Salesmanship

I once worked for a fellow who sincerely wanted to give me a piece of coveted advice, a secret to success in life. He wanted to help me out.

So he pulled me aside and said, "Jim, the secret to life, to everything in life, is learning how to sell."

And he meant it, and not just in business. He played every angle, every time, with everybody, with the sole goal of getting what he wanted. And with employees, customers, wive(s), family, friends, waiters, whatever, he usually did.

I didn't like that advice.

I hate selling anything. I'm a terrible actor.

The odd thing is, that years before I was sitting in the office of the President of Lebanon Valley College, interviewing him for the newspaper on how he had turned around the campus. And he really had done quite a job, making vast building improvements while finding ways to pay for them, and growing enrollment.

I asked him what his secret to success was. He smiled at me and just said, "The secret to life is acting Jim."

That's all he would say about it.

I didn't care for that advice much either.

Is that the secret to life? Is it all fake? Acting?

INTRODUCING THE NEW SCHICK RAZOR WITH 16 BLADES FOR THAT ULTRA-CLOSE SHAVE!

I mean how far away can it be? My razor has four blades. Do I need four blades? I don't know. I didn't buy it. I think it was a gift/hint from my Mom.

Yesterday I saw a TV commercial for the "Slap It," a fruit and vegetable chopper that I would place on top of something and slap like crazy to pulverize my food. Some guy was yelling at me about how this would change my life. I'm still trying to figure out why he was wearing a headset microphone.

Salesmanship is certainly a big part of America.

And from what I'm to understand bartering in general is a big part of many countries.

It's a delicate balancing act. I'm honest to a fault and prefer genuineness to salesmanship. But sooner or later you have to fit into the game and play along Ii suppose.

Ronald Reagan once told a reporter that acting prepared him for politics.

I like direct and straight forward, no hidden agendas. I always firmly believe that two people can work anything out if they're just honest with themselves and one another.

My Dad always taught me to shut up and listen. My Mom always taught me to speak my mind.

Acting was just not part of the curriculum.