THE DAILY CHECK-UP—A PERPETUAL INVENTORY
Elementary fundamentals should be brought up time and again. You may know you are beyond the stage where you need to be told to keep the ears clean, the hair combed, the shoes polished, and suits pressed, but there are some angles on this matter of keeping a perpetual personal inventory which may be reviewed profitably many times. Consider the advantages of a daily check-up.
Some women are inclined to trust to first impressions of appearance and manner. A salesman may find it difficult and sometimes impossible to win their confidence if there is anything in his appearance, manner, language, or actions to detract attention or arouse prejudice. If these important personal matters are neglected, it means reduced income through the loss of some sales and an unnecessary loss of time in many others.
One of the best ways to guard against these losses is to work out a sort of perpetual inventory of your own good and bad points, and to keep this inventory up to date, making a systematic check-up.
Certain principles as to proper dress for men in home-furnishing stores of dignity have been established. One metropolitan store insists that salesmen wear dark suits; black shoes always; white collars either attached or detached, not necessarily starched; neckties, dark preferably, and in harmony with the suit. This store never permits removal of coat or vest even in summer. Many stores, however, permit vests off in summer and supply uniform coats to all salesmen—dark palm beach or similar material. Arbitrary rules without reason are worse than none. The store mentioned above feels that the factors listed as important simply conform to the laws of good taste in reflecting the store to its clientele. No store can afford to tolerate slovenly attire, shoddy language, or indifferent effort.
If, in good faith, interested salesmen will run through the following list of questions before they go to work each morning for 2 or 3 months, they will find the results in increased sales unexpectedly profitable.
APPEARANCE
Have I had the food, sleep, and exercise necessary to enable me to meet all customers, even on the longest and busiest day, with energy and enthusiasm?
Do I feel and look fit, alert, competent, and prosperous?
Is there anything to attract unpleasant attention to my hair, fingernails, teeth, tie, or shoes?
MANNER
Do I meet all customers without reference to age, sex, or dress, as if I were genuinely glad to see them and sincerely interested in serving them intelligently and well?
Am I businesslike without being brusque? dignified without being stiff? unvaryingly polite but never oily or servile?
Do I treat all customers with real courtesy, and none with cheap or offensive familiarity?
Do I ever permit myself to look or act bored, tired, indifferent, or sullen?
LANGUAGE
Is my voice pleasant?
Do I talk enough, or too much?
Do I talk carefully and well, without grammatical blunders or slang, and with an adequate command of words, or do I stumble, use poorly chosen words, and repeat myself until my customers are bored or repelled?
ACTION
Do I slouch, or get into awkward and ungraceful postures, or sit on the arms of chairs or sofas?
Do I play with a pencil, watch chain, or sales book, or jingle keys or money in my pocket?
Do I ever show merchandise carelessly, as if it were of no value or importance?
Do I ever get into an argument with a customer when there is the slightest possibility of giving offense?
Whatever your present earning power may be, wide experience warrants the belief that you can raise it appreciably by improving your present rating in these factors which together give outward expression to your personality as your customers see it.