Certain Success Part 11

When a man has talked glibly and fast about superior qualifications he knows he possesses, it dazes him if his exceptional capabilities fail to win him the job for which he is particularly fitted. He cannot comprehend why another applicant who plainly is not so well qualified should be chosen. But his voice has suggested to the employer that everything he said was just "parrot talk." Thousands of bright "parrots"

remain failures all their lives for no other reason than their utter inability to get inside the _hearts_ of other men. The ordinary canva.s.ser who trudges from house to house with his "sing-song" patter has grown into the bad habit of using head tones almost exclusively. As a natural reflex of the unpleasant impression he makes with his voice, it is a common experience to have a door slammed in his face.

[Sidenote: Getting Around Mental Barrier]

The master salesman comprehends that the _mentality_ of a prospect is a barrier to his _emotional_ expression. That is, the mind is an alert sentinel on guard to protect the _heart_ from its own impulses to unthinking action. So the skillful salesman when making his "approach"

_goes around_ the mind side of the prospect to the emotional side, where there is no hostile guard. He knows that "the hearts of all men are akin," and that "the hardest heart has soft spots." He realizes it is bad salesmanship to challenge the sentinel mind of the prospect in a mental tone. So the salesman artist makes _his_ tone resonant with chest vibrations that stimulate the direct response of the _other_ man's heart. _He works at first to draw out fellow feeling, not to drive his ideas into the head of the prospect._

[Sidenote: Talking Like a Brother]

The mere presentation of _thoughts_, or _mental pictures_ of goods, is not enough to induce a prospect to buy. The master salesman comprehends that he has to deal with the _dual personality_ of the individual he plans to sell. Therefore from the very beginning of his interview he works to open the mind of the other man by first establishing a unity of human feeling between his own heart and the heart of his prospect. He uses the _emotive_ tone. He "talks like a brother." Of course he is careful not to exaggerate this show of fellow feeling. He uses a "hearty" tone without appearing in the least degree hypocritical. When their _hearts_ are in accord, the other man is prepared to agree _mentally_ with the salesman.

[Sidenote: Power Pitch]

The third pitch of your voice as a salesman is the _power_ tone. It can be used skillfully to suggest that you have the force required to succeed. It is the pitch that comes from deep down and that calls into play the powerful abdominal muscles. It is not necessarily a loud tone, however. Often it is low, with a suggestion of immense reserve strength behind it. With the power pitch you can _command_ in a simple request which, spoken in a higher tone, might be refused because it would lack the suggestion of force. In order to succeed, you sometimes must employ power. When a situation requires a demonstration of your strong personality, augment the force of your words and acts by using the tone pitch that suggests the power of the big muscles of your waist.

[Sidenote: When to Use Power Tone]

Employ the emotive tone to convey ideas of your truthfulness and honor.

Show your courtesy and kindness with the heart pitch; use it to manifest your real desire to be of service to your prospect. But suggest your solidity and capacity for good judgment by employing the pitch of power.

With its aid you can convince your prospect of the enduring quality of your best characteristics; you can deny disparagement or doubt of your ability; you will be able to brush aside unfounded objections; you can compel respect.

[Sidenote: Tone Units]

The discriminative use of various _units_ of tone is as helpful in making suggestive impressions as is the employment of character pitches.

The one-tone voice does not augment the force of words. "Yes" said with but one tonal unit is not nearly so powerful as "Y-es" in two tones, the second pitched low. A two-tone "Y-es" with the second unit high-pitched suggests the very opposite of plain "Yes." It implies "No," or a question instead of an affirmation. Sometimes it is advisable to suggest "No" when the word itself if spoken bluntly would give offense. You can convey the idea of skepticism or denial by using two tone units skillfully pitched in saying "Y-es."

While you ordinarily can double the effectiveness of your tone by using two units, and you may treble the effect if you employ three (as in the exclamation A-ha-a!), if you attempted to use more than three units of tone in any ordinary circ.u.mstances you would be likely to appear odd or fantastic, if not foolish. So be careful not to over-do the employment of multiple tone units to stress your meaning.

[Sidenote: Placing Tones]

There is selling value, too, in the _placing_ of tones in your mouth. A tone placed far forward indicates lack of thought and instability. It is the tone we a.s.sociate with "lip judgments." On the contrary, hidden thoughts, unwillingness to tell all you know, are suggested by tones placed far back in your mouth. The middle-of-the-mouth tone makes the impression that the voice is properly balanced, and suggests the a.s.sociated idea of mind balance. Avoid the extremes in placing your tones, if you would make certain of the most effective use of your voice in selling ideas. Convince and persuade by employing the secure, trustworthy tone of the "happy medium."

[Sidenote: Bad Habits]

_Undoubtedly you have little bad habits that tell lies about you_--habits in the use of words, habits of tone, and especially habits of action. When you fully understand the significance of _what_ you say, and of _how_ you say it, and of the things you _do_--the effects produced on other men--you will _start changing your bad characteristics into good factors_ that will certainly help you to succeed. So study yourself most carefully, in order to learn what your habits are, and their meanings.

[Sidenote: Significance Of Movements]

Ordinarily a man is conscious of his words and tones, but he often _does_ things unconsciously. Probably you realize only vaguely or not at all just what your various _actions_ suggest to people who observe you.

Therefore it is of the greatest importance that you study the significance of _discriminated movements, gestures, and facial expressions_ as aids or hindrances to the making of true impressions of your best capabilities. You should _restrict yourself to acts that make the best impressions._

Movements, and their results, may be a.n.a.lyzed under three heads: _Poise, Pose_, and _Action_.

[Sidenote: Poise]

It is a phenomenon of psychology that the balancing of the body suggests mental balance. Conversely, if the body is out of balance, there is the suggestion that the mind is no better poised. That is, if a man cannot keep his balance physically, we have an intuition that he is mentally off his equilibrium. Correct poise of course involves correct body support, and suggests a rightly supported mind. _Hence you can make the impression, merely by the way you stand and walk, that you are a person of well-poised judgment_. You may hurt your chances very much if it seems necessary for you to prop your body with your legs. The man who stands with his feet wide apart is out of balance, and is easily tipped over. The impression made by the incorrect poise is that such a man must be unable to stand by himself like normal men. The law of the a.s.sociation of ideas then immediately suggests that his thoughts are similarly unable to stand unless propped.

Incorrect poise of the body has another bad effect in the sale of ideas.

It makes the impression of _abnormality_. Being unusual, it distracts attention from the salesman and his capabilities, and turns it to his lack of balance. You realize that in order to sell your ideas effectively you need the _concentrated attention_ of your prospect. It will help you to succeed in life if you perfect yourself in the skillful poising of your body and its members so that you will be able to appear perfectly balanced in any normal position.

If you teeter from side to side, or rock back and forth on your heels when you are talking to a man whom you want to impress with your stability of character, you will undermine everything you _say_ by what you _do_. Of course you should not stand stiffly. Your leg posts are designed to serve as a flexible pedestal for your body. Your ability to shift your weight from one foot to the other easily without losing your balance suggests a.s.sociated capability of your mind to keep your judgment in balance. If you have a correctly poised mind, it _can_ balance your body.

[Sidenote: Pose]

The _poses_ of your body, too, are suggestive of ideas about your mental make-up. The quiet pose aids in making impressions of the qualities of solidity of purpose, of calmness, of confidence, etc. The active pose is suggestive of enthusiasm, force, hustling, and the like. Your pose should be suited to the vocation you have chosen. In a bank, for instance, the quiet pose of a.s.sured efficiency perfectly suits the atmosphere of safety and security. In a factory, on the other hand, you are likely to make a better impression with a much more active pose that matches the energy and speed of manufacturing operations.

You should not, however, take any pose as a _pretense_. Whatever poses you employ to augment the things you say should be used as _means for the better communication of truth, not to falsify_ in any degree. And you will need to be extremely careful lest you over-do a particular pose and suggest affectation. Doubtless you have characteristic poses.

a.n.a.lyze yourself. _Determine what your habits of pose mean to other people_. Then make such changes in your characteristic poses as will signify only the best traits you have.

[Sidenote: Action]

Next we will make a brief study of _actions_ from four viewpoints.

First, the _lines_ of action;

Second, the _directions_ of action;

Third, the _planes_ of action;

Fourth, the _tension_ or the _laxity_ of action.

[Sidenote: Lines of Action]

All movements are in straight, single curved, or multiple curved _lines of action_. Each of these cla.s.ses of movements creates a _particular impression_ when it is perceived--an impression very different from that produced by movements of either of the other cla.s.ses. It will help you greatly in your ambition to succeed if you understand the _exact significance_ of your every action along the various lines, and if you employ intelligently the right movements to suggest the particular ideas you wish to convey.

The straight gesture always indicates an appeal to mentality. Use it to aim ideas at the other man's _mind_.

The single curve, or wave movement, invariably denotes feeling. Employ it to reach into the breast of the other man and influence his _heart_.

The gesture of double curves signifies power. It should be employed to _dominate_ both the mind and actions of the prospect--to _make_ him _think_ and _do_ the things you will.

[Sidenote: Directions Of Actions]

The different _directions_ of actions also suggest various ideas. Your selling purpose is to get ideas over from your mind to the mind of the other man. It is especially important that the direction of your gestures should conform to your sales intention. Every movement you make to aid your purpose should suggest your mental action _toward_ the prospect, or _away from_ yourself. It should signify that you are taking something out of your mind and offering it to his. Of course you don't _break into_ his head with your idea and force him to receive it. You just bring it to the front porch of his mind. Then, if you have been skillful in your salesmanship, _he_ will open the door of interest after _you_ ring the bell of attention, and will permit your idea to enter his thoughts. But he is unlikely to admit it unless by some indication _from_ you _to_ him he knows what is expected of him.

If you gesture toward yourself when expressing your thoughts, you do not suggest to the other man that he take in your ideas. Instead you concentrate his attention on your selfishness and your individual opinion. The characteristic gestures of the typical old peddler are displeasing because they are made in the wrong _direction_. He holds his arms close to his body and gesticulates toward himself. He makes the impression that he does not have your interest at heart in the least, but only his own.

[Sidenote: Affirmation And Denial]

An up-and-down movement suggests something standing. It has the a.s.sociated significance of vitality or life. Conversely, a side-to-side gesture suggests similarity to things lying down, lack of vitality, or the death of ideas. By holding yourself erect you make a very different impression of your energy than would be made were you to lean to one side. You can affirm a statement by an up-and-down movement of your hand or by a nod of your head. You deny suggestively with a horizontal gesture or by shaking your head from side to side.

[Sidenote: Levels of Action]

The significance of action on different _planes_ or _levels_ is seldom appreciated. The level of eye action is of especial importance in suggesting particular ideas.

When you look another person in the eye, you convey to him the idea of direct mental energy. You suggest the straight action of your mind in team-work with his. Your eye action on the same level indicates to him that you are thinking on the _practical_ plane.

[Sidenote: Lifting Prospect's Thoughts]