Chapter 3

_Skill In Selling Your Best Self_

[Sidenote: Practice Of the Art]

If you have developed real capability and first-class manhood, you have "the goods" that are always salable. But you realize now that the mere _possession_ of these basic qualifications for success will not insure you against failure in life. You cannot be _certain_ of succeeding unless you _know how to sell_ true ideas of your best self in the right market or field of service, and until you develop _sales skill_ by continual correct practice.

We will assume that you have had little or no selling experience. You are conscious that you entirely lack sales art. Therefore, though in other ways you feel qualified to succeed in life, you may be dubious about your future. Perhaps you realize that _skill in selling_ true ideas of your best capabilities is all you need to make your success certain. But you question, "Can I be _sure_ of becoming a skillful salesman of myself?" You have no doubt of your ability to _learn_ the selling process, but very likely you do not believe you ever could _practice_ it with the art of a master salesman. Consequently you are not yet convinced of the certainty of your success.

[Sidenote: Success Proportionate To Sales Skill]

Of course success cannot be absolutely assured in advance unless _every element_ of the secret we have analyzed can be mastered. Hence it is necessary that you now be shown _certain ways_ to sell ideas--ways that _cannot fail_, that are adaptable to the sale of _any_ right "goods," and that _you_ surely can master. You need to feel absolutely confident that _if you follow specific principles and use particular methods, you can impress on any other man true ideas of your best capabilities_. When you become skillful in making good impressions, you certainly will be able to sell yourself into such chances to succeed as fit your individual qualifications.

_Your success with the best that is in you can be made directly proportionate to your skill as a salesman of "your goods_." Mastery of the art of selling will enable you to cut down to the minimum the possibilities of failure in whatever you undertake. Remember that _success does not demand perfection._ There never was a 100% salesman. To be a success, you need only _make a good batting average in your opportunities_ to sell. It is not necessary to hit 1000 to be a champion batsman in the game of life. Ty Cobb led his league a dozen years with an average under .400.

[Sidenote: Technique And Tools]

The _foundation_ of sales art is _knowledge of selling technique_. So the first step in the process of developing your skill as a salesman of yourself is the study of the _right tools_ for making impressions of "true ideas of your best capabilities." You must know, also, the scientific rules that govern the _most effective use_ of these right tools. Technique, however, is only the _basic element_ of salesmanship. On the foundation of your sales _knowledge_ it is necessary to build sales _skill_ that will completely cover up your technique. Your perfected sales art should seem, and really be _second nature_ to you.

Your salesmanship probably will be crude until you overcome the awkwardness of handling unfamiliar tools, or familiar tools in ways that are new to you. But "practice makes perfect." The use of the right technique in selling true ideas about your best self will soon become natural.

[Sidenote: Making Success Easy]

The _skillful_ sale of ideas is accomplished _without waste of time or energy in the selling process_. The unskillful, would-be salesman not only fritters away his own time and effort, he also wastes the patience and power of the man to whom he wants to sell his "goods." The sales artist, however, gets his ideas into the mind of a prospect _quickly_, with the least possible _wear and tear_ on either party to the sale. No one appreciates a fine salesman so thoroughly as the best buyer. Skill in selling true ideas about your particular qualifications will not only _assure_ your success, but will make it _easy_ for you to succeed.

[Sidenote: Docking Your Sales-man-ship]

The skillful salesman is the captain of his own sales-man-ship. But in order to make certain of landing his cargo of right impressions he takes aboard the pilot Science to begin with, and then concentrates on four factors of the art of selling ideas:

First, _discovering and traversing_ the best channel into the prospect's mind;

Second, _locating the particular point of interest_ upon which the salesman's cargo can be most effectively unloaded;

Third, _maneuvering alongside_ this center of the buyer's interest;

Fourth, _securely tying to_ the interest pier so that the shipload of ideas may be fully discharged.

The primary aim of the skillful salesman _when making port_ is to get safely to the right landing place as soon as possible and with the least danger of failure in his _ultimate purpose_ of completing the sale. At this initial stage of the selling process, however, he concentrates his thoughts on the _skillful docking_ of his sales-man-ship. The _nature of the cargo_ a sailor ship captain brings to port has little or nothing to do with the art of reaching and tying up to the pier. Similarly, whatever his "goods of sale," the skillful _salesman_ uses the same principles and methods to dock his salesman-shipload of ideas most effectively in the harbor of the prospect's mind. So the _art_ you are studying is _standardized_. When you master it, you can apply it successfully to the sale of your best self or any other "goods of sale."

[Sidenote: Reasoning And Argument Are Wrong]

Before considering the methods of selling that are most effective, it will be well to get rid of a mistaken idea that is all too common. A great many people regard reasoning power, or the force of pure logic, as an important selling tool. There are so-called salesmen who attempt to "argue" prospects into buying. Unthinking sales executives sometimes instruct their representatives to employ certain "selling arguments." But the methods and language of the debater have no place in the repertory of a _truly artistic_ salesman or sales manager.

One debater never _convinces_ the other. At best he only can _defeat_ his antagonist. In a skillfully finished sale, however, there should be neither victor nor vanquished. The selling process is not a battle of minds. There is no room in it for any spirit of antagonism on the part of the salesman. So in your self-training to sell true ideas of your best capabilities, do not emphasize especially the value of logic and reasoning. If you use them at all in selling yourself, disguise their character most skillfully. _Never suggest that you are debating or arguing your qualifications_ with prospective buyers of your mental or physical capacity for service. You cannot browbeat your way into opportunities to succeed.

Most employers buy the expected services of men and women in order to satisfy their own _desires_ for particular capabilities. Few will buy against their wishes. In order to sell your qualifications with certain success, you first must make the other man genuinely _want_ what you offer. Almost always _mind vision_ and _heart hunger_ must be stimulated to produce desire. Therefore the most skillful salesman of himself does not use the words, tones, and actions of argument. In preference to cold reason and logic he employs the arts of _mental suggestion_ and _emotional persuasion_.

[Sidenote: The Force of Suggestion]

Suggestion is especially effective in producing desire; because an idea that is merely _suggested_, and not stated, is unlikely to provoke antagonism or resistance. A suggestion is given ready access to the mind of the other man. Usually it gets in without his realizing that a _strange_ thought has entered his head from outside. When he becomes conscious of the presence in his mind of an idea that has been only _suggested_ to him, he is apt to treat it _as one of his own family of ideas_ and not as an intruder. Naturally he is little inclined to oppose a desire that he thinks is _prompted by his own thoughts_. However, he would be disposed to resist the same wish if he realized it had been _injected_ into his consciousness.

All of us know the great force of suggestion; but there are very few people who so use words, tones, and movements as to make the _most_ of their power of _suggesting_ ideas in preference to _stating_ them. Probably no tool of salesmanship will be of more help in _assuring_ your success than fully developed ability in suggestion, which is the skillful process of getting your ideas into the minds of others _unawares_.

[Sidenote: Words Are Doubted]

The _words_ we use are intended to convey pretty definite meanings to listeners. If we are entirely honest in our words, we expect whatever we say to be taken at its face value as the truth. Yet each of us knows that his own mind seldom accepts without question the statements of other men, however well informed and honest they are reputed to be. You and I mentally reserve the right to believe or to doubt the written or spoken _words_ of someone else; because they always enter our minds _consciously_. We know that the words we hear or read come from _outside ourselves_.

The skillful salesman proceeds on the assumption that his words will be stopped at the door of the prospect's mind and examined with more or less suspicion of their sincerity and truth. Therefore the selling artist employs words principally for one purpose--to communicate to the other man information about such _facts_ as cannot be introduced to his consciousness otherwise. Some facts can be told only in words. But a master of the selling process uses as few words as possible to convey his meaning. He depends on his _suggestive tones_ more than on what he says. He reenforces his speech with accompanying _movements_ and muscular _expressions_, to get into the mind of the other man by _suggestive action_ the true _ideas behind the words_ used.

Similarly when you bring your full capability to the market of your choice, you should not rely upon a mere _declaration_ of your qualifications; and upon _word_ proof, written or spoken, that you are _the_ man for the job. Your words are unlikely to be taken at their face value. Any claims you have a right to make will be discounted heavily if you _say_ very much about your own ability. You run the risk of being judged a braggart and egotist when you _talk_ up your good points; though you may be telling no more than the plain truth.

[Sidenote: Tones and Acts Are Believed]

However, if your _tones_ of sincerity and self-confidence denote really big manhood; and if your every _act and expression_ indicate to a prospective employer that you are entirely capable of filling the job for which you apply, he probably will consider himself very shrewd in sizing you up. Really _you_ have suggested to him every idea he has about you, but he will think _he_ has _found_ in you the very qualifications he desires in an employee. You can do more to sell yourself by the way you walk into a man's office than you could accomplish by bringing him the finest letters of introduction or by "giving him the smoothest line of talk about yourself." He is able to read the principal characteristics of the real You in your poise and movements and in the manner of your speech. _He will believe absolutely any characteristic he himself finds in you_. _What_ you say to him may have little real influence on his judgment of you. But be sure that he will note _how_ you speak; and will make up his mind about you from your tones and actions, rather than from your words. He will think the ideas you suggest to him are _his own original discoveries_.

[Sidenote: Suggestion By Tones And Acts]

Evidently, before you attempt to achieve success, it is very important that you study the _art of suggestion_ by tones and actions. When you know the principles, you should practice this art until you make yourself a master of skillful suggestion.

You need to know precisely the _effects_ of tone _variations_, the exact _significance_ of the _various_ tones you can use. It is necessary also for you to comprehend not only that "Every little movement has a meaning all its own," but _just what that meaning is_. When you are equipped with thorough knowledge of _how_ to suggest particular ideas through tones and motions, you should practice using the principles and methods of suggestive expression you have learned, until it becomes second nature _always to speak and act with selling art_. Then you will be a skillful salesman, sure of your power to sell true ideas of your best capability wherever you are. Your success will have been made certain through your sales _art_ built on the foundation of your sales _knowledge_ by your fully developed sales _manhood_.

[Sidenote: Discriminative Selective Method]

Your increased selling _skill_ will result _naturally_, just as we have seen that you will _grow_ naturally in sales _manhood_, if you employ the discriminative-selective method when training your human nature in the art of suggesting your best self. You need first to recognize the exact _differences_ of significance among the various tones and movements at your command. Then your self-training in suggestive expression should be concentrated on the _particular ways_ of speaking and acting that will best demonstrate your qualifications for success. Of course it is equally important to _eliminate all tones and movements that might suggest unfavorable ideas_ about you. To make sure of your success, be certain that everything you do and say tells "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" about your capabilities. It is necessary to make sure no word, tone, or movement carries the least suggestion that might possibly leave a false impression of the real You.

Let us make a brief analysis now of words, tones, and acts--_the three means of suggestive expression which are the natural equipment of every man for conveying his ideas to the minds of others_. You cannot employ the discriminative-restrictive method to develop your selling skill unless you know very definitely just _what_ your different tools of expression are, and the almost infinite variety of _uses_ to which they can be put.

[Sidenote: Four Rules About Words]

For the reasons already explained, words are of much less value than tones and movements in suggesting ideas the other man will admit to his mind unawares. But the sales efficiency of words can be very much increased if they are chosen with intelligent _discrimination_, and if the choice is _restricted_ to words that have four qualifications.

First, they should be _common_ words.

Second, _short_ words are more forceful than long words.

Third, words of _definite meanings_ are preferable to mere generalizations.

Fourth, words that make _vivid_ impressions are most effective in suggesting ideas.

[Sidenote: Common Words]

When you employ words to sell true ideas of your best capability, choose words that everybody understands. Do not "air your knowledge" in uncommon language. Unless you are seeking a position as a philologist in a college, restrict yourself to every-day common speech when selling your personal qualifications. An important element in the skillful sale of ideas is making them as _easy_ as possible for the other man to comprehend. If you use unfamiliar words, it sometimes will be hard for him to understand what you mean. _The truly artistic salesman avoids introducing any unnecessary element of difficulty into the selling process_. So you should discriminate against all unusual expressions and restrict yourself to the _common_ words that are easy for any man to comprehend.

[Sidenote: Short Words]

A long word or phrase may convey your idea clearly, but _force_ is lost in the drawn-out process. Remember that your _words_ will meet the intuitive resistance of the other man's mind before they are admitted to his full belief. You cannot afford to sacrifice the driving-in power of the _short_ word. Therefore, when your opinion is asked, it will be better salesmanship to say, "I think" so and so than "It is my impression--"

[Sidenote: Definite Words]

The _definite_ word conveys a _particular meaning_ to the mind of the other man, not merely a vague or general idea. Never say, when you apply for a position, "I can do anything." That tells the prospective employer simply _nothing_ about your ability. Particularize.

[Sidenote: Vivid Words]

It is of the utmost importance to make _vivid impressions_ with your speech. You should employ words skillfully to produce in the mind of the other man _distinct and lifelike_ mental images. He may not credit the words themselves, taken literally and alone. But he will believe in _the pictures the words paint in his mind_; because he will think he himself is the mental artist. He will not be suspicious of his own work. If you apply for a situation in a bank, and the cashier seeks to learn whether or not you are safely conservative in your views, you can suggest in vivid words that you have the qualification he requires. You will make the desired impression if you say to him, "I always carry an umbrella when it looks like rain."

[Sidenote: Tone Meanings]

Our analysis of the three means of self-expression turns now to _tones_. Rightly selected words are tremendously augmented in selling power when they are _rightly spoken_. Most men employ but a small part of their complete tonal equipment, and are ignorant of the _full sales value_ of the portion they use. The master salesman, however, practices the gamut of his natural tones, and utilizes each to produce particular effects. Thus he supplements his mere statements with _suggestive shades of meaning_. The _way_ he says a thing has more effect than the words themselves.

Conversely tone _faults_ may have a disastrous effect on one's chances to succeed. For illustration, ideas of mind, of feeling, and of power can be correctly expressed by the discriminative use of particular _pitches_ of tone. But a wrong pitch, though the words employed might be identical, would convey a directly opposite and false impression.

[Sidenote: Mental Pitch]

Suppose you are appealing only to the _mind_ of your prospective employer--as when you quote figures to him--you should restrict your tone temporarily to the mental pitch. You are just conveying facts now. Therefore the "matter-of-fact" tone best suits the ideas expressed. Since it fits what you are saying, the way you speak impresses the other man with the suggestion that _your tone and words are consistent_. Therefore his mind has no inclination to resist the mental pitch on this occasion. He admits your figures to his conscious belief more readily than he would credit them if spoken in an emotive or power tone. Such tone pitches would strike him as out of place in a mere statement of fact.

[Sidenote: Tone Faults]

If your prospective employer asks how old you are, and how many years of experience you have had, and you reply in a tone vibrant with emotion or in a deep tone of sternness, the wrong pitch certainly will make a bad impression on him. By employing an inconsistent pitch when stating facts, you might "queer" your chances for the position you most desire. The tone fault in your salesmanship would lie about your real character. The man addressed would think you were foolish to use such a pitch in merely imparting a bit of _information_ to his mind. He would expect you to employ for _that_ purpose simply a _head_ tone, not a chest tone nor an abdominal tone. The head tone, when used to convey matters of _fact_, aids in convincing the _mind_ of the other man because _it is the pitch that fits bare facts_--the tone of pure mentality.

[Sidenote: When Mental Tone Should Be Used]

This mental, or head tone, is most effective in gaining _attention_, in conveying _information_, in arousing the _perceptive faculties_ of another mind. _Restrict its use to these purposes only._ The mental tone is not pleasing to the ear. It is pitched high. It suggests arguments and disputes. It is the provocative tone of quarrels. So it should be employed most carefully, with every precaution against giving offense by its _insistence_.

Avoid its use for long at a time. Its very monotony is apt to irritate. The high pitch suggests a mental challenge to the mind of the other man, and hence arouses his mental tendency to opposition. The unskillful _over-use_ of head tones may ruin a salesman's best opportunity to gain a coveted object.

There are times, however, when it is necessary that you should insist--briefly. If you do so _artistically_, and do not persist in the high, mental, rasping tone; but change to the lower, emotive, chest tone very soon after your insistence on the other man's attention, you will not hurt your chances. It is the _continued_ use of the head tone that is to be avoided.

[Sidenote: Emotive Pitch]

The _emotive_ (chest or heart) pitch dissipates opposition as naturally as the mind tone provokes a quarrel. Even a hot argument can be ended without any lasting ill-feeling if the disputants conclude with hearty expressions of good will for one another. The same words spoken in head tones would increase the antagonism by suggesting sarcasm or insincerity. The resonant chest tone suggests that it comes from the speaker's heart. The _hearer's_ heart makes _his_ mind believe the heart message conveyed by the emotional pitch of the other man's voice.

Therefore if you want your ideas to penetrate a man's _heart_, don't aim your tone _high_ at his head. _Lower_ it to the pitch of true friendliness, of comradeship, of human brotherhood. Aim at _his_ breast with _your_ breast tone. Do not fawn or plead, however, when selling ideas of yourself. You can persuade best by suggesting that you have brought all your manhood to render the other man a real service. This suggestion will induce a feeling of _respect_ for you, which will certainly be followed by willingness of the prospect to let you show him you are able "to deliver the goods."

[Sidenote: Danger of Over-using Head Tone]

Some people suggest by the over-use of head tones that they depend altogether on what they _know_ to achieve success. They make the impression that they expect their high degree of _mentality_ to open chances for them to succeed. "They know they know" their business; so when they secure opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities, they emphasize too much what they _know_. They are apt to use the mental tone continually. Perhaps the prospective employer needs a man of exactly such knowledge as is possessed by the candidate he is interviewing. But if when presenting his qualifications the applicant rasps the ears of his hearer for a long time with high-pitched head tones, the listener intuitively becomes prejudiced. He is impressed with the suggestion that the speaker is a "know-it-all" fellow. The employer is likely to turn down his application because of the unskilled tone pitch in which it is made.

[Sidenote: Sing-Song Parrot Talk]

When a man has talked glibly and fast about superior qualifications he knows he possesses, it dazes him if his exceptional capabilities fail to win him the job for which he is particularly fitted. He cannot comprehend why another applicant who plainly is not so well qualified should be chosen. But his voice has suggested to the employer that everything he said was just "parrot talk." Thousands of bright "parrots" remain failures all their lives for no other reason than their utter inability to get inside the _hearts_ of other men. The ordinary canvasser who trudges from house to house with his "sing-song" patter has grown into the bad habit of using head tones almost exclusively. As a natural reflex of the unpleasant impression he makes with his voice, it is a common experience to have a door slammed in his face.

[Sidenote: Getting Around Mental Barrier]

The master salesman comprehends that the _mentality_ of a prospect is a barrier to his _emotional_ expression. That is, the mind is an alert sentinel on guard to protect the _heart_ from its own impulses to unthinking action. So the skillful salesman when making his "approach" _goes around_ the mind side of the prospect to the emotional side, where there is no hostile guard. He knows that "the hearts of all men are akin," and that "the hardest heart has soft spots." He realizes it is bad salesmanship to challenge the sentinel mind of the prospect in a mental tone. So the salesman artist makes _his_ tone resonant with chest vibrations that stimulate the direct response of the _other_ man's heart. _He works at first to draw out fellow feeling, not to drive his ideas into the head of the prospect._

[Sidenote: Talking Like a Brother]

The mere presentation of _thoughts_, or _mental pictures_ of goods, is not enough to induce a prospect to buy. The master salesman comprehends that he has to deal with the _dual personality_ of the individual he plans to sell. Therefore from the very beginning of his interview he works to open the mind of the other man by first establishing a unity of human feeling between his own heart and the heart of his prospect. He uses the _emotive_ tone. He "talks like a brother." Of course he is careful not to exaggerate this show of fellow feeling. He uses a "hearty" tone without appearing in the least degree hypocritical. When their _hearts_ are in accord, the other man is prepared to agree _mentally_ with the salesman.

[Sidenote: Power Pitch]

The third pitch of your voice as a salesman is the _power_ tone. It can be used skillfully to suggest that you have the force required to succeed. It is the pitch that comes from deep down and that calls into play the powerful abdominal muscles. It is not necessarily a loud tone, however. Often it is low, with a suggestion of immense reserve strength behind it. With the power pitch you can _command_ in a simple request which, spoken in a higher tone, might be refused because it would lack the suggestion of force. In order to succeed, you sometimes must employ power. When a situation requires a demonstration of your strong personality, augment the force of your words and acts by using the tone pitch that suggests the power of the big muscles of your waist.

[Sidenote: When to Use Power Tone]

Employ the emotive tone to convey ideas of your truthfulness and honor. Show your courtesy and kindness with the heart pitch; use it to manifest your real desire to be of service to your prospect. But suggest your solidity and capacity for good judgment by employing the pitch of power. With its aid you can convince your prospect of the enduring quality of your best characteristics; you can deny disparagement or doubt of your ability; you will be able to brush aside unfounded objections; you can compel respect.

[Sidenote: Tone Units]

The discriminative use of various _units_ of tone is as helpful in making suggestive impressions as is the employment of character pitches. The one-tone voice does not augment the force of words. "Yes" said with but one tonal unit is not nearly so powerful as "Y-es" in two tones, the second pitched low. A two-tone "Y-es" with the second unit high-pitched suggests the very opposite of plain "Yes." It implies "No," or a question instead of an affirmation. Sometimes it is advisable to suggest "No" when the word itself if spoken bluntly would give offense. You can convey the idea of skepticism or denial by using two tone units skillfully pitched in saying "Y-es."

While you ordinarily can double the effectiveness of your tone by using two units, and you may treble the effect if you employ three (as in the exclamation A-ha-a!), if you attempted to use more than three units of tone in any ordinary circumstances you would be likely to appear odd or fantastic, if not foolish. So be careful not to over-do the employment of multiple tone units to stress your meaning.

[Sidenote: Placing Tones]

There is selling value, too, in the _placing_ of tones in your mouth. A tone placed far forward indicates lack of thought and instability. It is the tone we associate with "lip judgments." On the contrary, hidden thoughts, unwillingness to tell all you know, are suggested by tones placed far back in your mouth. The middle-of-the-mouth tone makes the impression that the voice is properly balanced, and suggests the associated idea of mind balance. Avoid the extremes in placing your tones, if you would make certain of the most effective use of your voice in selling ideas. Convince and persuade by employing the secure, trustworthy tone of the "happy medium."

[Sidenote: Bad Habits]

_Undoubtedly you have little bad habits that tell lies about you_--habits in the use of words, habits of tone, and especially habits of action. When you fully understand the significance of _what_ you say, and of _how_ you say it, and of the things you _do_--the effects produced on other men--you will _start changing your bad characteristics into good factors_ that will certainly help you to succeed. So study yourself most carefully, in order to learn what your habits are, and their meanings.

[Sidenote: Significance Of Movements]

Ordinarily a man is conscious of his words and tones, but he often _does_ things unconsciously. Probably you realize only vaguely or not at all just what your various _actions_ suggest to people who observe you. Therefore it is of the greatest importance that you study the significance of _discriminated movements, gestures, and facial expressions_ as aids or hindrances to the making of true impressions of your best capabilities. You should _restrict yourself to acts that make the best impressions._

Movements, and their results, may be analyzed under three heads: _Poise, Pose_, and _Action_.

[Sidenote: Poise]

It is a phenomenon of psychology that the balancing of the body suggests mental balance. Conversely, if the body is out of balance, there is the suggestion that the mind is no better poised. That is, if a man cannot keep his balance physically, we have an intuition that he is mentally off his equilibrium. Correct poise of course involves correct body support, and suggests a rightly supported mind. _Hence you can make the impression, merely by the way you stand and walk, that you are a person of well-poised judgment_. You may hurt your chances very much if it seems necessary for you to prop your body with your legs. The man who stands with his feet wide apart is out of balance, and is easily tipped over. The impression made by the incorrect poise is that such a man must be unable to stand by himself like normal men. The law of the association of ideas then immediately suggests that his thoughts are similarly unable to stand unless propped.

Incorrect poise of the body has another bad effect in the sale of ideas. It makes the impression of _abnormality_. Being unusual, it distracts attention from the salesman and his capabilities, and turns it to his lack of balance. You realize that in order to sell your ideas effectively you need the _concentrated attention_ of your prospect. It will help you to succeed in life if you perfect yourself in the skillful poising of your body and its members so that you will be able to appear perfectly balanced in any normal position.

If you teeter from side to side, or rock back and forth on your heels when you are talking to a man whom you want to impress with your stability of character, you will undermine everything you _say_ by what you _do_. Of course you should not stand stiffly. Your leg posts are designed to serve as a flexible pedestal for your body. Your ability to shift your weight from one foot to the other easily without losing your balance suggests associated capability of your mind to keep your judgment in balance. If you have a correctly poised mind, it _can_ balance your body.

[Sidenote: Pose]

The _poses_ of your body, too, are suggestive of ideas about your mental make-up. The quiet pose aids in making impressions of the qualities of solidity of purpose, of calmness, of confidence, etc. The active pose is suggestive of enthusiasm, force, hustling, and the like. Your pose should be suited to the vocation you have chosen. In a bank, for instance, the quiet pose of assured efficiency perfectly suits the atmosphere of safety and security. In a factory, on the other hand, you are likely to make a better impression with a much more active pose that matches the energy and speed of manufacturing operations.

You should not, however, take any pose as a _pretense_. Whatever poses you employ to augment the things you say should be used as _means for the better communication of truth, not to falsify_ in any degree. And you will need to be extremely careful lest you over-do a particular pose and suggest affectation. Doubtless you have characteristic poses. Analyze yourself. _Determine what your habits of pose mean to other people_. Then make such changes in your characteristic poses as will signify only the best traits you have.

[Sidenote: Action]

Next we will make a brief study of _actions_ from four viewpoints.

First, the _lines_ of action;

Second, the _directions_ of action;

Third, the _planes_ of action;

Fourth, the _tension_ or the _laxity_ of action.

[Sidenote: Lines of Action]

All movements are in straight, single curved, or multiple curved _lines of action_. Each of these classes of movements creates a _particular impression_ when it is perceived--an impression very different from that produced by movements of either of the other classes. It will help you greatly in your ambition to succeed if you understand the _exact significance_ of your every action along the various lines, and if you employ intelligently the right movements to suggest the particular ideas you wish to convey.

The straight gesture always indicates an appeal to mentality. Use it to aim ideas at the other man's _mind_.

The single curve, or wave movement, invariably denotes feeling. Employ it to reach into the breast of the other man and influence his _heart_.

The gesture of double curves signifies power. It should be employed to _dominate_ both the mind and actions of the prospect--to _make_ him _think_ and _do_ the things you will.

[Sidenote: Directions Of Actions]

The different _directions_ of actions also suggest various ideas. Your selling purpose is to get ideas over from your mind to the mind of the other man. It is especially important that the direction of your gestures should conform to your sales intention. Every movement you make to aid your purpose should suggest your mental action _toward_ the prospect, or _away from_ yourself. It should signify that you are taking something out of your mind and offering it to his. Of course you don't _break into_ his head with your idea and force him to receive it. You just bring it to the front porch of his mind. Then, if you have been skillful in your salesmanship, _he_ will open the door of interest after _you_ ring the bell of attention, and will permit your idea to enter his thoughts. But he is unlikely to admit it unless by some indication _from_ you _to_ him he knows what is expected of him.

If you gesture toward yourself when expressing your thoughts, you do not suggest to the other man that he take in your ideas. Instead you concentrate his attention on your selfishness and your individual opinion. The characteristic gestures of the typical old peddler are displeasing because they are made in the wrong _direction_. He holds his arms close to his body and gesticulates toward himself. He makes the impression that he does not have your interest at heart in the least, but only his own.

[Sidenote: Affirmation And Denial]

An up-and-down movement suggests something standing. It has the associated significance of vitality or life. Conversely, a side-to-side gesture suggests similarity to things lying down, lack of vitality, or the death of ideas. By holding yourself erect you make a very different impression of your energy than would be made were you to lean to one side. You can affirm a statement by an up-and-down movement of your hand or by a nod of your head. You deny suggestively with a horizontal gesture or by shaking your head from side to side.

[Sidenote: Levels of Action]

The significance of action on different _planes_ or _levels_ is seldom appreciated. The level of eye action is of especial importance in suggesting particular ideas.

When you look another person in the eye, you convey to him the idea of direct mental energy. You suggest the straight action of your mind in team-work with his. Your eye action on the same level indicates to him that you are thinking on the _practical_ plane.

[Sidenote: Lifting Prospect's Thoughts]

But if your eyes repeatedly focus above the level of the other man's eyes, you make the impression that you are an _idealist_ rather than a practical person. What you say will not seem to him to apply directly to his case. He will not feel the personal, or man-to-man contact of your thoughts. Sometimes, however, it is important to lift your eyes when talking to a prospect, in order to suggest that he lift his thoughts from the level of mere selfishness. By your suggestive eye action on the upper plane you may stimulate in him a higher vision of possibilities or an insight into the future, if he seems inclined to take a strictly practical view of his present needs only.

When you look below the eye level of the other man, you indicate (1) modesty, if the movement is directly down; (2) shame, if the movement is a little to one side and downward; (3) disgust, if your eyes look far down and far to the side.

[Sidenote: Tensity and Laxness]

The _tensity_ or _laxness_ of your muscles when you are in the presence of a prospect will suggest to him very diverse ideas. Both tensity and laxity of muscles can be used to good effect in selling. Your muscles should appear somewhat tense when you are _presenting_ ideas, in order to make the impression that your mind is fully active. Conversely, by normal relaxation of your muscles when you are _listening_, you suggest the receptivity of your mind and your entire readiness to take in ideas from outside. When you show your muscles are relaxed, you also indicate that you are perfectly at ease and unafraid of objections or criticism. If you were to sit tense under criticism, you would suggest that you felt the necessity of fighting back. But you disarm disparagement of your capabilities when you appear entirely at ease while you listen.

[Sidenote: Introduction To Study of Sales Art]

The brief outline in this chapter of fundamental principles of selling _skill_, and of the methods by which ideas may be conveyed through artistic suggestion, is just an introduction to your study and comprehension of the successive steps of salesmanship practice which are to be analyzed in the remaining chapters of this book. The limitations of our present space have made it impossible to do more than summarize here the chief factors of art in selling ideas. You will need to master the remainder of the book in order to amplify and to apply most effectively in practice the general principles and methods that have been outlined.

Surely you now are convinced that skill in selling is not a vague mystery, not a natural gift, not something impossible for _you_ to attain. Every element of sales art can be analyzed in detail. You are learning _exactly how_ to sell the true ideas of your best capability. Practice of what you learn will perfect your salesmanship.

[Sidenote: Success Certain]

There is absolutely no doubt that you can master the right principles and methods. By continual practice you surely can become skillful in their daily use. When you make yourself adept in the art, you _certainly_ will be able to sell your particular qualifications successfully.