60 SELLING LUMBER 



honest with his trade or customers and still succeed. That "hon- 

 esty is the best policy" in business was never more truthful than 

 today. 



One of the biggest assets of success for any traveling sales- 

 man to possess is the confidence of his customers, and there is 

 no surer or better way to obtain the confidence than by being 

 absolutely honest and truthful in your dealings with your custom- 

 er. By being honest with him is to never misrepresent, or tell 

 him an untruth, even though you miss the opportunity of selling 

 a bill, and to never take advantage of his ignorance or inexpe- 

 rience. If he asks you if you can ship a car of a certain kind 

 of material at once, and you know it is impossible, the thing to 

 do is to tell him so. In other words, a traveling salesman is jeop- 

 ardizing his business by making any kind of misrepresentation 

 or telling any kind of an untruth to get business. As sure as 

 you do, .your customer will find it out, and you have lost his con- 

 fidence and his trade. 



In addition to being honest with your customers or trade, 

 are you honest with your firm? Are you honest in giving your 

 firm the full time for which you are paid? Are you honest in 

 your expense accounts? Are you honest or truthful in your state- 

 ments? If you are not honest in all these things, it will not be 

 long before there will be a lumber salesman out of a job. 



Are you honest and truthful to your trade and your firm? 

 If so, how honest? You may record your per cent according to 

 the dictates of your conscience. 



Mr. Woodhead : Gentlemen, I would be untrue to myself, 

 and to those high- ideals that have always governed my conduct, 

 if I claimed one-tenth of 1 per cent less than 100. (Applause). 



Mr. Dionne (reading) : "13. Self-control." Self-control is 

 the brake which our Creator has attached to our mental machin- 

 ery and is intended for us to apply or use when we find our- 

 selves in danger of slipping down the hill or over the precipice 

 into the chasms of error. Self-control is a product of civilization. 

 Self-Control Savages have none. Self-control is a fire escape which keeps 

 A Brake us f rom being consumed by our passions. It is the safety valve 

 which keeps our feelings from bursting into anger or fury. Self- 

 control is the stern guardian of our desires, and warns us against 

 our follies, and is the vigilant watchman who warns us always 

 of the approaching danger, with the oft-repeated words Think! 

 Stop! Look! Listen! 



