Selling Things

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 “No.”

“We have in our employ,” he wrote, “a fine mannered, well-educated and very intelligent man. We have thoroughly educated him in the technical part of our business and have done our best to perfect him in salesmanship, but he is not attaining the success we believe he should. His defect is his inability to continue a conversation with a party who abruptly tells him that he is not interested in life insurance. He states that in a number of such instances he has been unable to say a word, his throat becoming dry. From the above description it might appear to you that the man was wanting in courage. We, however, do not believe this to be the case as his record in the past does not justify that conclusion.”

How do you stand up under a “No”? Do you lose heart? Does your cheerfulness vanish? Are you conquered then and there? Or does it only act as a stimulant to more determined effort? Does it brace you to meet opposition, put you on your mettle, or do you wilt under it?

A salesman who is made of the right stuff thrives upon opposition. He braces up under rebuffs, rises to the occasion in proportion to the difficulties to be overcome.

Socrates said, “If the Almighty should come to me with complete success in His right hand, and an eternal struggle for success in His left, I would take the left.” It is through struggle, through bravely meeting and overcoming obstacles that we find ourselves and develop our strength.

A successful business man tells me that every victory he has gained in a long career has been the result of hard fighting, so that now he is actually afraid of an easily-won success. He feels that there must be something wrong when anything worth while can be obtained without a struggle. Fighting his way to triumph, overcoming obstacles, gives this man pleasure. Difficulties are a tonic to him. He enjoys doing hard things, because it tests his strength, his ability. He does not like doing easy things, because it does not give him the exhilaration, the joy, that is felt after a victorious struggle.

Some natures never come to themselves, never discover their real strength, until they meet with opposition or failure. Their reserve of power lies so deep within them that any ordinary stimulus does not arouse it. But when they are confronted with obstacles, when they are ridiculed, “sat down upon,” or when they are abused and insulted, a new force seems to be born in them, and they do things which before would have seemed impossible.

Whenever a motive is great enough, an emergency large enough, a responsibility heavy enough, to call out the hidden reserve in our nature, latent energies spring forth which astonish us. The thin-skinned, sensitive salesman succumbs to the first breath of opposition or discouragement.

It is unfortunate to allow the customer ever to say “No,” but do not let a “No” overwhelm you. Remember this is your test. If you stick to your guns and don’t show the white feather a “No” will bring out the best that is in you. Whenever you hear “No,” call to mind men like Napoleon and Grant, who thrived on opposition and rebuffs.

It is not an easy matter to find salesmen who are capable of coping with all sorts of antagonism. But they are the ones in demand. Such men are not easily argued down—they can put up a stiff fight against every kind of opposition. Where the weak salesman retires from the field beaten, the man with grit and stamina is only taking his second breath. He does not let a rebuff or two phase him. Some salesmen are so weak that they cannot even maintain their own individuality in the presence of a prospect with a strong, vigorous mentality. He will annihilate their arguments in a twinkle. They fall down before his onslaught and say, “Yes, I guess you’re about right, Mr. Blank. I hadn’t thought of that before. But I guess you know best.” They cannot hold their ground, maintain their arguments, because they allow themselves to be drawn out of their current of mental vibration, to be overcome by the current of the stronger mentality.

I know two salesmen who go out from different houses over similar territory with the same line of goods. One of them sells four or five times as much in a year as the other. One man starts out with the expectation, the determination to sell, and, of course, he gets a very large salary on account of his great ability to sell. The other man gets a very small salary, just barely enough to enable him to hold on to his job, because obstacles seem so great to him. He returns oftener with excuses for not selling than with orders. He has not the ability to annihilate difficulties, to overcome obstacles, which the other man has. He brings back to his house small orders, or none, because he cannot overcome the objections of his customers, cannot convince them that they want what he has to sell.

I once saw an advertisement of a big firm for a manager, which, after describing the sort of man wanted, and saying that no other need apply, closed with, “The man must be able to cope with antagonism.” Now, the trouble with the unsuccessful salesman I speak of is: he is not able to cope with antagonism. He hoists the white flag the moment the enemy confronts him. He has no fight in him, and surrenders before a shot is fired. When a prospect or customer puts up an objection he is done. “Well, I guess perhaps you are right,” he says, “it may be better for you not to buy now.” This salesman lacks stamina. There is not enough lime in his backbone, not enough iron in his blood. He is a good honest soul, but he lacks the virility that characterizes the great salesman.

Remember that every weak strand in your character, every hindering peculiarity, every unfortunate habit, will cripple your sales and mar your success. Sensitiveness, timidity, shyness, lack of grit or courage, all of these weaknesses are virtually cutters-down of your ability to sell. Timid, shy or sensitive people are often morbidly self-conscious. They are always analyzing, dissecting themselves, wondering how they appear, what people think of them. These things keep the mind diverted from its real object and are all destroyers of concentration and power.

Over-sensitiveness is a very serious handicap in salesmanship. The man who is not able to take his medicine with a smile, who is not able to cope with a surly, a cantankerous, a quick-tempered or a sharp-tongued customer, has no place in salesmanship. In other words, a great salesman must be able to carry on his selling campaign at the points where the ordinary salesman falls down. To do this he must not be thin-skinned. He must be able to stand all sorts of abusive talk under which the sensitive, over-refined salesman quails. He must be ready to push on vigorously at the point where the salesman who lacks grit will quit and turn back. He must be able to stand having pepper and salt sprinkled on his sore spots without wincing. He should keep one thing continually in mind: that his business is, at all costs, to make a sale.

This does not mean that a good salesman must have a rhinoceros hide; that would make him unfeeling, unsympathetic, and he would lack the human quality which is so essential in salesmanship. Nor does it mean that he should be pugnacious or over-aggressive. It simply means that he must be able to antidote and neutralize the prospect’s thrusts, however cruel or aggravating. In short, while keeping perfect control of himself, remaining pleasant and agreeable throughout, he must be able to put up a stiff fight, a dignified, manly fight that will leave him master of the situation.

This is where the timid or over-sensitive salesman falls short. He is thrown completely off his base by the vigorous thrusts and arguments of the rough, energetic business man who doesn’t stop to choose his words. He feels injured at the slightest reflection upon his ability, his truthfulness, the character of his goods, or his house. I know a salesman of this sort who will never make his mark, who flares up, “gets up on his ear,” as they say, whenever his sensitive, sore spots are touched. He lacks that masterfulness and superb confidence in himself which make a salesman proof against abuse or opposition. The self-confident man is impervious to the slights or slurs that make the sensitive man shrink into himself. He is too sensible of his own dignity to let them interfere with his business. When the small man, the peppery or morbidly sensitive man, feels that he must protect his “honor,” even if he lose a sale, the big, broad man knows that no one can hurt his honor but himself, and that it is best served by refusing to feel hurt or insulted where in reality no insult is intended.

Another point that works to the great disadvantage of the timid or sensitive salesman is this: he is afraid to make what is called the “cold” or “straight” canvass; that is, to approach people without having a “lead” or an introduction. This is a great weakness, and very often false pride is at the bottom of it. The man feels above his task. Again, ignorance of goods or of selling principles will cause a man to lack confidence in himself, and then, naturally, he is timid, fearful, for he foresees the failure that awaits him when he calls on a customer. Ignorance is timid; knowledge is bold, courageous. It is not enough to have possession of yourself if you don’t also have possession of your business, that is, if you are not thoroughly grounded in the principles of salesmanship. Thus grounded, if you adopt the right attitude toward your business and toward yourself, nothing can keep you from success.

Throw off your shyness, your morbid sensitiveness, your timidity. Get rid of your lack of faith and courage. Confidently expect that you are going to be a great salesman, a distinctive one, a salesman with individuality, with originality, with inventiveness, a man of resource and power. Never allow yourself to think that anything is true about you that you wish to be otherwise, because the thought you hold in mind is the model of your life building. Think faith, think courage, think strength, and you will develop those qualities.

The reason why so many of us build so slowly and so poorly is because we are constantly destroying our building by shifting our model. One day we have confidence in ourselves, and our mental model is full of courage, hope and expectancy, and the life forces build accordingly. The next day we are in the dumps, have no faith in ourselves, are discouraged, and of course these are the models for that day’s building, destroying the building of the previous day, and thus many of us go through life, building up and tearing down.

Be consistently courageous, hopeful, confident in yourself and in the power of your Creator to make you what you long to be, and nobody, nothing on this earth, can down you.

There is everything in flinging out a superb confidence in yourself, a firm belief that you are going to win. Expel all doubt and fear, all uneasiness, from your mind and approach every prospect with the expectation of success.

“Courage,” says Emerson, “comes from having done the thing before.” Your first success will give you the momentum that will push you on to the next. Every achievement adds to our self-confidence, the great leader of all our other faculties. If confidence does not go ahead, the other faculties refuse to go on.

Every time you conquer what you undertake, you add so much to the power of all the faculties you possess. Just as a snowball grows larger and larger as it rolls down hill, so our lives grow larger, richer, with each experience. We lose nothing of what we achieve. It is all added to the life-ball.

Not long ago I asked a very successful man, really a “born salesman,” what he considered the essential qualifications for good salesmanship. He put in the first category of qualifications: confidence in your goods, confidence in your firm, and confidence in yourself, plus enthusiasm, plus earnestness, plus perseverance, plus hard work, plus enjoyment of your work. In the second place he put: general knowledge of merchandise. In the third place he put: personality, and under this heading he included, honesty, neatness of appearance, poise, courtesy, sincerity, and temperance. The natural born salesman, he said, possesses all of these things, and in addition, tact, shrewdness, and understanding of human nature.

Now, 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 success.

You are a child of the Infinite; you bear the stamp of the Creator, and you must partake of His qualities. It is up to you, then, to make good; it is your duty as a man to show your origin, to stand your ground, to maintain your independence, your self-reliance, your dignity, against all attacks. It is up to you to stand for something in your life work, to be counted as one to be reckoned with in any transaction. It is your own fault if you are sucked out of your own plane of vibrations by a bully, a fighter, by any one, be he great or small. Selling honest goods is an honorable pursuit. Bring out your God-given powers. Improve the qualities He has given you and make your work, make your life significant. Don’t be apologetic; don’t be afraid; don’t cringe or wilt under opposition. Feel the importance and dignity of your work and let others feel that you feel it. Say to yourself, “I too am a son of God, the equal of this or any other man. I am going to maintain my poise, my individuality, my faith in myself, no matter what he says. I am as self-reliant, as independent, as forceful as any other man. I shall not be cowed by any one. I am not going to be downed by an obstacle.”

You will find it a wonderful help in overcoming obstacles in every phase of your work to assume a victorious mental attitude, and to carry yourself like a conqueror. If you go about among your fellows with a defeated expression in your face, giving the impression that you are not much of a man anyway, that life has been mostly a defeat, and that you don’t look forward to any success worth while, you certainly cannot hope to, and never will, inspire confidence in others; if your face, on the other hand, glows with the expression of victory, if you carry a victorious attitude, if you walk about the earth like a conqueror, a man victory-organized, you are headed toward victory. Nothing can keep you from winning out, because—and don’t forget this—Success begins in the mind.

CHAPTER XXIV
MEETING COMPETITION: “KNOW YOUR GOODS”

There are certain lines of business in which the salesman has no competition; this, however, is the exception. There are many lines in which the competition is more imaginary than real; that is to say, 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 competition. The buyer, however, who is usually shrewd, and, unfortunately, is often unscrupulous, will, if possible, lead the salesman to think that competitors have given better prices or better terms, and that their goods are superior. The salesman who is not armed at every point to meet his tactics runs the risk of being imposed on.

One superlatively good rule is this:—“Know Your Goods.” That will enable you to meet both real and imaginary competition. By this we mean, be familiar with the intrinsic merits of the goods you are selling, and know the market conditions which surround the trade. Read very carefully all the literature and advertisements put out by your house. Nothing will destroy a buyer’s confidence more quickly than to find a salesman ignorant of the claims made by his own house, or of the specific qualities of the goods offered for sale. Salesmen need to keep themselves fresh and enthusiastic in regard to their goods, not only by thorough reading of their house organs, and all literature issued with the view of creating patronage, but also by getting information from every possible source that will help them in their special line. Outside of what a man can learn from the printed matter furnished by his own house, he may learn much additional from leading trade journals and by talking with men who are familiar, in a practical way, with his line. In getting information from the salesmen of a competing house it is best not to exchange confidences. Learn all you can in an open, fair way, but do not resort to trickery, or to any methods which you would be unwilling to have a competitor use with your house.

The second rule for meeting competition is “Know Competitors’ Goods.” This again involves not only being familiar with the quality and uses of the goods, but with the reputation of the manufacturer and his selling agents, as well as the class of trade to which competitors cater, the class of salesmen they employ, and the ethics they observe in doing business.

Some believe that three-quarters of all business is done on a friendship basis. But it is a different friendship than that meant by the accepted term. It is business friendship, not social friendship.

Naturally, if you do business amicably with a man for a long time you are “friendly.” You call each other Smith and Brown, possibly “Charlie” and “Eddie”; maybe you lunch together occasionally. But such friendship is in nowise like that bestowed on your old neighbors, your college classmates, or your club brothers.

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 done.

“Friendship and business don’t mix” is an old adage and a true one. You can’t presume on your intimacy with a man to sell him goods; and it is seldom you can get his trade away from a successful salesman, even if you have identical goods and quote the same price. The salesman has become the buyer’s friend too, in a different way to what you are, but still a friend and deserving of consideration. No doubt business friendship plays a very large part in business getting with all salesmen. You know how hard it often is, to break in on the trade of another man, simply because he has won the friendship of his customers. Keep this in mind, and do everything to win the friendship and merit the continued confidence of your trade.

In this connection, remember that “knocking” is bad. When giving the rule, “Don’t knock,” as a good one for every salesman, I mean simply that a salesman should not criticise unfairly or bitterly the goods of another. There is no harm in pointing out the real defects or inferiority of rival merchandise, but it is a great mistake to show ill-will or to make unkind, uncalled-for criticisms. If it is necessary to protect a man from buying what is going to cause him a loss, we should not hesitate in criticizing and pointing out defects, but our criticisms should be made in a tactful way, so as not to leave the impression that we are “sore-heads.”

In the next place, avoid the great mistake of young salesmen, and of many experienced men, who talk their competitors’ goods far too much. I know a salesman of very pleasing personality who frequently hurts his sales in this way. He has a way of scattering his customer’s attention by introducing the possibilities of rival products in his own line. At the present time he is selling automobiles, and is constantly comparing his car with others, diverting the customer’s attention, by enlarging on the advantages and disadvantages, the good and bad points, of rival cars, confusing a man by bringing into his mind so many things at the same time.

He seems to take delight in exhibiting his thorough knowledge of the points of those other cars, and, in doing so, he often raises a question in the customer’s mind as to the desirability of some other than the one the salesman is selling, and will in many instances postpone purchasing until he investigates the rival cars.

The best salesmen say very little about a competitor’s goods. They simply explain and emphasize the advantages and good points of their own.

Don’t ignore questions about competitors, and don’t fail to banish from the customer’s mind all doubts and prejudices, but it is a serious mistake to spend a lot of time talking about competitors’ goods, when you ought to be sticking to the merits of your own. Answer quickly all questions, and then switch back to the excellence of what you are selling. Be so enthusiastic about your own selling points that rivalry will be forgotten.

In meeting competition, do not be fooled by the question of price. At present, very many staple lines are of about the same quality and the same price, so that you must bring out, as a high-grade salesman should, the fact that service is the main consideration. Show what your house can do in the matter of prompt deliveries, careful packing, dependability as regards uniform quality, correct count, liberal terms, etc., and do not forget that the general reputation of your house is a selling point. The facilities which you have for keeping abreast of the times, like the employing of experts to do experimental work, thereby improving your product all the time, is a point of service well worth consideration.

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 works. Any suggestions that he may make to his house will help in the matter of educational advertising, which always can be used to advantage in selling.

Above all, a salesman can meet competition most effectively by a strong personality. Remember that your goods are judged by yourself, sometimes, even, unfairly; and remember that we are always judged by our weakest points; hence, in order to hold your old trade from competitors, and to get new trade, you must possess “business magnetism,” which is another way of saying “a strong personality.”

CHAPTER XXV
THE SALESMAN AND THE SALES MANAGER

It is of the utmost importance that every salesman should have full confidence in his sales manager. There are many peculiar conditions which exist in all lines of business. The conditions of the trade are best known to those who have reached the position of sales manager or general manager, and their advice should always be sought with an open and receptive mind.

In many lines of business, treating and entertaining play an important part. Often, business can be procured through taking your customer to the theater, or taking him to your club for lunch or dinner, and quite often an afternoon playing golf may be the best way to “land” a large contract. There is far less entertaining done nowadays, however, than formerly. Entertaining is always so agreeable for the entertainer, as well as for the customer, that many salesmen are likely to overdo in this respect. They attach too much importance to social meetings outside of the actual getting of orders; hence, it is wise to abide by what the head of the firm, or the sales manager, may think in the matter of just how far to go when expending money, even for cigars that are to be given with the view, not of bribing the customer, but of getting him in a friendly attitude of mind.

Always be open-minded at the weekly or daily meetings, when instructions are given by the sales manager. Do not refer to his words as “hot air” and “bunk.” If you have suggestions, do not hesitate to call his attention to what you think would be helpful to the other men. Remember that if you really know more than the sales manager does, it is not going to be long before you will have his job. If you only think you know more than he does, and you persist in showing this, either by words or actions, you will soon lose your job.

Written instructions from a sales manager are the best kind. He would always do well to sum up briefly the main points of his advice, and get them out in the form of a letter or bulletin. Half a page of typewritten ideas, containing a few words of inspiration, will work wonders, both for the discouraged and for the enthusiastic members of his force.

To get the best results, sales managers should always be friendly and sympathetic with their men. Harsh criticisms upset a man, sometimes, to the extent that he will be worried and nervous for several days. Positive and emphatic reprimands are often called for, but they should always be courteous and tactful.

And the salesman, when listening to the criticisms of his sales manager, should remember this old quotation, “Better the wounds of a friend than the kisses of an enemy.”

Sales managers of the old school believe that finding fault and harsh, driving methods will get the best results. They are mistaken. “You can get more flies with molasses, than you can with vinegar,” is a saying perfectly true in its application alike to the salesman and the sales manager. This does not mean that the weak-kneed, spineless manager can get good results. Being friendly does not mean losing dignity. Different men must receive different treatment. There are lazy men, untidy men, those who do not try to make the most of whatever ability they have, and men with other more or less grave faults. In dealing with these, it is necessary to “lay down the law” much more emphatically than with the timid but ambitious ones.

Marshall Field was in the habit of saying to his employees, “Remember that the customer is always right.” I would advise every salesman to keep in mind these words: “Remember, your sales manager is always right.”

A matter you must invariably refer to your sales manager is that of swaying your customer by gifts. Many people want something for nothing, and a salesman often thinks that the easiest way to get an order is to use one or another kind of bribery. This may take the form of rebates, or cash on the spot, or presents. Be very discreet in such matters.

As a scientific salesman, do not forget to consider the buyer. He is buying scientifically. He is suspicious. Every one is trying to drive a very close bargain. He tries to make you yield on price, to make some concessions on payments, to give special privileges about returning goods, etc. Beware of all these tactics. Here, again, you must consult frequently, and with confidence, your sales manager. He knows the tricks of your particular trade, and he will be able to give you proper coaching.

Be sure, above all things, that if your sales manager had a chance to put an epitaph on your tombstone it would not be this: “He meant well, tried a little, and failed much.”

CHAPTER XXVI
ARE YOU A GOOD MIXER?

“Getting what you want from kings or statesmen,” De Blowitz said, “is all a matter of dining with the right people.” Through the power of his charming presence, his gracious manner, this famous journalist accomplished greater things at the dinner table, in the drawing-room or ball-room than any other newspaper man in Europe accomplished through letters of introduction, influence and special “pulls.” His popularity, his power to interest and please others, was his strongest asset.

The ability of Charles M. Schwab to make friends, his strong social qualities, his faculty for entertaining, for making himself agreeable, played a powerful part in his rapid advancement from a dollar-a-day job to the position of millionaire steel manufacturer. It was his social qualities which first drew Mr. Carnegie so strongly to him.

During the Homestead troubles, according to reports, young Schwab used to cheer Mr. Carnegie with humorous stories and the singing of Scottish ballads, and the iron master was always in better spirits after a visit from the young man.

There is no other one thing in such universal demand everywhere, in social life and in business, as the power to attract and please. A magnetic personality often commands a much bigger salary than great ability with a disagreeable personality.

I have in mind a young business man, with such a captivating manner, with such power to interest and please, that there are many firms in this country which would pay him a fabulous salary for his services.

We all like to do business, with people who attract us. If we could analyze cracker-jack salesmen in this country, we should find that they are men who have a fine magnetic personality. They are great “mixers,” they understand human nature. They are usually men of broad sympathies, are large-hearted, and of magnanimous natures.

“Diamond Jim” Brady—James Buchanan, he was christened,—is a shining example of the ultimate salesman. Mr. Brady has advanced himself to the position of selling rolling stock and supplies to railroads, and occasionally he sells entire railroads, making enormous fees as broker. He is perhaps the personification of “personality” and as a “mixer” he has no peer. His name is synonymous with “good fellow,” and his list of acquaintances is said to be as large as that of any other one man in New York.

There is something about one’s personality which eludes the photographer, which the painter cannot reproduce, which the sculptor cannot chisel. This subtle something which every one feels, but which no one can describe, which no biographer ever put down in a book, has a great deal to do with one’s success in life.

It is this indescribable quality, which some persons have in a remarkable degree, which sets an audience wild at the mention of the name of a Lincoln or a Blaine,—which makes people applaud beyond the bounds of enthusiasm. It was this peculiar atmosphere which made Clay the idol of his constituents. Although, perhaps, Calhoun was a greater man, he never aroused any such enthusiasm as “the mill-boy of the slashes.” Webster and Sumner were great men, but they did not arouse a tithe of the spontaneous enthusiasm evoked by men like Blaine and Clay.

A historian says that in measuring Kossuth’s influence over the masses, “we must first reckon with the orator’s physical bulk, and then carry the measuring line above his atmosphere.” If we had discernment fine enough and tests delicate enough, we could not only measure the personal atmosphere of individuals, but could make more accurate estimates concerning the future possibilities of schoolmates and young friends. 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 ability, and do not reckon this personal atmosphere or magnetic power as a part of their success capital. Yet this individual atmosphere has quite as much to do with one’s advancement as brain-power or education. Indeed, we constantly see men of mediocre ability, but with fine personal presence, being rapidly advanced over the heads of those who are infinitely their superiors in mental endowments.

Walt Whitman used to say that a man is not all included between his hat and his boots. This is but another way of putting the fact, proved by science, that our personality extends beyond our bodies. It is not who we are, how we are dressed, or how we look, whether we are homely or handsome, educated or uneducated, so much as what we are that creates that subtle mysterious atmosphere of personality which either draws people to us or drives them from us.

If you are exclusive; if you always want to keep by yourself and read, even though it be for self-improvement; if you love to get in a seat by yourself when you travel; if you shrink from mixing or getting acquainted with others on the road or in hotel lobbies; if people bore or irritate instead of interest you, you will never make a great salesman. You must be a good mixer, a “good fellow” in the highest sense of the word (not a dissipater); you must be popular because of your lovable human qualities, or you will not have that peculiar drawing power which invites confidence and attracts business. No matter what other excellent qualities he may possess, the exclusive man is rarely, if ever, magnetic; he doesn’t draw people to him; on the contrary, he keeps them at a distance.

I know of an exclusive salesman of this sort who for lack of this drawing quality is making a very poor showing in his business. Although a splendid fellow in many respects, a man of high ideals and sterling honesty, he is not popular, because he has never learned to be a mixer, never learned to be a good fellow, to approach people with a smile and a cheery greeting, to hold out the glad hand of fellowship.

When he registers in a hotel, even if he has been there many times, he just bows to the clerk, secures his room, and retires to it at once. He loves books, is quite a student, but he does not care to be with people any more than he can help. The other traveling salesmen do not like him. His distant, dignified personality repels them. In a word, his exclusiveness and his lack of magnetism have largely strangled his effectiveness as a salesman.

It takes warm human qualities to make a good salesman. You cannot sell things by the use of mere cold technique, however perfect. You must establish sympathetic, wireless connection with the prospect’s mind by making him feel that you are not only very much of a man to start with, but that you have a lot of human sympathy, and are really anxious to serve him, to put a good thing in his way.

Some salesmen have no more real sympathy for their prospect than they would have for a Hindoo image. Their voices carry no more sympathy, no more real human feeling than a talking machine. The house that employs them might as well send out phonographs to repeat their mechanical salesman story. They may hold customers who know that the firm they represent has an excellent reputation, but they have no power to attract new ones.

There is no other factor which enters so largely into success in business, in social, and in professional life, as does personality. There is nothing else which has such an influence in our dealings with others.

It is one of the salesman’s greatest assets. It will make all the difference in the world to him whether he is sociable, magnetic, with an attractive, agreeable, cheerful temperament, or whether he is grouchy, cranky, disagreeable and arouses antagonism in those with whom he deals.

It is not always the man of the greatest ability, the greatest mental power, by any means, who makes the great salesman. A man may be a mental giant; he may have a Websterian brain and yet be a pigmy of a salesman. A pleasing, attractive personality is a tremendous drawing power.

It has the same advantage a sweet, beautiful girl has when you first meet her. The girl doesn’t have to try to make a good impression; her personality, her charm, her grace do this without any effort on her part. I have heard merchants say they looked forward with keen pleasure to the coming of a certain salesman because he was such a good fellow; he was so sociable, cheery and agreeable.

It is a very difficult thing to resist that magnetic charm of personality which has swayed judges and juries from justice, and has even changed the destinies of nations. We have not the heart to deny or refuse, to say “No” to the man or woman who grips us with the impalpable force of a magnetic personality.

When logic and argument fail, when genius says “impossible,” when pluck and persistency give up, when influence has done its best and quits, when all the mental qualities have tried in vain, the subtle something which we call personal magnetism steps in and without apparent effort wins.

It makes a tremendous difference whether you bring a personality to your prospect which makes a striking, pleasing first impression, or whether you bring a cold, clammy, unenthusiastic, unresponsive nature, which makes an indifferent or an unfavorable impression, one that you must endeavor to overcome with a lot of long, tedious arguments. 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 salary. The little fellow may try just as hard as the big fellow, indeed he may try much harder; he may have had a better training in the technique of salesmanship, but because he lacks the warm, sympathetic, human, sociable qualities, his industry and hard work are largely neutralized.

I know a man who through the force of his personality is a colossal power in attracting business. Men follow him, are attracted to him, just as needles are attracted to a magnet. They can’t very well help dealing with him, he gets such a magnetic grip upon them. He does not need to make a very strong appeal; his personality speaks for him.

Phillips Brooks had such a personality. Strangers who passed him on the street felt his power to such a degree that they would turn and look after him. In his presence none could resist the pull of his magnetism, of his most wonderful personality. I was once a member of his Sunday School class in Trinity Church, Boston, and every one in the class instinctively felt from the first that he was in the presence of a great, a superb specimen of humanity. He had such tremendous magnetic power that when he wanted money for any charitable or philanthropic purpose, he did not have to beg for it, he merely suggested the need of it, and the closest pocketbooks would fly open. Everybody believed in Phillips Brooks because of the power of his superb character, the magnetism of his remarkable personality.

Emerson says, “What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” We cannot conceal what we are, how we feel, because we radiate our atmosphere, our personality; and this is cold or warm, attractive or repellent, according to our dominant traits and qualities.

A person who is selfish, always thinking of himself and looking out for his own advantage, who is cold, unsympathetic, greedy, cannot radiate a warm, mellow atmosphere because one’s atmosphere is a composite and takes on the flavor of all of one’s qualities. If selfishness, indifference, avarice and greed are dominant in one’s nature, this is the kind of an atmosphere he will radiate and it will repel because these qualities we instinctively detest.

The qualities that attract are out-flowing, buoyant; the qualities that repel are in-flowing; that is, people who have no magnetism are self-centered, they think too much about themselves; they do not give out enough; they are always after something, absorbing, receiving some benefit, trying to get some advantage for themselves. They lack sympathy, lack cordiality, good fellowship; they are bad mixers.

Some people are naturally magnetic, but when you analyze their character you will find they possess certain qualities which we all instinctively admire, the qualities which attract every human being, such as generosity, magnanimity, cordiality, broad sympathies, large views of life, helpfulness, optimism.

There is not one of these qualities that the salesman can not cultivate and strengthen a great deal. If he does so he will get a hearing where others have thrown back at them the fatal words, “No time to see you to-day—very busy.”

Many upright, honorable young men with political aspirations have been thwarted in their election campaign because they did not know how to make themselves popular. Splendid young men, striving for political honors, are constantly being beaten by men much their inferior in many respects. And this not because of graft or pull on their opponents’ side, but because the latter are good mixers. They know how to meet people, how to be good fellows, how to mix with others; in short they know how to make themselves popular.

We all know what a great demand there is in every line of business for traveling salesmen who are good mixers, men who have a genius for interesting, attracting and holding customers.

Whatever your business, your reputation and your success will depend in a great degree upon the quality of the impression you make upon others. It means everything, therefore, to young men, and to young women also, to develop a magnetic, forceful personality.

This is not a very difficult thing to do. Every one can cultivate the ability to please and the strength of character that will make him felt as a real force in the world. Knowing the qualities and characteristics that distinguish the magnetic and the unmagnetic, it is comparatively easy for us to cultivate the one and to eliminate the other. That is, we can cultivate the generous, magnanimous, cheerful, helpful mental qualities and crush their opposites; and in proportion as we do this we shall find ourselves becoming more interested in others, and they in turn becoming more interested in us. We shall find ourselves more welcome wherever we go, more sought after; we shall attract people to us more and more, 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 rich, magnetic personality.

In other words, if you cultivate the qualities which you admire so much in others, the very qualities which attract you, you will become attractive to others. Just in proportion as you become imbued with these qualities so that they shall characterize you, will you acquire a magnetic, attractive personality.

A good education is a great advantage to a man or a woman, but most of us put too great emphasis upon education, upon mental equipment and training. We seem to think that this is everything, but our personal atmosphere may have more to do with our success in life, more to do with determining our place in the world, our social or business advancement, our standing in our community, than our mere mental equipment.

The first step toward making yourself magnetic is to build up your health. Vigorous health, coupled with a right mental attitude, an optimistic, hopeful, cheerful, happy mind, will increase your magnetism wonderfully.

A person having robust health radiates an atmosphere of strength, a suggestion of vigor and courage, while one who lacks vitality drains from others instead of giving to them. Physical force and abounding joyousness of health help to create a magnetic, forceful personality. The man with buoyant, alert mind, with a sparkle in his eye and elasticity in his step, the man who is bubbling over with abundant physical vitality, has a tremendous advantage over those who are devitalized and are weak physically.

To be magnetic you must face life in the right way. Pessimism, selfishness, a sour disposition, lack of sympathy and enthusiasm—all of these tend to destroy personal magnetism. It is a hopeful, optimistic, sunny, sane, large-hearted person who radiates the kind of personal magnetism we all admire, the kind that commands attention, that attracts and holds all sorts of people.

Above all if you want to have a magnetic, attractive personality, cultivate the heart qualities. Intellect, brain power, has little, if anything to do with personal magnetism. It is the lovable, not the intellectual, qualities that draw and hold people. You must make people feel your sympathy, feel that they have met a real man or a real woman. Don’t greet people with a stiff, conventional, “How do you do?” or “Glad to meet you,” without any feeling, any sentiment in it. Be a good mixer and adapt yourself to different dispositions. Look every person you meet squarely in the eye and make him feel your personality. Give him a glad hand, with a smile and a kind word which will make him remember that he has come in contact with a real force, which will make him glad to meet you again.

If you would be popular, you must cultivate cordiality. You must fling the door of your heart wide open, and not, as many do, just leave it ajar a little, as much as to say to people you meet, “You may peep in a bit, but you cannot come in until I know whether you will be a desirable acquaintance.” A great many people are stingy of their cordiality. They seem to reserve it for some special occasion or for intimate friends. They think it is too precious to give out to everybody.

Do not be afraid to open your heart; fling the door of it wide open. Get rid of all reserve; do not meet a person as though you were afraid of making a mistake and doing what you would be glad to recall.

You will be surprised to see what this warm, glad handshake and cordial greeting will do in creating a bond of good-will between you and the person you meet. He will say to himself, “Well, there is really an interesting personality. I want to know more about this lady or gentleman. This is an unusual greeting. This person sees something in me, evidently, which most people do not see.”

Some people give you a shudder, and you feel cold chills creep over you when they take hold of your hand. There is no warmth in their grasp, no generosity, no friendliness, no real interest in you. It is all a cold-blooded proceeding, and you can imagine you hear one of these chilling individuals say to himself, “Well, what is there in this person for me? Can he send me clients, patients or customers? If he does not possess money, has he influence or a pull with influential people? Can he help or interest me in any way? If not, I can not afford to bother with him.”

Cultivate the habit of being cordial, of meeting people with a warm, sincere greeting, with an open heart; it will do wonders for you. You will find that the stiffness, diffidence and indifference, the cold lack of interest in everybody which now so troubles you will disappear. People will see that you really take an interest in them, that you really want to know, please and interest them. The practice of cordiality will revolutionize your social power. You will develop attractive qualities which you never before dreamed you possessed.

If you cultivate a magnetic personality you will increase your sales and lessen your work, besides getting a lot more enjoyment out of life than you otherwise would.

Remember, customers are drawn, not pushed. Trade to-day is largely a question of attraction, and the salesman who is the most magnetic, who has the most affable manners, who is a good mixer, will attract the largest amount of orders.

CHAPTER XXVII
CHARACTER IS CAPITAL