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.