Masonry Magazine June 1967 Page. 15
THE SELLING PARADE
by Charles B. Roth, America's no. 1 salesmanship authority
The Selling Parade by Charles B. Roth is another new feature added by Masonry. Watch for it in all future issues of the magazine for the entire Masonry Industry. Cut out this article and future articles and place them in your business file for further reference.
Salesmen Should Never Share Troubles
I never knew a man to whom more unhappy things came than to this salesman. Ill health, bad luck, business failure, bereavement they all visited him. But in spite of that he was confident, he was serene, he was cheerful, as he went about his daily job. Never once did I hear him utter a word of complaint, or tell about his family troubles to anyone.
When a friend commended him in my hearing about his cheerfulness, this man said: "My rule is to share everything with my friends but my troubles. Those I keep to myself. I share the good things that come my way-cheerful news, good fellowship, constructive ideas. But my aches and pains, and other difficulties I keep to myself where they belong."
I thought then and I still think it takes manhood and womanhood of a high order, courage and faith, to be as good as this. It is human nature, you know, when we have troubles to want to share them with someone. If a man or woman succumbs to this perfectly natural desire, it won't take long to find out that he or she will be avoided.
In the bank where I have my account there used to be an intelligent youngster who was my teller. I liked him. In quite the ordinary way of asking how he was I discovered that he was fast developing the habit of hypochondria. Instead of saying, "just bully, thank you," he would accept my interest as an invitation to listen to his symptons. He had many of them. I heard them all.
Obviously that couldn't go on, because none of us like trouble sharers. The patrons of the bank started going to other tellers, and before long word got to the boss that there was some thing wrong here. The management straightened the boy out all right by telling him, just as I am telling you here, that the people others admire most and respect share all the good things in their lives.
A bore, you know, has been defined as a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells you. It's much pleasanter to share the good things and profitable besides.
Always To Soon To Worry
A good many salesmen have wasted a good many hours worrying about what is going to happen to them. All of us could worry a good deal about that, and get nowhere.
A sales executive in Ohio advises his salesmen to re-read a little story he has liked for a long time, whenever one of these moods strikes them. The story:
A certain man carried a sack on his shoulder, under which he groaned and complained unceasingly. As he slowly journeyed on, the Angel of Knowledge came and spoke kindly, saying: "What carriest thou?" "My worries." Said the Angel: "Let us look and see what they are." They looked but the sack was empty. "Surely," said the man, "there were two great worries, too heavy for man to bear. But, ah, yes I had forgotten, one was the worry of yesterday, and it is gone."
"And the other?" asked the Angel? "The other was the worry of tomorrow, and it is not yet here."
Then the Angel, so the story goes, smiled with infinite pity. And the man took his journey and went swiftly, his heart and hands free.
You get the point, of course. It is always too soon to worry, too late to worry, but always just the right time to go ahead as far as you can with whatever idea you have to work on.
There will always be problems. Worrying about them now will not solve them. There will be things to worry about as long as you live, but worrying about things has never yet done a whit of good in changing them.
The best thing to do is to keep yourself so flexible in your mind that you can meet whatever tomorrow may bring and as for worry, forget it entirely.
Remember there are only two kinds of worries those of yesterday and those of tomorrow. Those of yesterday are gone, those of tomorrow not come. So why worry at all?
Be More In Earnest
A London banker said it to Herbert N. Casson, the noted British business writer: "There's a young man on our staff I have my eye on. He goes at his job in dead earnest."
The banker pointed to a strongfaced youngster in one of the teller's compartments.
Asked the writer: "Is it so rare, then, for a young man to be in dead earnest?" and was told: "Yes, it is. So many young men and women coming into our business seem to regard it as bad form to be in earnest about anything. They have a saying, 'I couldn't care less.' When they are given a job, they work with only half a brain. They are dull-eyed until quitting-time. Then they suddenly become keen and dash off to some amusement. I can tell you, Mr. Casson," he concluded, "all of us are finding it very difficult to discover enough young men and women for promotion-men and women who are in dead earnest when they work. There is a serious shortage of such individuals."
Perhaps you will set this London banker down as a fussy old crank, ready to find fault, reluctant to give praise. But often, as you know, we get our best lessons from those with whom we do not entirely agree.
So perhaps it would be a good idea if you were to step back and take a look at yourself, your attitude toward the day's work. Is it carnest enough? Could you approach it with a little more earnestness and do it better? Is there anything in this London banker's blanket indictment that in any way could apply to you?
It is a fact that those who thrive the most, get the most out of life, are those who are in earnest. Business is an earnest undertaking. It yields its choicest rewards to those who are in earnest about it.
All rights reserved. June 1967 Copyrighted by CHARLES ROTH.