"Prospects," in salesmanship has a very different meaning. The master
salesman does not regard himself as merely a "prospect_ee_," but as a
prospect_or_. He thinks of "prospecting" as the gold miner uses the word
to describe his activities when he searches for valuable mineral
deposits. "Prospects" do not just "happen" in the selling process of
achieving success. They do not result from circumstances merely, but
_must be accumulated by the activity of the salesman_.
[Sidenote: Making Good Luck]
"Your Prospects," as the subject of this chapter, does not mean your
fondest _hopes_, or confident _expectations_. We are studying the _ways
to assure_ your success. If your prospects depended on mere happenings,
they would be highly uncertain; because what you hope and expect may
occur, may never take place in fact. The master salesman does not depend
on such prospects. _He makes his own luck_ to a very large extent by
skillful prospecting; as the trained prospector for gold tremendously
increases his chances of discovering a rich lode by thoroughly and
intelligently investigating a mining region.
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