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 resolve not to lose his poise and agreeableness
under any circumstances. Irritability never attracts business. To say
the right thing in the right place is desirable, but it is quite as
important, though more difficult, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the
moment of temptation.
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