The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-08-07
SELF-CONFIDENCE
IS NECESSARY
WHAT IT MEANS TO THE SALES
MAN AND HOW HE MAY BUILD
UP HIS CHARACTER, AS TOLD
BY w. w. HIscox IN THE LAST
SAMPLE CASE.

Lack Of self confidence is a disas-
trous stumbling block to success on
the road, especially for young travel
| ing men. says w. w. Hiscox in The
Sample Case for July. Many promis-
| ing youths have stubbed their toes
| against this rock, and for some the
| pain was so great as to completely
cripple them and subdue their ambi-
tion to become commercial statesmen.
This absence of self confidence is,
in most cases, the reason for failure
Of young housemen who start out on
the road The houseman may have
had excellent training and may know
every detail Of his line, but somehow
when he gets among strangers he loses
his self possession which he exhibited
while in the office, stOckroom or ship
ping department. There he was we'll
acquainted with his associates and
possibly with the .1souse customers
who came TO the city to buy. He knew
now to meet, how to approach and
how to deal with them, because of an
(cquired intimate acquaintance. Time
too short, competition is too fierce
md the house too impatient for orders
- SLiAO" l14G "dSIG OI several LTlDS
'ver a territory before a salesman be-
ms to send in orders sufficient to
meet expenses and give a profit be-
ides.
Self confidence Is not developed to
ny great extent in the house. Luckily
; the young salesman who comes by
is self confidence naturally and does
OF have to revelop this quality which
so essential in filling order books
ut very few statesmen are born The
ajority are made through careful
aiming and experience. Most of us
LIN efficiency by hard knocks
trough necessity, We become eff
ent in service. We know that If we
, not make sufficient sales to make a
eft for the firms we represent, our
rvices will be dispensed with and
will have to seek other road posi-
)ns. When trade Is dull the house
an is not held responsible for the
crease in orders, the credit man does
t worry or the man at the bench
lis the pressure of duty to hustle
ore to overcome bad conditions. 1t
the statesmen who bear the blunt of
he struggle. The house shouts for
cders 1--WE want orders" And the |
1lesmen are expected to get them.
To succeed, self confidence must be |
'ident in every action of the sales |
AN. He must not be easily discour- |
red or disappointed. Like other |
1alities self confidence may be ac- |
uiTed by development. The constant
Meeting of people and Of associating
"ith them, will, to a great extent, |
make one self confident. The narrow |
limits Of the house naturally prevents |
the houseman from coming into con-
tact with many people, thus develop- |
ing the polish necessary for sales |
Meeting people alone is not |
suffcient for the development of self |
confidence. Clerks behind the conn |
ters wait on hundreds daily, and while |
handling goods and money exhibit |
form OF self-confidence; but place
these clerks in the position of COM
mercial statesmen who go after their |
trade, they prove wanting in the abil- |
ity to scope with the superior know
ledge of the buyers.
Self confidence is only fully secured |
when salesman knows that, through
knowledge and training, he is equal or
superior to the buyer whom he is try
ing to sell. A salesman may have the
necessary self elf-confidence in nine sales
and yet fail in the tenth trial because
or his lack of faith in his own power
to cope with the prospective customer.
This is especially true of large sales,
and especially so where statesmen have
been accustomed to soliciting orders
from the small shopkeepers. Often
times, the reputation of a buyer being
a big man skaters the self confidence
Of salesman.
Meeting people constantly, placing
on an equality with them,
and banishing all thoughts of timidity,
helps to certain degree in the ac-
quisttion of self confidence. But back
of being good fellow well met" must
be knowledge. A bluff will not go far
or long, for in time the buffer is dis
covered. You must have confidence