s. You
should proceed confidently with your selling process, undeterred by the
bearing of your prospect. Do not attempt to mollify his assumed
harshness. It will take but a few moments for you to _sell him the idea
that you have brought him something he really needs_. When he first
glimpses your service purpose, his icy pose will begin to melt and his
rough tones will be smoothed.

A great public-utility corporation with thousands of branch offices
throughout the United States had as its purchasing agent for many years
an old gorgon. He was "a holy terror" to new salesmen, but became a
staunch customer when once his confidence was deservedly gained. And
every employee in the office of this tartar loved him for his true
kindness of heart.

[Sidenote: Don't Flinch Or Retreat]

You may have occasion to call on such an eccentric big man. If you are
rebuffed fiercely, don't let it "get your goat." He can have no possible
reason for disliking you personally, especially before he comprehends
your purpose in coming to him. So disregard his ferocious pose. Though
he may treat you as an unwelcome intruder, proceed calmly to the
statement of your business. You know that your intention to render him a
true service justifies you in taking his time. Therefore his assumed
fierce manner should be powerless to disconcert you.

_Do not retreat_ from a chosen prospective employer; _do not even
flinch_ from him, however ill-tempered and repellant he may appear. You
cannot possibly lose so much by standing your ground as you would
forfeit by running away from this chance to demonstrate your
salesmanship. Countless thousands of men have failed because at the
first sign of antagonism they surrendered even more than they might have
lost if they had been utterly beaten after the hardest kind of a fight
for victory. _They gave up without a struggle, not only all their
chances for success, but their self-respect as well._

Suppose the man you have selected as your future employer does snap at
you viciously when you call on him; his ferocity signifies no more than
that you must approach and handle him carefully. Your prospecting and
your size-up should have convinced you that he is not in fact the crab
he tries to appear. Real, thorough cranks are so rare they can be
considered as non-existent. It is safe to conclude that any man who acts
as if he were sore all the way through all the time is just _acting_.
Ignore the irrascibility of the "E