Certain Success by Norval A. Hawkins

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[Sidenote: Reaching Heart Through Mind]

Notice that the objection is dealt with powerfully; yet there is no
appeal that is aimed away from the prospect's _mind_. For this very
reason his sympathy with the proposal is likely to be stimulated. _Such
salesmanship often has the effect of enlisting the heart of the other
man after removing the objection of his mind._

[Sidenote: Objection on Emotional Basis]

Let us assume now that the prospect refuses to make the loan to you
because he has been imposed upon before by some one he has backed. He
may really want to lend you the money, but his heart has been so
embittered by his previous experience that he turns a deaf ear to your
proposition. His opposition is based chiefly on feeling. His heart, not
his mind, is at the bottom of his refusal of your request for a loan. He
would not be reached by the appeal that would be effective with the man
in the first example. This second prospect should be addressed something
like this:

"The experiences you have had hurt you, principally because they have
made you lose faith in men. This, not the money involved, was your
greatest loss. So long as you have only those experiences to think
about, you will be unable to get back your former belief in human
nature. You would like to recover it. You would be happy to feel that
the men who abused your confidence were exceptions, and not the rule.

[Sidenote: Selling a New Feeling]

"If you will lend me ten thousand dollars, and I make good my promises
to you, your new experience with me will go a long way toward restoring
your lost faith in men. It is natural that you should feel embittered,
but the taste in your mouth is unpleasant. Back me up. I will help you
get rid of your bitterness, and will replace it with a glow of
satisfaction. You cannot doubt that I will make good. You should not let
your old prejudice stand in the way of the gratified feeling you will
have when I prove to you that all men are not unworthy of trust. After I
justify your confidence you will be happier for the rest of your life."

In the illustration the objection is dealt with _emotionally; because
its basis is feeling_. No _mental_ appeal is made. The salesmanship in
this example is the direct converse of that in the previous
illustration.

[Sidenote: The Best Rule]

Usually, however, it is best to counteract objections by making appeals
to _both the heart and the mind_ of the objector. In most cases it is
safe to assume that his mental opposition involves his feelings to some
degree, and it rarely happens that an objection is so purely emotional
that the mind of the prospect does not take part in it at all. So the
rule of masterly salesmanship is to use neither the appeal to mentality
nor the appeal to feeling _exclusively_, but rather to _stress one or
the other, while using both_. If the objection appears to be based
_principally_ on opposition of _mind_, it is more important to reach
into the prospect's _mind_ with the answer than it is to draw out his
_heart_; and vice versa.

[Sidenote: Emotional and Mental Tones]

If the thought behind the objection arises principally from _feeling_,
it will nearly always be expressed in an _emotive tone_. By this pitch
of the prospect's voice you can determine whether he is speaking chiefly
from his heart or from his mind. Conversely, of course, the _mental_
objection will be pitched in the high "head" tone. One of the most
difficult features of dealing with opposition from the other man is
uncertainty as to _how much he means_ of what he says and does. It would
be a mistake to take his resistance too seriously or too lightly.
Therefore it will aid your salesmanship a great deal if you are able to
discriminate between the mental and the emotional tones in which
opposition is expressed. You can reply accordingly.

[Sidenote: The Power Pitch]

It is almost as important that you recognize _the pitch of power_ when
it reenforces the words of objection, and that on the other hand you
note when the power tone is _lacking_. In the first case you will need
to reply with considerable force, whether you appeal to the mind or the
heart of the prospect. But when his objection is stated in a powerless
tone, even though it may be accompanied by curtness or bluster, you need
not waste much force on your answering appeal to his mentality or his
emotions.

[Sidenote: Keep Ears Alert]

The mental tone, as we recall from previous study, is pitched higher
than either the tone of feeling or the tone of power. The medium, heart
tone is vibrant. It rings with sincerity. The power tone is deep, and
most sonorous of the three. _Keep your ears alert for these indications_
your prospect will give you unconsciously when he opposes your purpose.
The discriminative reading of the tones of objections will greatly
reduce the danger of "getting your wires crossed" when you reply.

[Sidenote: Suggest Strength Without Antagonism]

If you have to deal with opposition expressed in the tone of power or
with gestures of force, you will be safe in concluding that considerable
_feeling_ is behind the objection. Therefore it will be necessary for
you to put _both feeling and power_ into your answer. You should be
careful, however, when you meet such resistance, not to make the
impression that you are engaged in a contest of power with your
prospect. _Throughout the selling process avoid any suggestion that you
are fighting back._ Use the tone of force, not to indicate that your
strength of purpose is greater than the strength of the resistance, but
just to _emphasize the basic soundness_ of your proposition. Thus you
can suggest that you are sure of your ground, while you do not dispute
the force and sincerity of the other man in making his objection.

Suppose, for example, you apply for a situation in a wealthy firm, and
one of the partners turns you down most emphatically by saying that they
can't afford to engage any new men at present. You realize the firm may
be losing money temporarily, but you believe that your services in the
capacity you have outlined will be valuable to the partners. You can
come back firmly and not retreat an inch from your position. You need
not _antagonize_ by manifesting your determination to have the merits of
your proposal given due consideration. You know your prospect feels
pretty strongly on the matter of increasing his payroll while business
is unprofitable, but you should make him recognize that you believe so
thoroughly in your earning capacity that you feel you would justify him
in disregarding the temporary depression, while he considers your
service worth.

[Sidenote: Units of Tone]

As we have noted previously, it is important to know, at the time an
objection is put in your way, _whether or not it is really meant_. When
deciding in your mind on the right answer to this problem, you will be
helped very much if you size up not only the tone pitch of the
objection, but also the _units_ of tone employed by the prospect in his
expression of opposition. If he refuses your application, but uses just
_one_ tone, you may be sure his negative is not strong. If you do not
strengthen it to stubbornness by antagonizing him, but use tact to get
rid of his resistance, you will not find it difficult to melt away the
obstruction.

However, should the "No" be spoken in two or more tones, with increased
stress at the end, your prospect certainly means his rejection to be
final. His mind is fully made up for the time being. It would be poor
salesmanship to butt your head against his fixed idea, just as it would
be foolish to tackle a strong opponent when he stands most formidably
braced to resist attack. But the two or three toned negative does not
mean that the idea behind it is fixed in the prospect's mind _forever_.
Any one is prone to change his mind, _unless he is kept so busy
supporting a position taken that he has no chance to alter his opinion_.

[Sidenote: Preventing Stubborness]

Therefore leave alone at first the rock you encounter. Get behind the
boulder by taking a roundabout path. Then quietly dig the support from
under the negative idea. If you make no fuss while you are undermining
the obstacle, it will be likely to topple over and roll from your path
without your prospect's noticing that it has disappeared. If his
interest is diverted from it, there is no reason why he should turn his
mind back to a stubborn insistence on his objection. Should he be
conscious that the rock of his earlier opposition has rolled away, he
will probably think it lost its balance. He will not realize that you
subtly undermined it and got rid of it by your skillful salesmanship.

A salesman of an encyclopedia met a prospect who refused to give
favorable attention to him and his proposition.

"No sir-e-e!" declared this objector, shaking his head emphatically. "No
more book agents can work me. The last slick one that tried to swindle
me is in ja-a-il now, and I put him the-ere!"

He gloated in two or three tones.

[Sidenote: Turning Back A Turn-down]

"Good for you!" praised the undaunted salesman, who had come prepared
for adamantine obstacles in his path. "If more book buyers would see
that such rascals get what's coming to them, the rest of us salesmen,
who represent square publishers squarely, would not have to prove so
often that we are not crooks like some fellows who have happened to
precede us in a territory. Please tell me the name of the man who
swindled you. He might hit my publishers for a job after he gets out of
jail, and I want to warn the boss against him. Sometimes those slick
rascals pull the wool over our eyes, too. We are always on the lookout
to avoid getting tangled up with them."

The salesman pulled out his note book and pencil. When the name was
given, he wrote it down painstakingly. He asked the prospect to spell it
for him; so that he would be sure to get it right. Then he thanked the
man who had said he would have nothing more to do with book agents.
Having "got around" the objector, the salesman proceeded with his
selling talk on the encyclopedia, as if he had not been turned down
flatly to begin with. In less than half an hour he had secured the
signature of the prospect to a contract for the finest edition.

[Sidenote: Be Ready for Opposition]

If this salesman had not been thoroughly prepared to meet the strongest
kind of mental and emotional opposition, he could not have come back so
quickly with the appropriate answer that undermined the obstacle. You
should be likewise ready for the "tough customers" one hears about.
_Practice in anticipation various ways of handling every imaginable
objection._ Then, when you face an actual difficulty, you will either
have on the tip of your tongue a solution of the problem, or your
forethought will assist you to devise on the spur of the moment the way
to work out the right answer. Again we observe the importance of full
preparation, in assuring successful salesmanship.

[Sidenote: Two Essentials Of Resourcefulness]

No quality is more important to the salesman than _resourcefulness_. Its
first requisite is _knowledge_, particularly advance knowledge of the
points that are likely to come up in the course of the selling process.
The second is a _mind trained to act quickly and effectively in using_
its knowledge. If you have these two essentials of resourcefulness, no
objection will ever catch you napping. It will do you no good to look
up the right answer _after you leave the prospect_. Nothing can be more
exasperatingly worthless than an idea of something you "might have said"
but could not think of until _too late_. Have all your facts on tap. And
be practiced in making use of them in every imaginable way. Rare indeed
will be cases that you are not prepared to handle successfully.

[Sidenote: Practicing "Come-backs"]

I know a salesman who trained himself in resourcefulness by typing on
about fifty cards all the objections to his goods or proposition that he
could imagine. For ten or fifteen minutes every evening he played
solitaire with these cards. He would shuffle them, held face down, and
then deal off, face up, objection after objection. He never could tell
which was coming next. In a few weeks he had trained himself to give an
answer instantly to each objection, and to utilize it as a help instead
of a hindrance in his selling. Thereafter opposition and criticism from
prospects had no terrors for this salesman. He was able to get rid of
objections so swiftly, surely, and completely that they never had time
to grow formidable in the mind of the other man.

[Sidenote: Adaptive Originality]

Only a little less important than resourcefulness in meeting objections,
is _adaptive originality in answering them_. The "pat, new" reply is
always very effective. But do not unduly stress the value of the factor
of _originality_ alone. It must be coupled with _adaptation to the
particular viewpoint of the other man_. You must speak his language, if
you would be sure of making him understand you perfectly.

[Sidenote: Use Prospect's Language]

For example, suppose you apply to a watch manufacturer for a position in
his office. He seems inclined to question your dependability. You will
make a hit with him if you quote a detail from one of his own ads and
say, "I have a seventeen jewel movement," and then particularize that
number of good points about yourself. Such a reference preceding a
specification of your qualities would be adaptive originality. _It would
be an expression exactly fitted to the way this prospect thinks._ So it
would be more effective than an ordinary answer to the objection.
Adaptive originality in disposing of objections is a manifestation of
tact and diplomacy--the fine art of letting the other man down with a
shock absorber instead of jolting him to your way of thinking.

[Sidenote: Keep Train of Thought on Main Track]

When your prospect starts objecting, it is up to you to prevent him from
wandering far afield. At the objections stage, as at every other step in
the selling process, _you should dominate the other man_. Tactfully keep
him concentrated on the subject and on your application. If he starts to
grumble that some man he has engaged previously was "no good," you can
smile and reply, "You would not give _me credit_ for _anybody else's_
fine work, and of course you do not _blame me_ for what _that_ fellow
did."

You know what points are relevant to the subject you have come to
discuss, and what are not. _Discriminate, and make the prospect follow
you._ Restrict your treatment of his objections to points, means, and
methods that will keep his ideas from switching onto side-tracks of
thought. _When he wanders away from the subject, do not ramble with
him._ Promptly and diplomatically run his mind back on the main line of
your purpose. _You are operating a through train to success. You must
not be diverted into picking either daisies or thistles by the right of
way while your salesmanship engine stands idle._

[Sidenote: Patience and Calmness]

Tact and diplomacy include the qualities of _patience_ and _calmness_.
You cannot deal successfully with opposition if you are impatient or
flustered. Patience understands the other man and avoids giving him
offense; because it comprehends his way of thinking and is considerate
of his right to his opinions. _Calmness denotes a consciousness of
strength. Hence it inspires admiration._ Keep your patience open-eyed.
See ahead. Do not chafe restlessly because the present moment is not
propitious. A better chance for you is coming. Because of your vision
have faith in your power to _make_ it come. Whatever may happen, be
self-possessed when you meet it. You can give no more impressive proof
of your bigness. Your calmness will win the confidence of the other man.
It will help in making the impression of courageous truth. Only an
honest purpose can meet attack with quiet fearlessness.

[Sidenote: Win Admiration by Keeping Upper Hand]

_The chief danger to the salesman at the objections stage is that he may
lose control of the selling process._ Be on your guard to prevent the
other man from dominating you by his opposition. You have the advantage
at the start. He cannot be so well prepared to make objections as you
should be to dispose of them effectively. _Keep the upper hand._ If you
have not antagonized his feelings, your prospect will admire you when he
sees that he cannot dominate you and realizes that you will not let him
have his own way. You will build up in him a favorable opinion of your
manhood, intelligence, and power. _He cannot help appreciating your art
in handling him._

[Sidenote: Make Desire Grow]

Dispose of each objection in such a way that you will get yourself
wanted more and more as you remove or get around the obstacles
encountered. _The prospect's desire for your services should grow in
proportion as you overcome his opposition._ It is possible to use
objections, or rather their answers, to strengthen your salesmanship so
greatly that it will be easy to gain your object--the job or the
promotion you seek.

[Sidenote: Hard Climb Leads to Supreme Heights]

Therefore do not quail from the obstacles you meet. Recognize in each an
opportunity to succeed in demonstrating your capability; a chance to
increase the respect, confidence, and liking of your prospective
employer. _Remember, if there were no difficult, steep mountains to
scale, the supreme heights of success could not be gained._ So, with
shining face, climb on and up undaunted!

CHAPTER XI

_The Goal of Success_

[Sidenote: "Nearly Succeeded" Means "Failed"]

After an applicant for a position seems to have the coveted opportunity
almost in his grasp, he is sometimes unable to _clinch_ the sale of his
services. He does not get the job. His failure is none the less
_complete_ because he _nearly_ succeeded. _No race was ever won by a man
who could not finish._ However successful you may have been in the
earlier stages of the selling process, if your services are finally
declined by the prospective employer you have interviewed, your sales
effort has ended in failure.

When one has made a fine presentation of his capability, and therefore
feels confident of selling his services, it shocks and disheartens him
to have his application rejected. "It takes the starch out of a man." He
is apt to feel limp in courage when he turns his back on the lost chance
to make good, and faces the necessity of starting the selling process
all over again with another prospect. It is harder to lose a race in the
shadow of the goal than to be disqualified before the start. The
prospect who seems on the point of saying, "Yes," but finally shakes
his head is the heart-breaker to the salesman.

[Sidenote: Making the Touch Down]

Of course, as you have been reminded, even the best salesman cannot get
_all_ the orders he tries to secure. _But he seldom fails to "close" a
real prospect whom he has conducted successfully through the preliminary
steps of a sale._ Each advance he makes increases his confidence that he
will get the order. The master salesman does not falter and fall down
just before the finish. He is at the top of his strength as he nears the
goal. All his training and practice have had but one ultimate object--a
successfully _completed_ sale. He knows that _nothing else counts_. He
does not lose the ball on the one-yard line. He pushes it over for a
touchdown. He cannot be held back when he gets that close to the goal
posts. You must be like him if you would make the "almost sure" victory
a _certainty._

[Sidenote: Don't Fear To Take Success]

Perhaps the commonest cause of the failures that occur at the closing
stage is the salesman's _fear of bringing the selling process to a
head_. He is in doubt whether the prospect will say "Yes" or "No." His
lack of courageous confidence makes him falter when he should bravely
put his fortune to the test of decision. He does not "strike while the
iron is hot," but hesitates until the prospect's desire cools. Many an
applicant for a position has talked an employer into the idea of
engaging his services, and then has gone right on talking until he
changed the other man's mind. He is the worst of all failures. Though he
has won the prize, he lets it slip through his fingers because he lacks
the nerve to tighten his hold.

[Sidenote: Keep Control At the Close]

Doubt and timidity at the closing stage, after the earlier steps have
been taken successfully, are paradoxes. Surely each _preliminary_
advance the salesman makes should add to his confidence that he can
_complete_ the sale. His proved ability to handle objections and to
overcome resistance should have developed all the courage he needs to
_finish_ the selling process. Closing requires less bravery and staunch
faith than one must have when making his approach. Now he knows his man,
and that this prospect's mind and heart can be favorably influenced by
salesmanship. Is it not a contradiction of good sense to weaken at the
finish instead of pressing the advantages already gained and crowning
the previous work with ultimate success? Yet there are salesmen who seem
so afraid of hearing a possible "No" that they dare not prompt an almost
certain "Yes."

When you have presented to your prospective employer a thoroughly good
case for yourself, _do not slow down or stop the selling process_.
Especially avoid letting _him_ take the reins. Thus far _you_ have
controlled the sale. _Keep final developments in your own hands._ Go
ahead. Smile. Be and appear entirely at ease. Look the other man in the
eye. Ask him, "When shall I start work?" _Suggest_ that you believe he
is favorable to your application. _Even speak his decision for him_, as
though it were a matter-of-course. If the previous trend of the
interview justifies you in assuming that he has almost made up his mind
to employ you, pronounce his probable thought as if he had announced it
as his final conclusion. _He will not be likely to reverse the decision
you have spoken for him._ His mental inclination will be to _follow your
lead_, and to accept as his own judgment what you have assumed to be
settled in his mind.

[Sidenote: Reversing a Negative Decision]

A stubborn merchant made a dozen objections to hiring a new clerk. The
young man cleared them all away, one after another, as soon as each was
raised. But the employer leaned back obstinately in his chair and
declared, "Just the same, I don't need any more clerks." This was but a
repetition of an objection already disposed of. The applicant concluded,
therefore, that he had his man cornered. The salesman smiled broadly at
the indication of his success. He stood up and took off his overcoat.

"Well," he said, "you certainly need one less than you did, now that I'm
ready to begin work. I understand why you have been putting me off. You
wanted to test my stick-to-it-ive-ness. I'm sure I have convinced you on
that point. You needn't worry about my staying on the job. Shall I
report to the superintendent, or will you start me yourself?"

The merchant drew a deep breath; then emptied his lungs with a burst of
astonishment mixed with relief. He could not help laughing.

"I meant to turn you down, but you say I've made up my mind to hire you.
I didn't know it myself, but you're right. I believe you are the sort of
clerk I always want."

[Sidenote: Expect the Prospect to Say "Yes"]

Remember, when you face your prospect at the closing stage, the _motive_
that brought you to him. You came with the intention of rendering him
_services from which he will profit_. You want your capability to be a
"good buy" for him. Your consciousness that your motive is _right_
should give you strengthened _faith_ in yourself and in the successful
outcome of your salesmanship. It should fill you with the courage
necessary to close the sale.

_Neither hesitate nor flinch. Confidently prompt the decision_ in your
favor. Believe that you _have_ won and you will not be intimidated by
fears of failure. Your prospect is unlikely to say "No" _if you really
expect to hear "Yes."_ Even if he speaks the negative, still _believe in
your own faith_. I know a man who, a minute after his application was
flatly rejected, won the position he wanted. Unrebuffed, he came back
with, "Eventually, why not now?" His evident conviction that he was
_needed_ gained the victory when his chance seemed lost.

[Sidenote: Don't Be Afraid to Pop The Question]

We all laugh at the young swain who courts a girl devotedly for months
and uses every art he knows to sell her the idea that he would make her
happy as his wife; but who turns pale, then red, and chokes whenever he
has a chance to pop the question. Often the girl must go half way with
prompting. When, thus encouraged, he finally stammers out his appeal for
her decision, she accepts him so quickly that he feels foolish. Women
are reputed to be better "closers" of such sales than men.

You smile at the comparison of courting with salesmanship. Yet the
selling process is as effective in making good impressions of the sort
of husband one might be as in impressing an employer with the idea that
one's services in business would prove desirable.

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