[Sidenote:  Seeing Into Opportunities]

If you can imagine all the various uses to which your ability might be put, you will appreciate the full value of every opportunity you perceive.  Not only will you see the chances for success that are all about you, but you will see into them.  When your mind catches sight of success chances, they will look familiar to you because of their similarity to opportunities you previously had thought about and connected with your own qualifications.  If you are prepared to perceive and to appreciate fully each indication of a success opportunity that comes within the range of your mental vision, you will promptly begin working a chance “for all it is worth,” as if it were a newly discovered gold mine.

[Sidenote:  Service Purpose In Preparation]

Possibly what you have read has unduly impressed you with the idea that the salesman’s motive in his preparation is selfish.  So perhaps it is well to pause here for the reminder that your primary salesmanship purpose should be true service.  You are preparing yourself thoroughly in knowledge of your full sales value, as a measure of success insurance and self-protection. It is not true sales service to give a buyer value greatly in excess of the price quoted.  It is right for you to make sure in advance about your full worth.  However, the obligation to render service is the principal element of right salesmanship, and should come before the objective of a good price. Prepare then primarily to serve your prospect. Demonstrate your true service purpose, and he will give secondary consideration to the cost of engaging your qualifications for his business.

[Sidenote:  Pleasing Character]

You can serve best if you please in rendering service.  Therefore prepare your self, your knowledge, and all your methods so that from the moment you make your first impression on a prospective employer, you will please him.  Do not prepare for the interview with the purpose of pleasing yourself.  What you like may be distasteful to the man you want to impress.

Since you cannot tell in advance when or where you may encounter a prospective buyer of your services, you will not be safeguarding every possible chance to succeed unless you wear your “company manners” all the time.  You always should dress carefully, act with painstaking courtesy, and conduct yourself as if you might meet a rich relation at any moment.  You certainly can expect more wealth from “making yourself solid” with Opportunity than you ever are likely to be willed by a millionaire uncle.  It will pay you much better to please Opportunity in general than to ingratiate yourself with any person in particular.

[Sidenote:  Please Everybody Everywhere Always]

“Company manners” that are just “put on” temporarily may be left off on the very occasion when you would want to appear at your best if you only knew that “The Golden Chance” was to be met.  Therefore prepare to be characteristically pleasing to everybody, everywhere, and all the time. Then, no matter where or when or in what guise you come upon Opportunity, you will be sure to please with your genuineness.