This self-confidence, however, is a very different thing from boldness
or obtrusiveness. Courtesy and considerateness are cardinal qualities of
the well-equipped salesman, but boastfulness, glibness, egotism,
loudness, and self-assertion, are as distasteful as they are
undesirable.

The eloquence and persuasiveness of silence is nowhere better
exemplified than in the art of salesmanship. One man says much, and
sells little; another says little, and sells much. The reason for the
superior success of one over the other is mainly due to the fact that he
knows best how to present the merits of what he offers for sale, knows
how to say it concisely and effectively, knows how to ingratiate
himself, largely through his personality, into the good graces of the
prospective buyer, and knows when to stop talking.

Modern salesmanship is based primarily upon common sense. A man with
brains, though possibly lacking in other desirable qualifications, may
easily outdistance the more experienced salesman. It is a valuable thing
in any man to be able to think accurately, reason deeply, and size up a
situation promptly.

The salesman should at all times be on his best talking behavior. It is
not advisable for him to have two standards of speech, and to use an
inferior one excepting for special occasions. He should cultivate as a
regular daily habit discrimination in the use of voice, enunciation,
expression, and language. This should be the constant aim not only of
the salesman, but of every man ambitious to achieve success and
distinction in the world.