IT IS THE POWER TO THINK MY OWN THOUGHTS AND BE MYSELF
Character is accurately reflected in one’s mental attitude
Without a strong foundation built on positive character traits, success will not long endure. It is virtually impossible to fake good character. Phonies are quickly spotted because they haven’t the substance and determination to maintain the charade. Developing good character begins with a positive attitude. Your desire to be a good, decent, honest, considerate person must first take place in your mind. When you make the decision to become a person of character, you will also find that you are much more willing to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do
Chapter 1: Definition of Salesmanship
The master salesman is a master of other because he is master of himself
Life is a series of ever-changing and shifting circumstances and experiences
Any form of effort through which one person persuades another to cooperate is salesmanship
If a man attains a high station in life, it i because he has acquired or was blessed with a natural ability as a salesman
You can sell your personality
He discovered how to sell his way through life successfully
The great Thomas Edison failed ten thousand times before he made the incandescent electric light work. Do not become discouraged and “quit” if you will fail once or twice before making your plans work
Women are the greatest salespeople on earth. They are superior to men because they are more subtle, more dramatic, and use greater finesse. Men often believe they are selling themselves to women in proposals of marriage. Generally, however, it is the woman who does the selling. She does it by making herself charming, attractive and alluring
Selling is the art of planting in the mind of another a motive which will induce favourable action
The master salesman becomes a master because of his or her ability to induce other people to act upon motives without resistance or friction
Study, effort and experience
The people must be served
In the future the question of paramount importance will be “How much can i give in the way of service to others”, not “How much can i get away with and keep out of jail”
Men who have imagination will not wait for time to prove their soundness
They will anticipate the changes that are to take place; and will adapt themselves to the new conditions
No matter who you are or how much you know, you will not succeed unless you are a salesman! You must sell yourself. You must sell your personality
Your only limitations are creatures of your own mind
You can remove any limitation which you can create
Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes
Chapter 2: You need intelligent promotion to succeed
All anyone really requires, as a capital on which to start a successful career, is a sound mind, a healthy body, and a genuine desire to be of as much service as possible to as many people as possible
If we wish to get ahead in the world we must find ways and means of bringing ourselves to the attention of people who need whatever we have to offer the world. Building a better mousetrap than one’s neighbour will avail one nothing unless sound, intense, and continuous sales promotion is placed in support of the trap
It is each person’s duty and responsibility to provide himself with whatever form of media promotion needed to help him attain success in his chosen calling
I get better results by frankness in my dealings with people, for i find that direct, straight dealing not only wins friends, but also it holds them
The human ego is a tricky piece of mental equipment. It needs constant protection against all forms of flattery, the one element to which an ego responds most readily
Life is made up of situations and circumstances calling for “yeses” and “noes”. The person who negotiates his way through life successfully learns to use each in its proper place
If you would sell your way through life successfully look around you, see what useful service you can render to as many people as possible, make yourself of value to others, and you will not need to learn the art of flattery in order to win people and use personal influence. Moreover, those whom you do win will stay won
To be well liked gives one great advantages
Employers are always on the lookout for a man or woman who does a better job of any sort than is customary, whether it be wrapping a package, writing a letter, or closing a sale
Success in any calling is largely a matter of one’s being able to negotiate his way through life with a minimum amount of friction in connection with his relationship with other people
Frankness and directness
Seek counsel of men who will tell you the truth about yourself, even if it hurts you to hear it. Mere commendation will not help bring the improvement you need
Chapter 3: The Strategy of Master Salesmanship
Motive is the seed from which a sale may be germinated
A master because he captures prospective buyer’s own imagination and makes it work for him
His first move was to lay out a plan of action! (Here is where most people fail, because they lack a plan that is definite and sound.)
The motive of desire for fame and power and the motive of revenge
The master salesman paints a word picture of the thing he if offering for sale. The canvas on which he paints in the imagination of the prospective buyer
The master salesman paints another picture. He omits no detail. He mixes word-colourings so that they blend with harmony and symmetry, which capture his prospective buyer’s imagination. He builds the picture around a motive which dominates the entire scence, putting the prospective buyer’s own mind to work in his behalf. That is master salesmanship
Yet artists are made, not born
They may be born with the inherent potentialities for artistic creation, but they become finished artists only by mastering the technique of harmony, form, and color
Showmanship is not only one of the important factors in master salesmanship, but it is important in practically every other calling. An efficient showman is one who can dramatize the commonplace events of life and give them the interesting appearance of uniqueness. Efficient showmanship calls for sufficient imagination to be able to recognize things, people and circumstances, which are capable of being dramatized
People buy personalities and ideas much more quickly than they buy merchandise
Most people are not influenced largely by reason; they are swayed by emotions, or feeling. The man who is not capable of arousing his own emotions very deeply is not apt to be able to appeal to others through their emotional nature
To become a master salesman, you must daily engage in study time, reading time, thinking time, and planning time
Be an able salesman and you can be almost anything else you wish to be
Emphasizing the importance of sales strategy or a plan which has been carefully built around the proper motive
If you can’t forgive, don’t ask to be forgiven
Chapter 4: Qualities the Master Salesman Must Develop
Science has abundantly proved that even a state of mind reflects a physical condition and that chemical and physical factors within the body itself bring about the moods and feelings and thoughts
The list of very desirable qualities.
Physical fitness
Courage
Imagination
Speech.
Hard work
Knowledge of the merchandise he sells.
Belief in the merchandise or service
Appropriateness of merchandise
Value Given
Knowledge of the prospective buyer
Qualifying the prospective buyer
Ability to “neutralize” the mind of the buyer
Ability to close to a sale
A pleasing personality
Showmanship
Self-control
Initiative
Tolerance
Accurate thinking
Persistence
Faith
Habit of observation
The habit of rendering more service than is expected of him
Profiting by failures and mistakes
The master mind
A definite major aim
The golden Rule applied
Enthusiasm
THE NINE BASIC MOTIVES: To which people respond most freely
The motive of self-preservation.
The motive of financial gain.
The motive of love.
The motive of sex urge.
The motive of desire for power and fame.
The motive of fear.
The motive of revenge.
The motive of freedom (of body and mind).
The motive of desire to build and to create in thought and in material
WEAKNESS IN TECHNIQUE
Failure to present a motive for buying
Lack of persistence in sales presentation and in closing
Failure to qualify prospective buyers
Failure to neutralize the minds of prospective buyers
Lack of imagination
Absence of enthusiasm
The major weaknesses in personality and habits of salesmen
The habit of procrastination.
One or more of the six basic fears.
A) The fear of poverty
B) The fear of criticism
C) The fear of ill health
D) The fear of loss of love of someone
E) The fear of old age
F) The fear of death
Spending too much time making “calls” instead of sales.
Shifting responsibility to the sales manager.
Perfection in creating alibis.
Spending too much time in hotel lobbies
Buying “hard-luck” stories instead of selling merchandise.
Imbibing too freely “the night before.”
Depending on the sales manager for “prospects.”
Waiting for business conditions to pick up.
Hearing the word “no.”
Fearing competition.
Devoting too much time to the “poultry” business.
Reading the stock market reports.
Plain pessimism.
Successful people, in all callings, never stop acquiring knowledge related to their major purpose, business, or profession
Chapter 5: Auto-Suggestion, Your first step in salesmanship
Because of the importance of self-selling, the subject of auto-suggestion assumes an important role in the teaching of salesmanship. This is the principle through which the salesman saturates his own mind with belief in the commodity or service offered for sale, as well as in his own ability to sell
Auto-suggestion is self-suggestion
The sub-conscious mind is the “broadcasting station” which voluntarily “telegraphs” one’s thoughts and beliefs (or disbeliefs) to others
The seven major positive emotions
The emotion of sex.
The emotion of love.
The emotion of hope.
The emotion of faith.
The emotion of enthusiasm.
The emotion of optimism.
The emotion of loyalty
The world is controlled by the emotional faculty
The seven negative major emotions
The emotion of anger (Quick and transitory)
The emotion of fear (Prominent and easily discernible)
The emotion of greed (Subtle and persistent)
The emotion of jealously (Impulsive and spasmodic)
The emotion of revenge (Subtle and quiet)
The emotion of hatred (Subtle and persistent)
The emotion of superstition (Subtle and slow)
Remember that people are motivated to buy, or not to buy, through their feelings. Remember also that much of what they believe to be, their own “feelings,” consist, in reality, of thought impulses which they have unconsciously picked up from vibrations of thought released by the salesman
Like attracts like
Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad
Silence is far more effective than words inspired by and mixed with the emotion of anger
Never, in the history of the world, has there been such an abundant opportunity as there is now for the person who is willing to serve before trying to collect
Chapter 6: The Master Mind
Power is acquired through organized and intelligently directed knowledge. The master mind principle makes available unlimited sources of knowledge, because one may, through its application, avail one’s self to the knowledge possessed by others, as well as all knowledge which has been accumulated and recorded
Let us keep in mind the fact that power is essential for successful achievement in every walk of life. Also, let us remember, power is organized and intelligently directed knowledge
Successful achievement is the result of power
One way to avoid criticism is to do nothing
Chapter 7: Your Improved Concentration
Concentration is the focusing of the attention, interest, and desire upon the attainment of a definite end
Concentration is defined as “the habit of planting in the mind a definite aim, object or purpose, and visualizing the same until ways and means for its realization have been created
Habit may grow out of concentration and concentration may grow out of habit
Any idea, plan, or purpose or definite aim which you persistently submit to your sub-conscious mind through the medium of concentration here described, brings to your aid the force of infinite intelligence until eventually practical plans of procedure will flash into your mind during your period of concentration
Power is predicated upon organized energy. Energy can only be organized through the principle of concentration. It is a fact worthy of serious consideration that all men of outstanding success in all walks of life are men who concentrate the major portion of their thoughts and efforts upon some definite purpose or chief aim
The habit of focusing his mind upon a definite chief aim through the principle of concentration
Concentration develops the power of persistence and enables one to master all forms of temporary defeat
Every human being is ruled by the law of habit. Because this is true, the person who learns to build his habits to order, practically controls the major cause of successful achievement. Concentration is the principle through which one may build one’s habits to order. It has been correctly said that “we first make our habits and our habits then make us”
We have habits of mind and habits of body
There is no point of compromise between a man and his habits. Either he controls his habits or his habits control him. The successful man, understanding this truth, forces himself to build the sort of habits by which he is willing to be controlled
Whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap
Your financial condition is not the result of chance or accident. It reflects perfectly the nature of your dominating thoughts, desires, and aims. In analyses of men who have accumulated huge fortunes i studied particularly the source of those fortunes and in every case discovered that they represented the consummation of the state of mind of those who had accumulated them
Until concentrated thought externalized itself in physical reality
Thinking is the hardest work that any man can do
Your employer does not control the sort of service you render. You control that, and it is the thing that makes or breaks you
Chapter 8: Initiative and Leadership
Initiative means the doing of things without being told to do them. It means the selection of a definite aim and the building of plans for the achievement of that aim
The Major attributes of initiative and leadership
Know definitely what you want
Build a practical plan or plans for the achievement of that which you want
Do not become discouraged no matter what obstacles you may meet
Do not be influenced by others to abandon your plans or your aim
Have no set hours of labor. The leader must devote to his task whatever hours are necessary for success
Concentrate upon one thing at a time as you cannot dissipate thought and energy and still be efficient
Persistence is the keynote to success for all great leaders
Act quickly without waiting to be told by others what to do
A man is paid, not merely for that which he knows, but more particularly for what he does with what he knows, or that which he can get others to do
Successful men never wait for others to show them what to do or how to do it. They take the initiative themselves, appoint themselves to leadership, enlist the necessary assistance and capital and forge ahead despite all opposition. Self-confidence is one of the essentials for success in leadership. One of the natural tendencies of human nature is that of willingness to follow the man with great self-confidence. No one wishes to follow a man who does not seem to be sure of himself
A real leader is always persistent and never accepts temporary defeat as failure. The leader who changes his mind often soon loses the confidence of his followers. When a leader changes his mind often he thereby outs his followers on notice that he is not sure of himself, and if he isn’t sure of himself, how may he expect his followers to be sure of him
A man always does his best work when he feels that he is acting upon his own initiative and knows he must assume full responsibility for his actions
Uses persuasion, not power
There are two types of leaders in the world. One resorts to power and controls his followers through fear; the other resorts to persuasion and controls his followers through able salesmanship
Kindness is more powerful than compulsion
The law of compensation isn’t always swift, but it is as certain as the setting of the sun
An educated person is not necessarily the one who has the knowledge, but the one who knows where to get the knowledge when needed
Chapter 11: Neutralizing your prospective buyer’s mind
A neutral or favourable mind of a prospective buyer should contemplate Confidence, Interest & Motive.
The three subjects of confidence, interest, and motive having been attended to, the salesman has reached the point at which the sale may be closed
The art of scientific salesmanship may be described as a Three Act Drama consisting of:
Act 1: Interest (This must be created by neutralizing the mind of the prospective buyer and establishing confidence)
Act 2: Desire (Desire must be developed through the proper presentation of motive)
Act 3: Action (Action or the close can be induced only be the proper presentation of the two preceding acts)
Words alone, will not sell! Words, woven into combinations of thought which create desire, will sell
The ten major factors on which confidence is built
Follow the habit of rendering more service and better services than you are paid to render
Enter into no transaction that does not benefit, as nearly alike as possible, everyone it affects
Make no statement which you do not believe to be true, no matter what the temporary advantages a falsehood might seem to offer
Have a sincere desire in your heart to be of the greatest possible service to the largest number of people
Cultivate a wholesome admiration for people; like them better than you like money!
Do your best to live as well as preach your own philosophy of business. Actions speak louder than words!
Accept no favors, large or small, without giving favors in return
Ask nothing of any person without believing that you have a right to that for which you ask
Enter into no arguments with any person over trivial or non-essential details
Spread the sunshine of good cheer wherever and whenever you can. No man trusts a joy-killer!
Confidence is the basics of all harmonious relationships. The salesman who overlooks this fact is unfortunate; he can never becomes a master salesman. This means he limits his earning capacity and circumscribes his possibilities of advancement
There are two major occasions which cause men and women to talk, and, therefore, advertise favourably or unfavourably a business; when they think they have been cheated, and when they have received a fairer treatment than expected. All people are like this. They are impressed by the law of contrast. Anything unusual or unexpected, whether it impress favourably or unfavourably, makes a lasting impression
Whatever you possess, material, mental, or spiritual, you must use it or lose it
If you are successful remember that somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a lift or an idea that started you in the right direction. Remember also, that you are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped
PART TWO: A negative mind spawns only negative ideas
It is a physical impossibility for a negative mind to generate positive thoughts
The habit of negative thinking generates more and more negative thoughts
Develop the habit of eliminating negative thoughts the moment they appear
Chapter 13: Choosing Your Job
The majority of people devote more time to thinking about the money they want or need than they do about creating ways and means of earning that amount through an equivalent of service
98% of the people of the world may be considered failures from the viewpoint of earnings and occupation. Also, 98% of the people holding positions have drifted into them and remained there because they lacked the power of decision to choose more suitable positions
Performing labor which one does not like is one of the great tragedies of civilization
Possession of personal power and use of it are two different things
Happiness is the ultimate height toward which every human being is striving
No man can be happy without some form of occupation
I refuse to believe what you say unless it harmonizes with what you do
Chapter 14: Selecting a definite major aim as your life work
Singleness of purpose is a quality without which no one may attain to outstanding success. This is an age of specialization. It is also an age of keen competition which does not favour the person who cannot excel in some specific occupation
The five fundamental steps to your success
Choice of a definite or a definite goal to be attained
Development of sufficient power to attain one’s goal
Perfection of a practical plan for attaining one’s goal
Accumulation of specialized knowledge necessary for the attainment of one’s goal
Persistence in carrying out your plan
Some of the advantages of a definite aim
First: Singleness of purpose forces one to specialize and specialization tends toward perfection
Second: A definite goal permits one to develop the capacity to reach decisions quickly and firmly
Third: Definiteness of purpose enables one to master the habit of procrastination
Fourth: Definiteness of purpose saves the time and energy one would otherwise waste while wavering between two or more possible courses of action
Fifth: A definite purpose serves as a road-map which charts the direct route to the end of one’s journey
Sixth: Definiteness of purpose fixes one’s habits so that they are taken over by the sub-conscious mind and used as a motivating force (involuntarily) in driving toward one’s goal
Seventh: Definiteness of purpose develops self confidence and attracts the confidence of other people
Drifting people are like rudderless ships and “all the voyages of their lives are bound in shallows and miseries
History is rich in the recital of men who have hitched their wagon to a star – a single star – and ridden in into the heights of great achievement
With what mind or intention
Those who know where they are going usually get there
Brawn brings a daily wage. The price of it is fixed by the law of supply and demand. “General” services, rendered by one who has not specialized, brings but little more than brawn. Brains, when marketed through a definite aim have no fixed price. The sky is the limit in the marketing of specialized talent. These are statements of obvious fact, yet 98 out of every 100 people fail all through life because they do not follow the principle of working with definiteness of purpose
Every failure will teach you a lesson that you need to learn if you will keep your eyes and ears open and be willing to be taught. Every adversity is usually a blessing in disguise. Without reverses and temporary defeat, you would never know the sort of mental of which you are made
Chapter 15: The habit of doing more than you are paid for
The habit of rendering more service and better service than one is paid to render is an absolute essential to the advantageous marketing of personal services
The capacity to assume responsibility is the quality that brings the highest monetary returns
If you render no more service than you are paid to render, then it is obvious you are not entitled to any more pay. This is a fact against which there is no argument!
“Good will” asset is generally known as one’s reputation for efficiency
Every individual who works for a salary naturally wants more money and a better position. Not every such individual, however, understands that better positions and greater pay come as the result of motive and that the greatest of all motives with which these desirable benefits may be attracted is that of rendering more service and better service than one is paid to render
People sometime outgrow both their positions and their employers
You are a merchant. You have the equivalent of a commodity to market. That equivalent is your personal services. Use the same principles of sound judgement in marketing your services that a successful merchant uses in marketing his merchandise
As long as you are willing to let life push you around, it will
The customer is always right
Giving before trying to get
He profits most who serves best
The odds against the person who tried to get without giving an equivalent apply to the person who attempts to collect pay before delivering adequate service, just as they do to people who gamble. Those who try to harvest before sowing generally believe themselves wise enough to beat the game. It cannot be done
Most men can cheat others occasionally without detection. But no man can cheat others without observation by his own conscience and that conscience is an official recorder of one’s acts and thoughts. It writes the record of every thought and deed into the fabric of one’s character
A clear conscience is an asset comparable to no other!
M Statler became the most successful hotel man in the world by rendering more service and better service than his guest were asked to pay for
Chapter 16: Your pleasing personality
To negotiate with others without friction is a rare ability. It is necessary in marketing personal services effectively
A pleasing personality is an asset without which it is difficult to market personal services or to keep them marketed
A pleasing personality is one which has flexibility and adapt-ability sufficient to permit an individual to harmonize with any environment, and the necessary magnetism to dominate through attraction
A pleasing personality consists of many qualities, the more important of which are:
Good showmanship
Harmony within self
Definiteness of purpose
Appropriateness of clothing
Posture and carriage of the body
Voice
Sincerity of purpose
Choice of language
Poise
A keen sense of humour
Unselfishness
Facial expression
Positive thought
Enthusiasm
A sound body
Imagination
Tact
Versatility
The art of being a good listener
The art of forceful speech
Personal magnetism
Have something to say which is worth listening to and say it with all the enthusiasm at your command
Every human being carries with him what is known as an “individual atmosphere”
Every business and every place of employment has also a distinctive atmosphere which consists of the combined personalities of those who work there. A person with a dominating personality of pleasing nature may so color the atmosphere of the place where he works that the spirit of the entire place will also be pleasing. On the other hand, one person who has a dominating personality of a negative nature may transmit that personality to everyone in a place of business so that the atmosphere of the place becomes displeasing and unpleasant
Every business is the extended shadow of one person
The positive or pleasing atmosphere value of a place of business, while it is an intangible asset, is one of the greatest assets any business can have. Such an atmosphere may be had only through a combination of positive individual personalities
The major factors of a negative personality
Disloyalty
Dishonesty
Greed
Envy and hatred
Jealousy
Anger
Fear
Revenge
Fault finding
Peddling scandal
Uncontrolled enthusiasm
Prevarication
Escaping responsibility for mistakes through alibis
Exaggeration
Egotism
Obstinacy
Selfishness
All forms of self-praise are easily recognized as evidence of inferiority complexes, therefore one’s motto should be “deeds, not words”
Be your most serve critic
A pleasing personality will help you to market your services effectively
Sound character will help you to keep your services marketed permanently
Chapter 17: Cooperation
Inability to cooperate stood at the head of the list of the causes of failure
The time you put on a job is not the correct measure of your worth. That is determined by the quality and the quantity of your work, plus the influences you have on others by your mental attitude
Your position is nothing more than your opportunity to show what sort of ability you have. You will get out of it exactly what you put into it – no more and no less. A big position is but the sum total of numerous little positions well filled
Chapter 18: How to create a job
Organized imagination brings the highest price of any form of ability
The world stands in need of men who will use their imaginations
The country is faced not by the necessity of solving one problem, but by the necessity of solving hundreds of problems. Pick out any one of these problems and work out, through imagination, its solution and your problem of acquiring money will be solved
Not all of the new ways of doing business nor the best ways have yet been found. The future will call for still more new ways. This need is your opportunity. Use your imagination and convert that opportunity into fortune
The greatest cure for loneliness, discouragement, and discontentment, is work that produces a healthy sweat
Chapter 19: How to choose your occupation
Decision in connection with the choice of a life work is one of the two most important decisions which young people have the responsibility of making. The other is the decision in connection with the selection of a mate in marriage
Every young man and woman ought to be able to (1) operate a computer efficiently, (2) take notes speedily, and (3) keep a set of books accurately, before selecting a vocation. Knowledge of these subjects is of vital importance in the successful conduct of any business or profession
A business college training is an absolute necessity to the person who aspires to a position as an executive in the field of business today for the reason that executives must have understudy experience of a nature which can be acquired only through business college preparation
The urge of necessity is a great blessing to most people. It forces them to do the things they should do, but too often would not do, without the pressure of necessity
The faith and persistence to accept defeat as being nothing more than an experience from which something of value is learned
Life is filled with obstacles which must be surmounted. Only those who have the stamina and willingness to fight can win
Don’t ask too much of life, that’s all. In the final analysis, if you get just a little success, and a lot of love, they’ll hold up your hand as the winner
The happiest people are those who have learned to mix play with their work and to bind the two together with enthusiasm
Chapter 20: How to budget your time
8 hours for sleep
8 hours for work
4 hours for recreation and health
2 hours for study and preparation
2 hours for extra service for the benefit of others, without pay
= 24 hours
Remember again that you are where you are and what you are because of your own conduct
You cannot be successful without paying the price of success
He must begin ascertaining what are his weaknesses and when they have been discovered, he must form habits which will either eliminate or bridge those weaknesses so they will not work against him
We are all more or less the victims of habit
Watch your habits during this eight-hour period because those habits hold the secret of your future, no matter who you are or what may be your calling in life. This period offers the only hope available to the person who is poverty stricken but desires riches. It is the starting point of the person who aspires to a position of independence and freedom
When you come to analyse yourself for the purpose of discovering how many of the causes of failures are standing in your way, you will discover that most, if not all, of those disclosed by your analysis have grown out of your habits of waste during this eight-hour period
We are all victims of the power of suggestion. Most of our habits are acquired through the influence of other people around us
Excesses take a financial toll as well as a physical toll
Nothing can be marketed effectively unless the product to be marketed has value
The principle of singleness of purpose
You have the power to create anything you can imagine! With proper action on the ideas produced by your imagination, you will achieve success!
Chapter 21: Your masterplan for getting a position
Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can
Know the difference between failure and temporary defeat, and say that you never accept defeat as anything more than an inspiration to make a fresh and more determined start
Understand tolerance to mean “An open mind on all subjects, toward all people
It is well worth remembering that the client or customer is the most important factor in any business. If you don’t think so, try to get along without him or her for awhile
Let me emphasize that you should use your own imagination and initiative when it comes to the actual writing of the letter of application
There are no lazy men, What may appear to be a lazy man is only an unfortunate person who has not found the work for which he is best suited
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