[Sidenote:  Success A Matter Of Fractions]

There is only a narrow margin of difference between success and failure. Success is a matter of fractions and decimals, not of big units.  A few thousand American soldiers and marines turned the tide of German victory at Chateau Thierry.  “It is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

If you begin the selling process by the finest prospecting, and keep on with equal effectiveness throughout all the following steps of salesmanship, you will gain so many more chances than you otherwise could get that your success in the end will be assured.  The master salesman works with certainty that he will secure his quota of orders.  He knows in advance that he will succeed; because he knows sure ways to sell.

Good prospecting is just a natural process, intelligently comprehended.  It is neither mysterious nor hard.  It is one of the preliminary, understandable ways to make success not only sure, but easy to attain.

CHAPTER VI

Gaining Your Chance

[Sidenote:  Getting Inside The Door]

We will assume that you have qualified yourself to succeed; that you have developed your best capabilities in knowledge, in manhood, and in sales skill; that you have completed the general preparation necessary to assure your success in marketing your particular qualifications; and that you also have learned how to find and to make the most of your prospects.  After these preliminaries you are ready to take the next step in the selling process, and to begin putting your capabilities, and what you have learned from preparation and prospecting, to specific use in actual selling.

In order to succeed, you must not only be qualified for some particular service work, but you also need chances to demonstrate your capabilities and preparedness for effective service.  If you stand all your life in complete readiness for success but outside the door of opportunity, you will be a failure despite your exceptional qualifications and preparations for handling chances to succeed. It is necessary that you get inside the door. We will study now the sure ways and means of entrance.

[Sidenote:  The Salesman’s Advantage Over the Buyer]

One great advantage the skillful salesman has over even the best buyer is that he can plan completely what he will do and how he will do it to accomplish his selling purpose.  The prospect is unable to anticipate who will call upon him next; so it is impossible for him to avoid being taken unawares by each salesman.  He can make only general and hasty preparations at the moment to deal with the particular individual who comes intent on securing his order.