THE ABILITY TO TALK WELL
“Words have worth, only when properly expressed.”
It is the conquest, the conquest of the heart, by words that
speak kindliness and assure confidence, which distinguishes the
prosperous salesman, justly proud and progressive.—HENRY FRANK.
Many a man with a good brain fails as a salesman, or remains a mediocre
one, because he has never learned to express himself with ease and
fluency. A lame, hesitating, poverty-stricken speech is fatal.
The ability to talk well is to a man what cutting and polishing are to
the rough diamond. The grinding does not add anything to the diamond. It
merely reveals its wealth.
It is an excellent thing to cultivate readiness in conversation, for this
will incidentally develop other powers.
Every salesman should have a good broad working vocabulary. To hesitate
and feel one’s way for words in trying to make a sale is fatal. The
salesman must express himself easily, clearly, and forcefully, otherwise
he will be placed at a certain disadvantage. He must be not only a fluent
talker, but also a convincing one.
The ability to talk well is a great aid to success in any line of
endeavor, but if our heads are empty, mere facility in words will not
help us much. Not “words, words, words,” but “points, points, points”
win. This is especially true in salesmanship.
A good salesman should be well read on general topics as well as in
his special line. There is no other way in which a person will reveal
a shallow or a full mind, a narrow or a broad one, a well-read or a
poverty-stricken mentality so quickly as in his speech.
To be a good conversationalist, able to interest people, to rivet their
attention, to draw them to you naturally, is to be the possessor of a
very great and valuable accomplishment. It not only helps you to make
a good impression upon strangers, it also helps you to make and keep
friends. It opens doors and softens hearts. It makes you interesting in
all sorts of company. It helps you marvelously to get on in the world.
It sends you customers, it attracts business.
It is a deplorable fact that indifference of speech is one of
the characteristics of the American people. We are not only poor
conversationalists, but we are poor listeners as well. We are too
impatient to listen. Instead of being attentive and eager to drink in
the story or the information, we have not enough respect for the talker
to keep quiet. We look about impatiently, perhaps snap our watch, play a
tattoo with our fingers on a chair or a table, twitch about as if we were
bored and were anxious to get away, and frequently interrupt the speaker
before he reaches his conclusion. In fact, we are such an impatient
people that we have no time for anything except to push ahead, to elbow
our way through the crowd, to get the position or the money we desire.
Poor conversationalists excuse themselves for not trying to improve by
saying that “good talkers are born, not made.” We might as well say that
good lawyers, good physicians, good merchants or good salesmen are born,
not made. None of these would ever get very far without hard work. This
is the price of all achievement that is of value.
To be a good talker one must be a good observer, a good listener, a good
reader, a good thinker, and a clear speaker. It will not do to mumble or
to slur over your words. You should speak distinctly, plainly, and not
too rapidly. Don’t talk like a drone or a parrot. Put force, thought and
feeling into your words; fill them full of meaning, so that people will
want to hear what you say.
You know what an impression a great orator makes upon an audience when he
measures his words and sends them out with deliberation, with feeling and
force. They are infinitely more impressive than the excited, impassioned
shouting, which comes from an over-wrought mind.
Readiness in conversation is largely a matter of practice. But the voice,
especially the American voice, needs to be trained.
There is nothing more disagreeable than a harsh, discordant voice, unless
it be the high-pitched, nasal intonation so characteristic of our people,
or the whine which is frequently heard from those who are narrow-minded
and discontented. A low, clear, well-modulated voice indicates
refinement and should be carefully cultivated by the salesman who wishes
to express himself forcefully.
It is very difficult to convince a prospect that he should buy your
merchandise when you are pleading your cause either in high-pitched,
sharp, shrill tones, or in mumbling or nasal ones which have no
magnetism, no attractiveness in them.
A clear, deep, melodious voice tends to unlock minds and to win
confidence, while a harsh, shrill, discordant voice antagonizes us.
The ability to talk well, to interest and hold others, increases our
self-respect, our confidence, and gains us a ready entrance to places
from which we would otherwise be excluded. If you expect to be a
first-class salesman, a man of power in any line of endeavor you should
cultivate your voice and practice the art of conversation.