RELATION OF THE MAN TO HIS JOB
SERVICE
Why is it that of two salesmen working together in the same store,
selling the same goods, at the same prices and under the same
conditions, one regularly books twice as much business as the other? “Oh
well,” someone says, “he has a following; he has friends who come in
year after year and won’t buy from anyone else. He knows what they want,
and all he has to do is to take the order. It’s a case of having them
drop in his lap. The other man gets only the left-overs.”
“Simple enough,” he says, but is it quite as simple as he says it is?
What has the one salesman to sell that the other doesn’t have?
It is that great, everlasting business builder—_service_. It is the
salesman’s stock in trade, the thing he has to deliver to the customer,
and the thing that stamps him either as a salesman or a mere “order
taker.”
In the financial statement of one of the big New York stores is an item
called _good-will_ listed along with merchandise, stocks, cash and other
property the business owns, and this item is valued at a million
dollars. Every successful business enjoys a certain amount of good-will
that may be reduced to a basis of dollars and cents. It is not unusual
for a well-conducted business to have good-will actually worth several
millions of dollars. And this is nothing more than a trade-following the
store has built up as a result of satisfactory service given to the
customers in the past. It is the same kind of trade-following the
salesman must build up if he is steadily to increase his earnings, and
it comes only through service—through changing an _occasional_ customer
into a _steady_ one.
SELF-ANALYSIS
Considering that the salesman’s work should be about ninety per cent
head work and ten per cent leg work it is mighty important for him to
know what there is in him “from the neck up.” Successful men in selling
have taken time to consider these things and they have increased their
earning power as a result.
Every salesman should sit down with himself and actually study what he
has to offer in the way of service to the customer. Without prejudice
either for or against yourself take an inventory of how you measure up
on the following:
Knowledge of the business
Love for your work
Sincerity with the customer
Loyalty to the house
Effort toward improvement in the quality of service.
The first step toward progress is to know your strong and weak points;
to make the most of the strong ones by using them whenever possible and
to build up those that are below the standard. Go over the list and
grade yourself on the percentage basis, from one to a hundred, according
to your honest opinion. A person might rate one hundred per cent on his
knowledge of the business, but what good would it do him if he did not
have tact in handling the customer? He might find perhaps that he was
only fifty per cent on tact. That would be his cue, to plan at once to
learn how to improve his approach to the customer, how to take advantage
of suggestion rather than argument, and how to get the customer to agree
with him.
Go right down the list, one after another, treat yourself fairly, and
find out just how you stand in relation to the qualities of service that
make for success. And remember this, that in developing tact,
enthusiasm, sincerity, loyalty, and the others, you are not building for
success as a shoe salesman alone, but as a buyer, manager, owner, and as
far beyond that as you have the courage to go. The qualities of success
are the same whether they be for a small success or for a large one; be
sure you get them right and then go ahead.
Unless a man can convince himself absolutely that he has in him
something worth while he will never be able to get anyone else to
believe it. He should be so cock-sure of his own ability to move up that
it will never occur to anyone to doubt it. But that does not mean he
should be satisfied with himself. Confidence is not self-satisfaction.
CONFIDENCE
Assuming that the salesman thoroughly knows his job and is in a position
to give his customer service, he will then have in him that air of
assurance that will at once win confidence. He will not, of course,
openly “rub it in” on the customer and give him the feeling that his
opinion counts for nothing. The success of the sale depends upon the
salesman’s ability to make the customer feel that his opinion is of
first importance, but that in making his decision he may absolutely rely
upon the value of the expert’s suggestion. This impression will “get
over” only as the salesman shows a natural sense of confidence in his
service to the customer.
On the other hand, self-satisfaction is dangerous. It is one of the
chief causes that limit progress. Satisfaction means the taking away of
the driving force of success that urges the person to do the task a
little better next time. There is no standing still in the shoe
business, either for the salesman, the department head, or the company
itself. The movement is either forward or backward. The _satisfied_ shoe
salesman is drifting backward although he may be booking as much
business this week as he did last. His is a case of “dry rot,” and it is
only a matter of days before the condition will begin to show in the
size of his book.
So do not confuse confidence with self-satisfaction. One is the fountain
head and dear flowing stream of life and advancement; the other is the
stagnant pool that shows on the surface its story of rot and decay.
CHARACTER
The man who said, “I would rather be right than president,” expressed in
seven short words what some other statesmen have required volumes to
express—and have done it with less clearness. He expressed to the world
that he was a man of character and that he placed above all other
things, even the greatest honor the country can give, the importance of
holding to a principle of right he had set for himself.
In speaking of business character we mean the sum total of all those
uplifting qualities of honesty, ambition, courage, loyalty, courtesy,
enthusiasm, and a dozen others that go to make up the moral fiber of a
man. Bring these all together, or as many of them as the individual may
have, and you get a product which is that man’s _character_. There were
times in the pioneer days of the United States when it was possible for
a business man to “shade” some of his dealings and still retain his
position among his associates. Nathaniel Drew, who was a financial power
a few generations ago, was one of the first men to practice stock
watering. Driving his cattle from upper New York State to the wholesale
market in New York City, he very carefully provided that they should be
given no water to drink until about ready to enter the market. Just
before being weighed-in, the thirsty animals were given water to their
fullest desire. The result was that Drew collected on “watered stock,”
and was considered clever.
But those days have passed. No business or any other enterprise can hope
to be permanently successful unless it is built upon character. Time was
when the traveling salesman could go out on the road with a trunk half
filled with samples and the other half filled with cigars and booze. But
those days have passed too. Today, with the traveling salesman, it is a
matter of open competition on the basis of the worth of the goods plus
the service of the salesman. Get right on these factors that make for
character—courtesy, ambition, honesty, and the like. Only then will you
naturally improve personality and become a real salesman.
PERSONALITY
Almost without exception a man’s nationality is so clearly stamped upon
his face that it cannot be mistaken. Just so with personality. It is the
outward expression of a man’s or woman’s innermost character. Sometimes
we find attempts at forced personality, but these are simply disguises
and will soon be recognized. Counterfeits may pass for a while but they
will sooner or later find their way to the scrap pile.
There are all kinds of personalities just as there are physical types of
men. There are strong and weak, pleasing and disagreeable, depending
upon the make-up of the individual and the degree to which he has
developed character. To some degree at least every person forms the
habit of reading the character of people with whom they come in contact.
A child four years old, and much younger too, will size-up a stranger
and soon let him know what the impression has been. From some stories we
hear of the dog it seems that the faithful animal can, in the twinkling
of an eye, tell even the thoughts in a man’s mind.
A man is judged by the impression he makes when met. With the shoe
salesman, in approaching the customer, there is almost unconsciously the
double “sizing-up” process going on. The salesman will improve his
selling ability by being able to size-up the customer so that he may
know the likes, dislikes and peculiarities of people upon meeting them.
This however, will be discussed later. Here we are considering the
qualities of the shoe salesman and the effect they have upon the
customer.
Although a man may not have a pleasing personality he is blessed, at
least, to the extent that he can improve it as he can improve his
muscular development. Notice the expression on the face of the sprinter
in a hundred-yard dash. Every particle of determination in his whole
being is expressed in the position of that lower jaw. It takes the man a
few seconds to cover the hundred yards, but during that time he has
summed up everything there was in him. This has made an impression upon
his mind and determination, which as part of his character, has been
developed to that extent. This is just a simple illustration but it
shows the undying power of genuine effort.
Recognize your shortcomings, make some effort every day to correct them.
Character and personality will then follow as the rainbow follows the
shower.
CARVING OUT A CAREER
In one of the art museums there is a marble carving by an artist who had
a big idea that showed his faith in the great truth that _we are what we
make ourselves_. He represented a bright, strong, vigorous young man
with a chisel in one hand and a mallet in the other, busily engaged in
carving himself out of a rough piece of marble. The thought of the whole
thing was that the young man’s future, or his career, was before him,
and that the finished product would be exactly what he made it himself.
In relation to his courage, his confidence and his persistence would be
determined the beauty of his future. The world judges and honors him on
the basis of what he produces.
To bring the point a little closer home, suppose Marshall Field, John
Wanamaker or any other of the great merchants had stopped chiseling
after they had become stock boys or clerks; they never would have
advanced a step higher. But they did not stop, and we give them credit
for chiseling great monuments for the world.
CO-OPERATION
One of the great problems of the time is that of building up a true
basis of co-operation or team-work among all workers connected with an
organization, and that means everyone from the youngest stock boy up to
the president. No business can move forward without co-operation on the
part of everyone concerned any more than an army could succeed without a
head or without team-work.
It is a well-established fact that no matter how humble or important the
job, one is as necessary for success as the other. As an example, a
stock boy by placing a pair of shoes in the wrong box may be the means
of losing a sale in spite of the most careful planning on the part of
the store manager to have the shoe ready for the customer to buy. For
this reason, all right-thinking business men recognize the fact and are
willing to give the humblest worker his proportionate share of praise
and profit in the success that comes from his effort.
SUCCESS THE REWARD OF MERIT
In studying a forest it will be found that there are all kinds of trees,
big and little, strong and mighty, as well as the weak; and it is just
so among men and women. There are those who are leaders—men who are
extraordinary in character and ability, men who have the will to strive
for better things. On the other hand, there are those who are so weak
that they must be cared for. There are men who show neither will-power
nor character. Every _normal_ man, however, has in him the power to
shape his own future. It is for him to choose. He will take his place
according to the way he measures up to the responsibility.
In considering these things the question of compensation naturally comes
up. Are we to reward every man on an equal basis regardless of his own
contribution to progress? The answer is emphatically—_No_. Compensation
takes two forms; financial and honorary. Some men strive for both;
others for money alone and still others for the praise and respect of
their fellow-men. Without the incentive that comes to a man when he
knows that his extra effort will be rewarded by greater returns either
in money or honor, there can be no advancement.
James J. Hill, the great railroad builder, who was responsible more than
any one man for developing the wild West of his time; Andrew Carnegie,
the lad who arrived here almost penniless and later built one of the
largest fortunes ever accumulated; Edward H. Harriman, another railroad
builder, who overcame all sorts of physical handicaps and took his place
among the men who have made America; Theodore Roosevelt, if you please,
who as a boy was so weak and sickly he was not expected to live, and yet
later developed into the most vigorous and powerful man in body and mind
this country has produced—they all knew that success would come only as
a reward of individual merit, and they played the game to win. What
could have been more fatal than to have taken from these men their hope
of the future? To them it would have been unfair, but to the world’s
progress the injustice would have been a thousand times greater.
No one disputes the right of every individual to stand equal with his
fellow-man before the law; which means that justice shall be equal in
favor of the humble and the great. But you cannot equalize ambition,
courage and ability. While the humble are just as needful and important
in the world’s work it is necessary also to have leadership with which
the less capable must co-operate to produce the best world’s results.
The ambition of every individual in the world should be to make the most
of himself, strengthen his character day by day, develop his ability,
and thus aim for the highest position that God has given him power to
attain. No man can be held responsible for the lowly position in which
he may have been born, but he can be held responsible for being content
to stay there.
THE PRICE OF SUCCESS
Anthony H. Geuting, ex-president of the National Shoe Retailers’
Association, and one of Philadelphia’s successful merchants, has told
the story of his early start toward the position he now occupies. The
experience dates back about thirty-five years, but it clearly shows that
the “going” for the young man or woman is a great deal smoother today
than it was then.
Although I started on my first job at $3.50 per week, and paid
out of this $3.00 every week for board and room, I was able,
when the year was around, to show something saved. Ever since I
have kept up this practice and have never spent all that I made;
always saving something. But to do this it was necessary in the
early days to practice self-denial. I could not patronize
pool-rooms, theaters, circuses and many entertainments that were
calling young men away from their occupations, and often it was
with bitter regret that I could not take part with the other
fellows. The temptations were very great, but I knew they could
not be followed if I intended to succeed.
Every man of any consequence in the world has had this same
experience, and the big, successful business houses of today
were built by men who practiced this method of self-denial,
through which they gained control over themselves. They learned
to say “no,” accumulated money, and above all, built for
character and ability.
I remember one winter going without an overcoat—and you can
imagine when the weather was below zero, how I longed for the
luxurious fur coats so much in use at that time. However, I
never felt bitter toward those who had them, but rather I made
up my mind that one day I too would own one.
The reader will find in himself a feeling that he is unsatisfied with
his present progress in business and that his future is still to be
made. Unless he were a man of purpose it is safe to assume that he would
not be reading these pages. He is unsatisfied, and that means that no
matter how well he may have done up to the present he still sees ahead
something better for the future. To be continually dissatisfied stamps a
man as a grumbler and a perpetual grouch, but to be unsatisfied is the
mark of distinction for the man with a healthy purpose, character and a
bedrock foundation of confidence in his own ability to win.