The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-09

81 the road Initiating. or rather carl
eatur.ng the travelling salesman
:. Having gained the merchants
/ favorable attention, he next aroused
his interest The sales,uan's knowl-
edge OF his goods and his under
! standing OF human nature enabled
aim TO do this.
8. Then. by showing the good points
| Of his wares in connection with their
| Interesting history. he aroused thu
| merchants desire 70 become the
eaner OF those valuable and pleas
ing wares
4. Next be had 10 gain the rner-
chants confidence that the goods.
X bought by him. would come 20
him according TO sample. and that
everything would be done as agreed.
!. Then ne had TO persuade the
merchant to act then and there and
sign tho order and deliver IL Such
an order has been signed In good
faith and retained by the merchant
/ TIL next morning. perhaps. for soria
/ possible addition. but meanwhile
something Unforeseen happened and
that order never WAS delivered
Always rem enaber: II five things
are necessary to rightly do a thing.
| than four or four and half or thosa
'A'o slthES WAL sSe 40 &AiADCAGlls
| A near-sale ia not a sale; though
| many mere order-taker" tries TO
| delude himself and his employers into
| the belief that II Is practically The
same thing.
Perhaps Hamlet was thinking OF
"ntar-sAles" when he said:
| And enterprises OF great pits ana
moment
With this regard. their currents turn
away,
an5 lose the name o. action"
Al these things are necessary TO
be done, consciously or uneonNsLss IA.
! ", 10 make tho first sale.
But before that salesman could
take second order from that eus-
toner something very particular had
10 De done by sc melody IN the mean
.i:ae.
That order had to be filled exactly
right. the goods had TO be packed and
shipped just as directed. and they
would have TO have given entire sat
isfaetion TO tho purchaser.
It appears, then, that to be first
class salesman you nNst, as the an
eient Greek philosopher said. "Knotha
Seauton," know myself: or as Alex
andsr Pope expressed the same idea
centuries latter, the proper study OF
mankind Is man.
The only way to understand human
nature Is TO study yourself, nor az
YOU ought to be, not as you may
fondly imagine you ara. not as others
may think you are, but just exactly
as yea really are. Re sure that II
you are really all right, which means
to appear right as well as to he right,
the world around you will sooner or
later find 1t out. and size You up for
exactly what you are, and the people
with whom you do business will treat
you accordingly. 1t requires no small
amount OF knowledge to know your
self well enough to rightly under
stand others. 1t means a lot more
than to Judge others by yourself. fire.
Quently just the reverse. Tho thing
which would please you might be the
thing which would mos displeass your
customer. 1t Is his tastes. hts pre1u-
dice, his Judgment. his wishes you
must conform TO, within reasonable
limits, Il you would persuade him to
become your permanent and profta-
Bile. patron. whicheis the object and
end OF good salesmanship.
2. knowing yourself and your Gus
toner. you must have that general
and particular knowledge OF your
goods and their relation to the mar
ket In general and to your custom
ers' needs in particular, that would
make sale to him be good bust
ness that is. be protltahle and ant=
rfsrHrrory TO All concerned
Thus wo begin to show why here
are SO very few first-class statesmen.
The demand for them being constant
and increasing With the rapid de-
veiopnent of commerce, It Is easy
to see why they command such SEEM
ingiy exorhitant salaries. fhera is
little danger that the supply will ever
equal the demand III you were worth
ten thousand or twenty five thons-
and. or more, as a salesman, and that
fact were suddenly made known 10
numerous captains of industry, you
would. perhaps. within fortnight re-
lciva dozen offers OF employment
a. salaries or much moro than yon
were worth. for such saiesm en- are
~ srars large corporations can ar
fori to take chances.
Your young ambition ocuid scarpe
o'erlsap itsslfsif you should definitely
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