Confidence in the house that employs him is an im mensely valuable asset to the salesman—confidence in his firm's financial condition, in its ability to keep its promises, in the character and the ideals of the men at the head, and in its desire to deal honestly with every body. Thoro confidence increases the salesman's re spect and liking for his employer, promotes his general satisfaction and contentment, gives him assurance of solid backing, and adds dignity to his work. Further more, if he realizes that his firm is composed of men who have put out his line and put their money and reputations behind it, he will realize, despite the op posing claims of other lines, that his goods are right.
14. Enthusiasm.—Enthusiasm is confidence in ac tion; all great achievements in the world's history have been due to enthusiasm and without it little of importance has been accomplished. In- the salesman it is the white heat that fuses all the other essential qualities into one effective whole. Enthusiasm needs only direction to turn it into success; and no matter how big the setback may have been, any ground can be regained if enthusiasm is not lost. Enthusiasm is the life of the interview. The salesman who is truly enthusiastic talks as if he meant what he said because he does mean every word. He is working for the love of the game. He would ratber be selling those goods than doing anything else. He is fired with an intense desire to impart his ardor to others.. En thusiasm makes a salesman "talk shop" whenever there is the slightest chance of effecting a sale. It enables him to forget disappointments and failures and to start afresh with renewed determination to succeed.
The salesman must impart his enthusiasm to the prospect or there will be no sale. He may keep his enthusiasm well under control, but it must be there.
Enthusiasm is the force that grips the attention of the customer, that impresses him with the salesman's sincerity, that makes him forget inhibiting thoughts, and that carries the presentation past all obstacles to a successful consummation.
Enthusiasm is the quality, more than all others, that makes a salesman oblivious to difficulties, renders vital his selling efforts, makes him optimistic and forceful, turns apparent defeat into success, creates a bond of sympathy between buyer and salesman and changes prospects' apathy to interest. It is enthusi
asm that makes personal salesmanship the vital fac tor that it is in the distributiOn of the world's goods.
15. Loyalty.—Closely associated with honesty, confidence and enthusiasm is a fourth requisite of good salesmanship, a higher product, which develops when men are associated in groups. This essential is loyalty. The salesman should be loyal to both his house and his customers; as be stands between the two, he should look after the best interests of both. Loyalty involves something more than this, however.
A certain concern which is today firmly and suc cessfully established had to ask its salesmen, during the early days of its existence, to be satisfied with little or no compensation for a period of almost six months. In other words, it asked them to stay on the firing line selling goods, and practically support themselves without the company's aid. Eighty per cent of the men stayed and worked without any loss of confidence or enthusiasm even under these condi tions. That was an example of loyalty at its best. The twenty per cent who quit were doubtless honest and probably had confidence in the goods and were enthusiastic, but their loyalty was not equal to the severe test to which it was put. It would seem, then, that there is something which distinguishes loyalty from the other essential qualities. Loyalty begets loyalty, and the salesman who is loyal to his house and to his customers will find that they are also loyal to him.
16. Optimism.—There are two kinds of optimists —the man who absolutely refuses to recognize that anything is wrong in the world; and the man who recognizes that lots of things are wrong, but who has a cheerful faith that they will be made right and that Ile can be a power toward that end. The first, ostrich like, hides his head from surrounding dangers and tries to believe they do not exist—he is a false opti mist. The second is a true optimist.
Lack of ambition, indifference, laziness and satis faction with ease and quiet are not optimism. To sit still and be content to see other men forge ahead- that is false optimism. To recognize that effort alone can bring improvement, that progress is attained only thru struggle, and to throw oneself into the struggle, and to glory in it—that is real optimism.