William James, the great psychologist, wrote, “Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake.  Our fires are damped; our drafts are checked.  We are making use of only a small part of our physical and mental resources.  There are in every one potential forms of activity that actually are shunted from use.  Part of the imperfect vitality under which we labor can thus be easily explained.  One part of our mind dams up—­even damns up—­the other part.”

[Sidenote:  Growth Can Be Assured And Success Made Certain]

Can you become a big sales MAN?  Of course!  You have all the necessary tools to make yourself over in any way you will—­your muscles, nerves, brain, and mind.  Use them cooperatively, as they were meant to be used, in their respective sets—­not as if you were a mental-physical unit. To develop your sales manhood you need only to apply real thinking in the processes of your daily life.  Study out the reasons and effects of all your acts and expressions.  Your experimental psychological laboratory should be yourself, undergoing at your hands the transformation from what you are to what it is possible for you to become.  Begin making your man-stuff over.  Each successive step will be easier to take. Your growth, when you employ the right processes and methods, is certain.  Therefore your success in making yourself a big sales man can be assured.

CHAPTER III

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]