Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1912-12-06
| Advertising /
- Talks Talk. q
SELLING GOODS BY
AID OF SUGGESTION
Good AdWriter Places Desired
Thoughts in Minds of
Others.
BY DENVER WHITE.

Some of us may at times do some of
our own thinking, but most of us get
most of our thoughts ready-made and
second handed from thought special
lists, and the rest of them from other
sources outside our minds.
Some thoughts are the products of
an individual, while others just grow
among a community of individuals, but
the average individual does but very
little thinking.
The reason humans, who do not
think, get through life SO much better
than animals, which do not think, is
that humans have the faculty OF ap-
propriating the thoughts that the
thinking humans make.
We have two minds; one to think
with and one to do with. The mind
which does is directed by thoughts,
and the mind which thinks directs it.
The mind which is guided by
thoughts is the one which takes care
of us on our journey through life,
keeps us out Of trouble and writes
most of our ads 1t is a very busy
mind
The other mind, which is supposed
to do the thinking, is generally loaf
er. In most people 1t does nothing all
day long, consequently there are no
thoughts generated.
Where, then, do the thoughts come
from, which direct our working mind,
SO that We may get through life and
keep out of trouble and write our ads?
Come From Without.
They come from without. Some of
them come from the ready-made
thought dealers. Some of them just
grow.
But wherever they come from, our
working mind does not question their
authority or responsibility.
What the working mind wants is
thoughts to work upon, and if 1t can
not get them from within it unques-
tioningiy accepts those which come
from without.
Indeed, some peoples working mind
will not recognize direction from
their own brother thinking mind. They
see them so seldom. They prefer to
get their thoughts ready made from
the outside.
Now, if the average mind is merely
q machine for directing thoughts to be
placed in, like the record of a phono-
graph, can we not place therein just
the thought we wish, and get there
from just the opinion, desire, resolu-
49, - o.1+;1,, xrvo doCira9
We can if we know how.
That is suggestion.
have seen dozens of definitions, In
books of psychology and advertising,
Of what suggestion Is. And grouping
them all together and striking the av-
erage, / get something like this: Sug-
gestion is the process of placing
ready-made thought in persons mind
without his consciousness of it.
Definition Very Broad.
realize that this definition is very
broad, much too broad from a psyche
logical standpoint, but for the pur-
poses of this paper ask you to accept
it, and admit that any idea, thought,
wish or determination you put into
your prospects mind by any means
other than reason, persuasion or in
struction was suggested.
Everybody is subject to thousand
different mental influences coming
from without himself. AS was said be-
fore (and this is the most important
thing for the advertiser), most people
are guided almost entirely by the men
tai influences which come from with
out.
How then can we take advantage of
this situation to make people think as
we want them to, without spending
our time and money in reasoning. per-
suading and instructing?
First, before you can slip anything
into the mind of your prospect, you
must have the door of his mind open.
If he fears you, you can't get in.
If he has no respect for you. you
can't get in.
If he is not in sympathy with you,
you can't get in.
For, though the average mind is
ready enough to accept what is offered
it, it's primal instinct of self-preser-
walton protects it from influences
which seem probable to harm 1t.
The average mind, however. does
not hold fear or contempt for a per
son it does not know. Therefore, 1t Is
seldom necessary to overcome these
before making suggestion effective.
If fear or contempt already has been
established, nc suggestion Is possible
until they have been overcome.
So to make suggestion effective,
we must overcome fear, doubt, dis
trust and disrespect. and replace them
with the positive feelings of conf
dence and respect.
Sympathy Important.
But sympathy is the most important
emotion, from the viewpoint of the adj
vertiser. To win a persons sympathy