The talking machine world (Jan-June 1919)

January 15, 1919 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD 21 Work and More Work the Genuine Secret of Successful Salesmanship = "Salesmanship is a science; is an art." Well, it may be, but that definition, to me, is a trifle highbrow; a bit theoretical. While I have great respect for other men's opinions, especially those who can speak with rightful authority, yet, in my humble way, I prefer to regard salesmanship from a more practical angle. I insistently incline toward the belief that salesmanship is work, work and more work, guided by certain fundamentals of purpose, direction, method and judgment, which it is my privilege to discuss. Throw into a dish a real "worker," good health, reasonable ability, neat appearance, sound habits, some business sense; spice it all with fair personality, courtesy, thoroughness and earnestness; mix well with common sense; bake to a turn and out of the oven of experience draw a finely moulded and successful salesman. That's my recipe. Naturally, there is no set rule for the positive determination of a good salesman. A man may have all the requirements but one and the one lacking may nullify all the others. There are certain qualities which, no doubt, would enhance a man's selling ability, but which, in themselves, would by no means guarantee ability to sell. Of these I point particularly to personality, brilliancy and education; yet, I maintain with firmness, that all else being equal, salesmen possessing one or all of these attributes are bound to soar far above their fellows. I am not among those who insist that a salesman is born, not made. To my mind, a larger proportion of salesmen are made than are born. True enough, many men are born with a certain natural ability to sell, which, however, requires much guidance and training before they become what can safely be called "a salesman." In my experience I have seen several instances of men who, by all standards, had none of that quality called "born or natural ability," but who had instead, in a big measure, energy, determination, studiousness, reliability and confidence; and so greatly outdistanced the man of the so-called "natural ability." Practically every sales manager can point to striking instances of this kind in his experience. It is notable that there are large numbers of men employed in the capacity of salesmen who flit from one job to another, never "making good," always proving a burden to their con cerns and a heavy expense before their real lack of worth is discovered. Such men are the bane of the sales manager. Their trouble too frequently is due to the fact that they are in a field where they are entirely unadapted. Perhaps as office men, doctors, lawyers, engineers, in agricultural pursuits, or in one of many other occupations, they would be pronounced successes. On the other hand, there are fellows now struggling without possibility of success. B The Real Salesman is I the Man Who Takes M a Territory, Builds M It Up, and Grows M Stronger Every Trip not only in the professions just mentioned, but ill menial jobs, who have latent ability which, if trained and developed, would put them among the big earners as salesmen. Failures in life, to a very large degree, can be traced to the fact that men are following pursuits for which God never intended them. Give me the "worker," the man who is absolutely honest and dependable, for it is safe to say he'll very often possess the other necessary qualifications, or if not he'll employ every means to acquire them under careful direction, for the worker strives for success, and will leave nothing undone to equip himself with the essentials to that goal. I'll gamble on the "worker" every time. Let my competitor have the "born salesman" chap. They are too often unsteady, unreliable, spasmodic and hard to handle. The "worker" is constantly on the job. He catches the early train out of town in the morning and the late train into the next town. He travels when it least cuts into the time that should be spent in seeing his trade. He not alone makes every minute count close to 100 per cent., but he handles his job with thorough :: :: By Joseph I. Carroll Manager of Sales, Emerson Phonograph Co. ncss in every detail, applying himself studiously to gaining a full knowledge of his line, as well as that of his competitor, and, equally as important, to studying the simplest and most convincing presentation of the knowledge thus gained. Granted a man be a "worker" there are certain other fundamentals, not beyond any man to acquire. A salesman should study; study always to overcome defects which become manifest as he goes along. The successful salesman seldom is derelict in this respect. Give attention to your appearance. Be neat, not gaudy. Acquire a manner — and it can be acquired by persistence — wherein courtesy and dignity predominate. Every man has some personality. Develop it. Watch other men who have it in abundance. Imitate them, if you will, little by little. It can be done, and gracefully, too. It's a great help in salesmanship. Assuming a man's health is good — and it must be kept so — forcefulness follows, for is he not a "worker" and work and application beget "force," a very essential quality in salesmanship. Good health can only be maintained by sound habits. The "wine, woman and song" traveling man is a creature of the dim and distant past. To-day the successful representative is the thinker, the planner; the man who uses his spare moments to lay out his work in a systematic and orderly fashion, who diagnoses each case wherein he has failed, and rearranges his forces to strengthen his apparent weaknesses, and to attack where his object is most vulnerable, who works every available town on his territory with the same amount of interest, whether the town be large or small, who treats small merchants with consideration equal to that which he extends the big buyer. Such a man will work every square inch of his territory until it yields the maximum business. Regarding habits; if wine, woman and song, yea, cards, are part of your life, let each fit in, in its proper place, and each in moderation — much moderation, but under all circumstances so discipline yourself that no one of them interferes with your ability to produce sales, and produce them in a manner creditable to yourself and your organization. Be a gentleman always. 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