,this is very effective1 where possible4 ,the display of goods is1 unquestionably1 very helpful in selling1 but it is a decided advantage to have part of the stock out of sight4 ,the element of curiosity comes in1 and1 as we have explained1 this helps to get the right kind of attention4 99 99 99 99 99 ,carrying a cigar or a cigarette1 even though freshly lighted1 usually detracts from a man's appearance4 ,a tooth-pick in evidence is always very bad taste1 and often it has been fatal to sales4 ,newspapers stuck into pockets1 or carried in one's hand1 suggest that a man is not all there1 that he is thinking more of the topics of the day than of his business4 ,they are evidence of lack of concentration1 and more often than the salesman may think he handicaps himself by having these in sight4 99 99 99 99 99 ,jake ,daubert1 the well known authority in baseball1 has concluded an article on his specialty with these strong words of advice3 8,always know ahead of time what you must do with the ball after you get it40 ,to a salesman ,i would say--think out all possible difficulties that may arise during the progress of a prospective sale4 ,be prepared for every emergency4 ,cultivate patience1 calmness1 and celerity1 for they give a powerful advantage to their possessor4 99 99 99 99 99 ,seizing the psychological moment is of great importance4 ,admiral ,dewey seized it very effectively when he gave the command1 8,you may fire when you are ready1 ,gridley40 ,a salesman can win by 8firing0 at the right moment4 ,he can1 likewise1 and should1 stop 8firing0 and close the deal at the right moment4 ,it is all psychological--a matter of mind meeting mind4 99 99 99 99 99 ,avoid as much as possible technical terms1 unless you are talking to customers who1 you are sure1 understand them4 ,for instance1 a ,life ,insurance salesman makes a great mistake ordinarily1 to talk about 8legal reserve10 8accrued dividends10 8extended insurance10 8paid-up values10 8accelerative endowments10 8expense ratios10 8percentages of increase10 etc4 ,as a matter of fact1 it is quite probable that a large number of those to whom he talks will not understand even the words 8liabilities0 and 8assets40 99 99 99 99 99 ,many a salesman has been ruined or seriously injured by carrying a side line4 ,all of the great things of the world have been accomplished by concentration upon a specialty4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a good tip to both young and old salesmen is1 to study the business producers both in your firm and out of your firm4 ,examine their methods2 learn to do what they have found effective2 benefit by their strong points2 but beware of their weaknesses1 for even the most successful salesman will be found to have certain weak points1 at times4 ,you can quickly and conclusively recognize these4 ,guard against them4 ,while you can learn much from older and more experienced salesmen1 never be a slavish copy of any one4 ,whatever you do be yourself4 99 99 99 99 99 ,every time a man who is trying to hold an audience turns his eye from it he cuts the magnetic current which is flowing between them and if he does this often the people will get uneasy2 they will begin to move in their seats and he will lose his power over them4--,his magnetic connection with those he addresses is made through the eye4 ,the trained speaker knows this1 and unlike the amateur who1 from sheer nervousness1 often looks down to the floor1 or refers to his notes when it is not absolutely necessary to do so1 he avoids everything that would tend to break the magnetic current between himself and his audience4 ,just here is a hint for the salesman4 ,it is imperative that you should keep this current between yourself and your prospect flowing freely4 ,an attractive personality added to the constant flow of magnetism through your eye will rivet his attention and add immensely to your selling power4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,salesman',s ,,ideal ,i want my ,selling ,talk to be a ,service ,talk--one that will be worth others' time whether they buy my goods or not4 ,i want it to tell only the truth1 and that as fully as may be4 ,to be a perfectly human statement easily understood by others4 ,to show simply and plainly how both ,i and my goods can serve4 ,to contain ,wit only as that conforms to ,wisdom4 ,to be presented in full view of the fact that every man's time is his property--only to be secured by honest methods4 ,to result from personal self-persuasion1 as ,i would wish to persuade others4 ,to prove of such real value to patrons that my goods shall be always to the fore rather than myself4 ,to so demonstrate the ,merits of my goods and service1 that others will crave them when in need of either4 ,this is my ideal4--,,selected4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,why ,,this ,,salesman ,,did ,,not ,,succeed ,he was too anxious4 ,he could not read human nature4 ,he did not know how to approach his prospect4 ,there was not a real man back of the solicitor4 ,he scattered too much2 could not concentrate his talk4 ,he knew enough1 but could not tell it in an interesting way4 ,he tired the prospect out before he got down to business1 and could not see when he was boring him4 ,he went to his prospective customer in the spirit of 8,i will try0 instead of 8,i will40 ,he could not take a rebuff good-naturedly4 ,he ran down his competitor and disgusted his prospect4 ,he did not believe he could get an order when he went for it4 ,he tried to make circulars and letters do the work of a personal canvass4 ,he unloaded cheap lines and off-style goods on one customer and then bragged about it to the next4 ,he did not thoroughly believe in the thing he was trying to sell1 and of course could not convince others4 ,he was too easily discouraged2 if he did not secure orders from the first man he solicited1 he lost heart and gave up4 ,he did not concentrate on one line4 ,he carried side lines4 ,he thought if he could not sell one thing1 he could another4 ,he did not have enough reserve argument to overcome objections4 ,he lacked resourcefulness4 ,he had to spend most of his time trying to overcome a bad first impression4 ,he gave the impression that he was a beggar instead of the representative of a reliable house4 ,he did not look out for the man at the other end of the bargain4 ,he overcanvassed4 ,he said so many good things about the article he was selling that the prospect did not believe they were true4 ,he was polite only while he thought he was going to get an order1 but when turned down1 got mad and said disagreeable1 cutting things4 ,he lacked tact or the power of adaptability2 he always used the same line of argument1 no matter what the man's position1 degree of intelligence1 temperament or mood might be4 ,he did not have a proper appreciation of the dignity of his work4 ,he thought people would look upon him as a peddler4 ,he did not like the business2 his heart was not in it2 and he intended working at it only until he could get a better job4 ,he never liked to mix with people1 and therefore was not popular4 ,he did not organize himself1 could not work to a plan1 had no program4 ,he introduced politics and his fads in business4 ,he didn't realize that every sale is an advertisement for or against the house4 ,he was always gloomy and despondent4 ,he carried his samples in a hearse4 ,he did not believe it paid to be accommodating4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,why ,,this ,,salesman ,,succeeded ,he thoroughly believed in the things he was trying to sell4 ,he was tactful and knew how to approach people4 ,he did not waste a customer's time but was quick to the point4 ,he concentrated on what he was selling4 ,he was reliable and gave one the impression that he stood for good merchandise4 ,he approached a customer with the conviction that he would win his order and he usually did4 ,he worked hard4 ,he was always looking out for the man at the other end of the bargain4 ,he stopped when he had convinced his prospect and did not raise doubts by boring him4 ,,the ,,end