Business Marketing Advertising

You know the type ? he is the fellow you met in the Pullman compartment who was all excited about the dividends that the Ford Motor Company paid last year, and “wished” that he was Henry.

He is the fellow who reads about Babe Ruth’s seventy-seventh “homer” and “wishes” he was Ruth. He hears about the president of his company taking a month’s vacation in Florida, and “wishes” he was the president. He reads about the wonderful climate in Bermuda, and “wishes” he were there.

Or, if he is of a more practical turn of mind, he hears about some other salesman who corralled a lot of business down in Oklahoma and he wishes Oklahoma was his territory ? or he wishes he had a line that sold itself like that of some smoking car acquaintance. “Lucky dog,” he thinks, “I wish I had his chance!”

Now, wishing you were somebody that you are not, and wishing you were some place where you can’t be, is seemingly a harmless pastime. It doesn’t cost anything to wish, and it is an interesting diversion. But this wishing habit grows on you, like the drug habit, the booze habit, or any other form of dissipation.

From wishing for the impossible you soon find yourself dissatisfied with everything you have, and wishing you had what you haven’t. You probably have one of the best territories in the country, but the month Jim Jones, in the territory adjoining, outsells you, you find yourself “wishing” you had his territory. You wish you were the sales manager; you wish you had a job so that you wouldn’t have to travel; you wish you were making more money; you wish you didn’t have to work so hard; you wish for everything in sight.

Every person who has ever accomplished anything big has started out wishing for something ? but he knew when to stop wishing and when to start doing. He didn’t allow his wishing to make him dissatisfied and disgruntled. He just decided what his goal was going to be, and he took off his gloves, spit on his hands and went to it. He wished and made his wish come true. The other kind of salesman just wishes ? and then calls it a day.