The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-08-06
EARNESTNESS IS
A REQUISITE
WoRTHINeToN C. HOLMAN, THE
WELL KNOWN WRITER, GIVES
) SOME OF THE QUALIFICATIONS
y THAT A GOOD TRAVELLING MAN
SHOULD HAVE.

Ss A chlef quality or q successful SaleS-
man is earnestness. The reason you
are not selling more goods to merch-
ants is that you haven't all sold your
selves yet. You've got to believ in
your product yourself before you can
make anyone else believe in 1t. It's
sno use to try to start a flame Of en-
1-thusiasm in somebody else If your own
mind is full of Icy doubts.
'~ts Why did the man over on the ave
-hue turn you down yesterday morn
ing? Because he could tell by your
looks that you half expected him to d.
so. And the fellow you called on In
the afternoon sized you up the same
way. You didn't get anywhere near
him. He listened to what you said
but it was with a cold and fishy eye
says WOrthington G. Holman. in cling
er Talks. True, he nodded his head in
assent as you talSed-but two minutes
after you started his mind was wand
ering. And when you came to put
your finger on him at the end to get
the order signed, he was like the
Dutchman's famous fiea-he wasn't
there.
You had lost him. You hadn't i'm
hadn't been impressed yourself. And
he knew it. You couldn't fool him.
HE didn't feel any electric sparks Of
enthusiasm jumping the space from
lyour mind to his. Nothing but a live
wire could give him a sensation, and
you were trying to magnetic him
with words of wood.
You put up a smooth enough line OF
viction back Of It, 1t takes belief,
earnestness, enthusiasm, warm human
personality, to sell goods. If 1t didn't
we'd discharge all our statesmen and
enlist a force of monographs or a
troop of wooden Indians.
III. Now, here's our word to you. Don't
eyou try to sell any more goods to bust
mess men. You go off around a corner
somewhere, where you can be alone
.and sell yourself line Of the article
we make. Think over it's value; re-
sHlize it,; burn it into your mind. Emu
smerate it's good qualities one after
the other; get a realizing sense OF each
!. one. Consider what our product will
.sdO for a business man, the money it
will make for him, the saving it will
effect. Sweep out of your mind like
so many CObwebs, any apolgetic feel
Ing regarding it. You are not trying
to persuade the business man to waste
money. You are not trying to trick
&or cajole him into doing something
that he can't afford to do. You are
selling him something that he needs.
@You are helping him to increase his
profits. You are doing him as great
a favor as he does you.
Say these things over to yourself
Think them in your heart; realize
sdhem-they're all true. Light the flame
~of your enthusiasm and fan it into
good brisk blaze. Then, when you've
@sOld yourself, when you believe in
your own proposition, heart and soul
go back and tackle that same man q
second time. Greet him quietly and
courteously. Tell him that you don't
believe you made your proposition
quite clear when you saw him before
and begin again. You are in earnest
this time. He'll feel the change.
Therell be an atmosphere about you
that will carry respect. He'll listen to
you. His mind won't wander any more
than the mariners needle wanders
from the pole
Make your arguments actual and
personal. Bring them home to him.
Stab every point into his mind so that
he can't miss 1t or forget it. Make
him feel each one.
There's as much difference between
understanding a thing theoretically
land having a practical sense of it as
there is between a boxers love-tap and
prize lighters deadly punch in the
solar plexus. And it takes solar plexus
punches to sell goods these days. Mer-
-chants are hard headed and thick
skinned and they're all in training
against you statesmen. You can hit as
-sBmilingly and gracefully as you please
but you've got to hit hard to get inside
an up-to-date business mans guard.
You haven't half made your point
with your man If when you get
through he looks upon your product
merely as something he would do we'll
to use In his business. Make him feel
; that he can't get along without it,
Make him see that he's losing valu-
able time and labor in his place of
business, that real dollars are slipping
through his fingers every day he is
without 1t. Many a man who won't
reach out very hard for an extra dollar