INITIATIVE AND LEADERSHIP 357The realtor listened with apparent interest. After his sales talk had
been completed the salesman hesitated, waiting for some signs of yes
or no from his prospective client. Thinking that perhaps he had not
made his talk quite strong enough, he briefly went over the merits of
the course he was selling, a second time. Still there was no response from
the prospective student.
The salesman then asked the direct question, "You want this course,
do you not?"
In a slow, drawling tone of voice, the realtor then replied: "Well,
I hardly know whether I do or noe'
And no doubt he was telling the truth, because he was one of the
millions who find it hard to reach decisions.
Being an able judge of human nature, the salesman then arose, put
on his hat, placed his literature back in his briefcase, and made ready
to leave. Then he resorted to tactics that were somewhat drastic, and
took the realtor by surprise with this startling statement:
"I am going to take it upon myself to say something to you that
you will not like, but it may be of help to you.
"Take a look at this office in which you work! The floor is dirty,
the walls are dusty, the typewriter you are using looks as if it might be
the one Mr. Noah used in the Ark during the big flood. Your pants
are bagged at the knees, your collar is dirty, your face is unshaved, and
you have a look in your eyes that tells me you are defeated.
"Please go ahead and get mad-that's just what I want you to
do, because it may shock you into doing some thinking that will be
helpful to you and to those who are dependent upon you.
"I can see, in my imagination, the home in which you live. Several
little children, none too well-dressed, and perhaps none too well-fed;
a mother whose dress is three seasons out of style, whose eyes carry
the same look of defeat that yours do. This woman whom you married
has stuck by you but you have not made good in life as she had hoped,
when you were first married, that you would.