IS SUCCESS FOUND AT THE TOP
OR THE BOTTOM?
/' you say, "suppose this formula you are building
me up to is so good.
"How can I, a secretary, use it to become a success?
"Sure it will work. But I'm too far down the pile to be
able, in one lifetime, to make it work for me as good as
it is.
"What chance has a plumber, an electrician, a bookkeeper
or me, the secretary, to win job security, happiness, health,
or to become head of the firm?"
The answer is simple.
It is simply told in the case histories of 1,000 people
many of whom were secretaries to start with!
Some Few Examples
Woodrow Wilson was not born president of the United
States.
He may have been born with the urge but he was not
marked out in advance by some deity: "Fragile! Future
Presidentl"
He was a humble secretary!
Herbert Hoover, another fine president, didn't have any
brand on him that said, "For President!"
Nope he too was a secretary!
So next time you hear, "He's just a secretary/' better sit
up and take notice.
He might be the next President of the United States!
The Case of Harry Truman
Here is another president who came up from the ranks.
A haberdasher in Kansas City.
He did three things that made him president, three things
you, too, can do to condition yourself for whatever you
want in life:
1. Harry sold himself to the American public. He smiled,
shook hands, and was friendly. People warmed up to him
more than they could to his competitors.
2. Harry didn't hang around. He knew once he made a
"sale" of votes, he should leave and go elsewhere. He kept
on the move.
3. Harry made calls. If you talk to enough people, some-
body is bound to say, "I sure like your idea. I'll buy it."
Whether or not you voted for these three presidents, re-
member they did get America's No. i job, and you must
not overlook their success secrets.
Bet-a-Million Gates
Here is another man, down the line, that worked himself
up to a million.
He sold barbed wire. Others have inventions. (There are
2,500,000 in Washington at this moment.)
But Bet-a-Million Gates, before he had millions to bet
with, went to San Antonio and on the plaza of this city
made a large square of barbed wire.
He put some Longhorns into it. They charged the fence.
Soon they realized a thin piece of barbed wire held them
back.
Impressed, the cattlemen placed orders with this doer.
His total investment to build his millions was just a few
feet of cheap wire but it was barbed.
That was his success secret! Barbed!
Tricks of Secretaries
How can a secretary get places?
Usually by putting the seed of an idea into the other
person's mind, and letting him come back later on with the
same idea as his own.
Many a secretary has so "seeded" the firm the bosses
above him or her to a point where they become a success
themselves.
As a good secretary, you learn more "inside" of a business
than even a vice-president.
Thus when the time comes, you are the logical one to
take over.
Statler, the hotel man, moved at least one of his sec-
retaries up to president.
Hilton, another hotel genius, never brings in "outsiders."
The heads of his famous hotels were all bell hops, room
clerks, who worked their way up.
Eighty-two per cent of all top executives in sales organiza-
tions, according to the National Sales Executive's Club presi-
dent, Bob Whitney, were once salespeople.
None were born with signs on /hem that said, "Beware
here comes a firm president!"
Another Trick of the Trade
A further "conditioner" for the time when the Master
Formula of all will be given to you is best expressed by an
Arabian proverb:
"The best speaker is one who can make men see with
their ears!"
A secretary must have a command of "television lan-
guage."
Language that has vision.
Technicolor words that are alive to the hearer.
The trick is to "say it simple like."
Being fancy with fancy words blurs vision.
Out in West Texas recently, I sat next to a cowboy eat-
ing. When he finished, he wiped his mouth off and asked
the waitress what that "pie a la mode" stuff was.
She said it was pie and ice cream, and he snapped back,
"Then why doncha call it that why use them six-bit
words!"
The cowboy had something there!
This may sound far-fetched but if you know people, you
won't say so.
Here are three good rules:
1. Ma\e your talk simple. Use plain words plainly spoken.
2. Make it emotional. Get excited and others get ex-
cited.
3. Use the word "you" It sells more ideas than the word
"i"
Five Friend-Makers
Before any formula works, you must be aware of five
friend-makers and here they are:
1. "I'm proud of you" Here are the four greatest words
in the world to inflate the other person, making him proud
of you. Say them to boss, employee, wife, husband, neigh-
bors, or kids.
2. "What's your opinion!" The three greatest words to
get immediate attention. Even the firm's president will stop
dead in his tracks if you ask his opinion of something.
3. "If you please." The three greatest words to get people
to do things for you willingly. Few of us say please. We
just say, "Do this."
4. "Thank you!" The world's finest two words to make
people glad they did something for you; to make them want
to do something again.
5. "You." The most powerful of all words. The smallest
word, of course, is the word "I."
If you have these five friend-makers well in mind, you
won't have any difficulty making my Master Formula click
off for you*
Three Friend-Fizzlers
Here are ways to fizzle and not sizzle.
1. "In other words I" People always putting things in
other words annoy the listener. Say it right the first time
and you won't have to put it in other words all day long.
2. "What I meant to say was" You are merely saying,
"I sure am dumb. Let me try saying it again."
3. "To make myself clearer" This means, "You are
dumb. So let me clear it up for you."
Avoid these friend-fizzlers. No formula in the world will
work if you are handicapped with these failure-words.
And be sure to avoid monotony in expressions. Don't
always say, "see," "catch on," "no kiddin' " - or any popular
expression that annoys the tenth time you use it.
"Sure nuff," said once is okay. Said all day long it be-
comes boring, and handicaps you in life.
"Catch on?" is another friend-fizzler, along with, "defi-
litely" after you have said that 30 times in a conversation!
Don't wear words out or you'll wear out friends.
Success Is Top or Bottom
Successful success secrets will put you on top but they
can also work for you when you are on the top.
Don't stop using them once you are on top, or somebody
else will soon replace you.
Staying on top is often harder than getting on top, just
as holding on to wealth is often harder than making it in
the first place.
Sounds silly. But try it.
Easy come, easy go applies to jobs as well as money.
Tom Braniff took a few airplanes and parlayed them into
a big airline, with offices all over North and South America,
from Chicago on down.
Once he was on top, other airlines began shooting at him,
but he stayed on top by one thing:
He undertook a personal campaign in every city he served.
Other airlines opened up small offices. But Tom went to
the cities themselves, talked at luncheon clubs made him-
self known.
Today, Tom Braniff is widely known and fights harder
now to stay known, than he did to rise from the bottom of
the pile to the top.
He was "on the beam" himself!
Sell the Sizzle and You'll Eat Steals
