alesman
to do? He should here be particularly on his guard not to show the
slightest resentment. Though he may be wholly guiltless, he cannot
afford to contradict the customer, nor to challenge him to a vocal duel.
If he talks at all, he should talk quietly and reasonably, and always
with the object of bringing the customer around to a favorable point of
view.

The successful salesman must have tact and discrimination. He must know
when and how to check in himself the word or phrase which is trying to
force its way out into expression, but which would in the end prove
inadvisable. He must train himself to choose quickly the right and best
course under difficult circumstances.

The salesman should give his undivided attention to the customer. If the
salesman is speaking, he should speak clearly, directly, concisely, and
understandingly; if he is listening, he should listen interestedly and
thoroughly, with all his powers alive and receptive.

The salesman should know when to speak and when to be silent. Some
customers wish to be told much, others prefer to think for themselves.
He is a wise salesman who knows when to be mute. Loquacity has often
killed what otherwise might have been a good sale.

There is a certain tone of voice which the salesman should aim to
acquire. It is neither high nor low in pitch. It is agreeable to the
listening ear, and is almost sufficient in itself to win the favorable
attention of the prospective buyer. Every salesman should cultivate a
musical and well-modulated voice as one of the chief assets in
salesmanship.

The salesman should cultivate dignity of speech and manner. People
generally dislike familiarity, joking, and horse-play. It is well to
assume that the customer is serious-minded, that he means business and
nothing else. Needless to say, the telling of long stories, or personal
experiences, has no legitimate place in the business of salesmanship.

There is a proper time and place for short story-telling. Like
everything else it is all right in its appropriate setting. Lincoln used
it to advantage, but once said: "I believe I have the popular reputation
of being a story-teller, but I do not deserve the name in its general
sense; for it is not the story itself, but its purpose, or effect, that
interests me. I often avoid a long and useless discussion by others, or
a laborious explanation on my part, by a short story that illustrates my
point of view."

The salesman should re