Certain Success Part 10

Suggestion is especially effective in producing desire; because an idea that is merely _suggested_, and not stated, is unlikely to provoke antagonism or resistance. A suggestion is given ready access to the mind of the other man. Usually it gets in without his realizing that a _strange_ thought has entered his head from outside. When he becomes conscious of the presence in his mind of an idea that has been only _suggested_ to him, he is apt to treat it _as one of his own family of ideas_ and not as an intruder. Naturally he is little inclined to oppose a desire that he thinks is _prompted by his own thoughts_. However, he would be disposed to resist the same wish if he realized it had been _injected_ into his consciousness.

All of us know the great force of suggestion; but there are very few people who so use words, tones, and movements as to make the _most_ of their power of _suggesting_ ideas in preference to _stating_ them.

Probably no tool of salesmans.h.i.+p will be of more help in _a.s.suring_ your success than fully developed ability in suggestion, which is the skillful process of getting your ideas into the minds of others _unawares_.

[Sidenote: Words Are Doubted]

The _words_ we use are intended to convey pretty definite meanings to listeners. If we are entirely honest in our words, we expect whatever we say to be taken at its face value as the truth. Yet each of us knows that his own mind seldom accepts without question the statements of other men, however well informed and honest they are reputed to be. You and I mentally reserve the right to believe or to doubt the written or spoken _words_ of someone else; because they always enter our minds _consciously_. We know that the words we hear or read come from _outside ourselves_.

The skillful salesman proceeds on the a.s.sumption that his words will be stopped at the door of the prospect's mind and examined with more or less suspicion of their sincerity and truth. Therefore the selling artist employs words princ.i.p.ally for one purpose--to communicate to the other man information about such _facts_ as cannot be introduced to his consciousness otherwise. Some facts can be told only in words. But a master of the selling process uses as few words as possible to convey his meaning. He depends on his _suggestive tones_ more than on what he says. He reenforces his speech with accompanying _movements_ and muscular _expressions_, to get into the mind of the other man by _suggestive action_ the true _ideas behind the words_ used.

Similarly when you bring your full capability to the market of your choice, you should not rely upon a mere _declaration_ of your qualifications; and upon _word_ proof, written or spoken, that you are _the_ man for the job. Your words are unlikely to be taken at their face value. Any claims you have a right to make will be discounted heavily if you _say_ very much about your own ability. You run the risk of being judged a braggart and egotist when you _talk_ up your good points; though you may be telling no more than the plain truth.

[Sidenote: Tones and Acts Are Believed]

However, if your _tones_ of sincerity and self-confidence denote really big manhood; and if your every _act and expression_ indicate to a prospective employer that you are entirely capable of filling the job for which you apply, he probably will consider himself very shrewd in sizing you up. Really _you_ have suggested to him every idea he has about you, but he will think _he_ has _found_ in you the very qualifications he desires in an employee. You can do more to sell yourself by the way you walk into a man's office than you could accomplish by bringing him the finest letters of introduction or by "giving him the smoothest line of talk about yourself." He is able to read the princ.i.p.al characteristics of the real You in your poise and movements and in the manner of your speech. _He will believe absolutely any characteristic he himself finds in you_. _What_ you say to him may have little real influence on his judgment of you. But be sure that he will note _how_ you speak; and will make up his mind about you from your tones and actions, rather than from your words. He will think the ideas you suggest to him are _his own original discoveries_.

[Sidenote: Suggestion By Tones And Acts]

Evidently, before you attempt to achieve success, it is very important that you study the _art of suggestion_ by tones and actions. When you know the principles, you should practice this art until you make yourself a master of skillful suggestion.

You need to know precisely the _effects_ of tone _variations_, the exact _significance_ of the _various_ tones you can use. It is necessary also for you to comprehend not only that "Every little movement has a meaning all its own," but _just what that meaning is_. When you are equipped with thorough knowledge of _how_ to suggest particular ideas through tones and motions, you should practice using the principles and methods of suggestive expression you have learned, until it becomes second nature _always to speak and act with selling art_. Then you will be a skillful salesman, sure of your power to sell true ideas of your best capability wherever you are. Your success will have been made certain through your sales _art_ built on the foundation of your sales _knowledge_ by your fully developed sales _manhood_.

[Sidenote: Discriminative Selective Method]

Your increased selling _skill_ will result _naturally_, just as we have seen that you will _grow_ naturally in sales _manhood_, if you employ the discriminative-selective method when training your human nature in the art of suggesting your best self. You need first to recognize the exact _differences_ of significance among the various tones and movements at your command. Then your self-training in suggestive expression should be concentrated on the _particular ways_ of speaking and acting that will best demonstrate your qualifications for success.

Of course it is equally important to _eliminate all tones and movements that might suggest unfavorable ideas_ about you. To make sure of your success, be certain that everything you do and say tells "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" about your capabilities. It is necessary to make sure no word, tone, or movement carries the least suggestion that might possibly leave a false impression of the real You.

Let us make a brief a.n.a.lysis now of words, tones, and acts--_the three means of suggestive expression which are the natural equipment of every man for conveying his ideas to the minds of others_. You cannot employ the discriminative-restrictive method to develop your selling skill unless you know very definitely just _what_ your different tools of expression are, and the almost infinite variety of _uses_ to which they can be put.

[Sidenote: Four Rules About Words]

For the reasons already explained, words are of much less value than tones and movements in suggesting ideas the other man will admit to his mind unawares. But the sales efficiency of words can be very much increased if they are chosen with intelligent _discrimination_, and if the choice is _restricted_ to words that have four qualifications.

First, they should be _common_ words.

Second, _short_ words are more forceful than long words.

Third, words of _definite meanings_ are preferable to mere generalizations.

Fourth, words that make _vivid_ impressions are most effective in suggesting ideas.

[Sidenote: Common Words]

When you employ words to sell true ideas of your best capability, choose words that everybody understands. Do not "air your knowledge" in uncommon language. Unless you are seeking a position as a philologist in a college, restrict yourself to every-day common speech when selling your personal qualifications. An important element in the skillful sale of ideas is making them as _easy_ as possible for the other man to comprehend. If you use unfamiliar words, it sometimes will be hard for him to understand what you mean. _The truly artistic salesman avoids introducing any unnecessary element of difficulty into the selling process_. So you should discriminate against all unusual expressions and restrict yourself to the _common_ words that are easy for any man to comprehend.

[Sidenote: Short Words]

A long word or phrase may convey your idea clearly, but _force_ is lost in the drawn-out process. Remember that your _words_ will meet the intuitive resistance of the other man's mind before they are admitted to his full belief. You cannot afford to sacrifice the driving-in power of the _short_ word. Therefore, when your opinion is asked, it will be better salesmans.h.i.+p to say, "I think" so and so than "It is my impression--"

[Sidenote: Definite Words]

The _definite_ word conveys a _particular meaning_ to the mind of the other man, not merely a vague or general idea. Never say, when you apply for a position, "I can do anything." That tells the prospective employer simply _nothing_ about your ability. Particularize.

[Sidenote: Vivid Words]

It is of the utmost importance to make _vivid impressions_ with your speech. You should employ words skillfully to produce in the mind of the other man _distinct and lifelike_ mental images. He may not credit the words themselves, taken literally and alone. But he will believe in _the pictures the words paint in his mind_; because he will think he himself is the mental artist. He will not be suspicious of his own work. If you apply for a situation in a bank, and the cas.h.i.+er seeks to learn whether or not you are safely conservative in your views, you can suggest in vivid words that you have the qualification he requires. You will make the desired impression if you say to him, "I always carry an umbrella when it looks like rain."

[Sidenote: Tone Meanings]

Our a.n.a.lysis of the three means of self-expression turns now to _tones_.

Rightly selected words are tremendously augmented in selling power when they are _rightly spoken_. Most men employ but a small part of their complete tonal equipment, and are ignorant of the _full sales value_ of the portion they use. The master salesman, however, practices the gamut of his natural tones, and utilizes each to produce particular effects.

Thus he supplements his mere statements with _suggestive shades of meaning_. The _way_ he says a thing has more effect than the words themselves.

Conversely tone _faults_ may have a disastrous effect on one's chances to succeed. For ill.u.s.tration, ideas of mind, of feeling, and of power can be correctly expressed by the discriminative use of particular _pitches_ of tone. But a wrong pitch, though the words employed might be identical, would convey a directly opposite and false impression.

[Sidenote: Mental Pitch]

Suppose you are appealing only to the _mind_ of your prospective employer--as when you quote figures to him--you should restrict your tone temporarily to the mental pitch. You are just conveying facts now.

Therefore the "matter-of-fact" tone best suits the ideas expressed.

Since it fits what you are saying, the way you speak impresses the other man with the suggestion that _your tone and words are consistent_.

Therefore his mind has no inclination to resist the mental pitch on this occasion. He admits your figures to his conscious belief more readily than he would credit them if spoken in an emotive or power tone. Such tone pitches would strike him as out of place in a mere statement of fact.

[Sidenote: Tone Faults]

If your prospective employer asks how old you are, and how many years of experience you have had, and you reply in a tone vibrant with emotion or in a deep tone of sternness, the wrong pitch certainly will make a bad impression on him. By employing an inconsistent pitch when stating facts, you might "queer" your chances for the position you most desire.

The tone fault in your salesmans.h.i.+p would lie about your real character.

The man addressed would think you were foolish to use such a pitch in merely imparting a bit of _information_ to his mind. He would expect you to employ for _that_ purpose simply a _head_ tone, not a chest tone nor an abdominal tone. The head tone, when used to convey matters of _fact_, aids in convincing the _mind_ of the other man because _it is the pitch that fits bare facts_--the tone of pure mentality.

[Sidenote: When Mental Tone Should Be Used]

This mental, or head tone, is most effective in gaining _attention_, in conveying _information_, in arousing the _perceptive faculties_ of another mind. _Restrict its use to these purposes only._ The mental tone is not pleasing to the ear. It is pitched high. It suggests arguments and disputes. It is the provocative tone of quarrels. So it should be employed most carefully, with every precaution against giving offense by its _insistence_.

Avoid its use for long at a time. Its very monotony is apt to irritate.

The high pitch suggests a mental challenge to the mind of the other man, and hence arouses his mental tendency to opposition. The unskillful _over-use_ of head tones may ruin a salesman's best opportunity to gain a coveted object.

There are times, however, when it is necessary that you should insist--briefly. If you do so _artistically_, and do not persist in the high, mental, rasping tone; but change to the lower, emotive, chest tone very soon after your insistence on the other man's attention, you will not hurt your chances. It is the _continued_ use of the head tone that is to be avoided.

[Sidenote: Emotive Pitch]

The _emotive_ (chest or heart) pitch dissipates opposition as naturally as the mind tone provokes a quarrel. Even a hot argument can be ended without any lasting ill-feeling if the disputants conclude with hearty expressions of good will for one another. The same words spoken in head tones would increase the antagonism by suggesting sarcasm or insincerity. The resonant chest tone suggests that it comes from the speaker's heart. The _hearer's_ heart makes _his_ mind believe the heart message conveyed by the emotional pitch of the other man's voice.

Therefore if you want your ideas to penetrate a man's _heart_, don't aim your tone _high_ at his head. _Lower_ it to the pitch of true friendliness, of comrades.h.i.+p, of human brotherhood. Aim at _his_ breast with _your_ breast tone. Do not fawn or plead, however, when selling ideas of yourself. You can persuade best by suggesting that you have brought all your manhood to render the other man a real service. This suggestion will induce a feeling of _respect_ for you, which will certainly be followed by willingness of the prospect to let you show him you are able "to deliver the goods."

[Sidenote: Danger of Over-using Head Tone]

Some people suggest by the over-use of head tones that they depend altogether on what they _know_ to achieve success. They make the impression that they expect their high degree of _mentality_ to open chances for them to succeed. "They know they know" their business; so when they secure opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities, they emphasize too much what they _know_. They are apt to use the mental tone continually. Perhaps the prospective employer needs a man of exactly such knowledge as is possessed by the candidate he is interviewing. But if when presenting his qualifications the applicant rasps the ears of his hearer for a long time with high-pitched head tones, the listener intuitively becomes prejudiced. He is impressed with the suggestion that the speaker is a "know-it-all" fellow. The employer is likely to turn down his application because of the unskilled tone pitch in which it is made.

[Sidenote: Sing-Song Parrot Talk]