"You'd better write that down with a pencil" said Harry
"Shure, that cigare is a birrd"
"He came in with his before breakfast grouch"
"I'm treed" said the drayman. "They're as heavy as lead"
"What explanation have you to make of this, sir?"
"He tried to jolly her along, but she was wise"
The author wishes to acknowledge his special debt of gratitude to the
SATURDAY EVENING POST, of Philadelphia.
CHAPTER I.
THE SQUARE DEAL WINS.
Salesmanship is the business of the world; it is about all there is to the world of business. Enter the door of a successful wholesale or manufacturing house and you stand upon the threshold of an establishment represented by first-class salesmen. They are the steam —and a big part of the engine, too—that makes business move.
I saw in print, the other day, the statement that salesmanship is the "fourth profession." It is not; it is the first. The salesman, when he starts out to "get there," must turn more sharp corners, "duck" through more alleys and face more cold, stiff winds than any kind of worker I know. He must think quickly, yet use judgment; he must act quickly and still have on hand a rich store of patience; he must work hard, and often long. He must coax one minute and "stand pat" the next. He must persuade—persuade the man he approaches that he needs his goods and make him buy them—yes, make him. He is messenger boy, train dispatcher, department buyer, credit man, actor, lawyer and politician—all under one hat!