How to influence men : the use of psychology in business / by Edgar James Swift.

  • Swift, Edgar James, 1860-1932.
Date:
1927
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: How to influence men : the use of psychology in business / by Edgar James Swift. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ficient in the mechanism of the various cars, and conse- quently he could speak with authority about the compara- tive value of the different types of machines. With this knowledge he could become enthusiastic about the car which he felt to be the best. If a salesman loses himself in the worth of his goods, he will forget himself. In this way self-consciousness will disappear. There is also another way to eliminate the consciousness of oneself, and that is to play the psychological game. The more completely a salesman becomes imbued with the psychological spirit, and the more interested he be- comes in problems of human nature, the more quickly will he forget himself. A selling situation is a tremendously interesting human problem. Here is a man who is unde- cided whether he wants to purchase or not. Many things in his mind favor buying, but objections arise. How shall they be met? To one who knows nothing about human nature, who is unaware of the delicate ways in which the prospect himself may be induced to present arguments which the salesman may turn to his own advantage, the whole conversation is a confused jumble of obscurity. But to one who looks upon salesmanship as a great adventure, a marvellously interesting game which one is playing, such problems acquire all the fascination of outdoor sports. And unless one can get this attitude of mind toward work, one’s success is at least problematical. The writer does not mean that salesmanship should not be taken seriously. Does any one give more severe atten- tion to the work in hand than baseball and football play- ers ? But, in the case of these men, enthusiasm for unex- pected plays gives the game an irresistible zest that keeps the players alive and alert. And this mental attitude which characterizes sports, if applied to business, would raise the level of the day’s work from toil and drudgery to the pleasure of achievement. Work is no less serious because it is undertaken in the