[Sidenote:  Sales Knowledge Universally Needed]

This brief summary of the principal essentials of sales knowledge has been outlined in order to impress on you the practically universal need for a better understanding of the selling process.  Certainly you are convinced now that it will pay you to know HOW to sell.  Then let us look next at yourself in a different light—­as a subject of study in sales-man-ship.

CHAPTER II

The Man-Stuff You Have For Sale

[Sidenote:  The Man Sales-Man Ship]

Your knowledge of sales principles and methods, and your skill in selling ideas must be combined with right sales-manhood if your complete success in sales-man-ship is to be made certain.  Particular man qualities are necessary to make you a master salesman in your chosen field.  “A good man obtaineth favor.”  So we will study now the elements of character required for the most effective sales-man-ship, and how to develop them.

We shall not consider “Man” in the abstract, nor exceptional ideals of manhood.  Our thought of the sales man will be concentrated on qualities you have or can develop, that are necessary to make you most efficient in selling ideas about yourself.

Some radical changes in your present character may be required.  But you will need principally to grow in order to attain the full stature of sales manhood that is necessary to gain complete success.  If your manliness is dwarfed now, you cannot succeed largely in selling true ideas of your best and biggest capabilities, until you rid yourself of the character faults that are stunting your growth as a sales man.

[Sidenote:  The Little Man Out-of-Date]

Realize at the outset that the time has passed forever when the little man, with the narrowly selfish outlook for “Number One,” might succeed.  The demand of the future will be, however, not so much for BIG men as for big MEN.  The world no longer looks up to Kaisers and Czars.  Success has ceased to be merely a towering figure.  Hereafter the one sure way to succeed will lead through the door of brotherly understanding of the other fellow, into the common heart of mankind.  Only sales_man_ship can open that door with certainty.

We are entering a new business era, where the old individualistic methods of attaining so-called “success” will be worse than useless.  Many of them even now are forbidden by law.  All the practices of the “profiteer” and his ilk are discountenanced by far-seeing people.  Men of vision perceive that the size of To-morrow’s Success will be measured in direct proportion to its quality of human service.

“SERVICE” is the motto of the highest salesmanship.  Therefore, in shaping your plans to succeed, start with the resolve to make yourself a truly big sales MAN.  Do not copy the little, selfish models of Yesterday.  Study the signs of the times.  To be out-of-date is equivalent to being a failure.