12. Honesty.—As a business proposition, it pays a man to be honest—with himself first of all, and then with his firm and his customers. Modern business has raised the standard of business ethics and has made honesty both popular and profitable. The salesman, in asking himself whether or not he is anhonest man— and we should always remember that the only true answer to that question must come from within— should bear in mind that there are various grades of dishonesty. Of course, it takes a desperate man actually to appropriate his concern's funds; and a small man to pad an expense account. But that man is dishonest as well who knowingly oversells a cus tomer; who makes loose promises to secure an order; who fails to correct a misunderstanding, for fear of jeopardizing an order ; who fails to get a sample room when he knows that his negligence will hurt the inter ests of his house; who waits over a train or two to have the company of a fellow salesman to the next stop— or so as not to break up a congenial card party; who carries a side line; or who spends his spare time in such a manner as to give his house below-par service. A salesman cannot do any of these things and retain his self-respect and the confidence and esteem of his concern and his customers.
There are some salesmen who are known as "one trippers." Their first trip to a territory results in a fine volume of business, but eventually there comes a cancellation because of overselling, a protest that the salesman's promise of an exclusive agency was not kept, and complaints everywhere of shady dealings. The salesman is not in a position, under such circum stances, to go over the territory again, and the chances of future business for the concern are doubtful. These offenses are not tolerated by the right kind of employers—and any other sort cannot buy the services of self-respecting men.
The truly honest salesman gives his house the best that is in him, tells nothing but the truth about his goods, never oversells, and can go over his territory again and again, gathering an increasing host of friends for himself and his concern on each trip. He is a "repeater." Above all, no one should sell a proposition that is not strictly honest in every particular. The demand for able salesmen to sell honest propositions so far ex ceeds the supply that there is no reason for a man's soiling his hands with a dishonest business. A man cannot sell a proposition in which he does not believe and at the same time respect himself and hold the esteem of his fellow men. Furthermore, dishonest success must always be counted a failure. A sales man's honor is his best selling asset.
13. Confidence.—A salesman should have confi dence in himself, in his house and in his proposition.
Before a sale can be made, the prospect must be im bued with confidence in all three. To inspire that confidence in others the salesman must first possess it himself. His success will be in direct proportion to his estimate of his own ability, his belief in the firm that he represents, and his faith in his goods.
A man who makes a conscientious study of his own physical, moral and mental characteristics, with a firm determination to correct his faults and to in crease his efficiency, and who is at all successful in carrying out that determination, acquires a justifiable confidence in himself that will enable him to take up any proposition with reasonable assurance of his abil ity to carry it thru to success.
Careful distinction should be made, however, be tween confidence and conceit. Conceit is rooted in ignorance and a misapprehension of facts. Conceit thinks it can, but it really cannot. Confidence is in telligent faith based on facts. Confidence believes it can and the results demonstrate the truth of that be lief. There is little hope for the salesman who does not believe in himself. The salesman wbo is easily discouraged when he is turned aside will never win. Half the strength of the giant is in the conviction that he is a giant.
Confidence in the proposition is not an easy thing to maintain. The salesman usually starts out with abso lute confidence in his line as his principal selling asset. But soon, perhaps, a glance into a competitor's sam ple room reveals virtues in the competing line that he does not see in his own; a few buyers inform him of the superiority and lower prices of still other lines— and before long we find him writing in to the house about the shortcomings of his line and the superiority of those whose competition he has to fight. Or, if he is a specialty salesman, a few of his prospects begin to ridicule the idea that his proposition is a necessity for them, and his confidence begins to weaken—ever so little at first, but eventually sufficiently to make hiln despondent and send him out half-whipped every day.
Many a salesman begins each working day by "sell ing himself" before he presents his proposition to any one else. Such a man will go over every selling ad vantage of his goods, present his proposition to him self just as be would to the most obstinate buyer, and prove to himself absolutely that his proposition is the best on the market, that his house is the best in the business, and that no one is so capable of selling his line as he is himself. A preliminary like this re freshes the salesman's memory on the essential points of' his selling talk, vitalizes him for the day's work- and rekindles confidence in himsel f, in his line and in his house.