onsiderable human resistance while you are
climbing toward your goal.

Let us assume that you have already gained a chance to sell your
capabilities to the particular man through whom you expect to succeed.
He has heeded your knock and welcomed you into his interest. You have
made such a presentation of your desirability and service value that he
wants you to be associated with him. But now it will be natural for him
to begin a critical analysis, seeking whatever faults he can discover or
imagine in you or your proposition. _Your success or failure in your
ultimate purpose is likely to depend on how you handle the criticisms he
raises._ Therefore it is of vital importance that you learn in advance
_sure ways to gain your goal despite normal opposition._

[Sidenote: Objections Are Natural]

Recognize first that it is _natural_ for your prospect to raise
objections, whether he is favorably impressed or not. His resistance to
your purpose may be only a _precaution_. Perhaps it does not indicate
_opposition_ at all. He may want you to convince him you are all right;
so that he will feel entire confidence in his own judgment when he
finally does as you wish. Or he may object for no other purpose than to
test you thoroughly. If this is the case, his sympathies will all be
with you while you are dealing with the obstacles he puts in your way.

_Evidently objections of this sort should not be handled the same as the
objections of opposition._ It is necessary that you distinguish between
the two kinds and that _when dealing with each specific objection you
determine in your own mind what is its source_. There should be nothing
in your method of handling the obstacle that might _antagonize_ your
prospect. You should take fullest advantage of his every inclination to
_cooperate_ with you in his thoughts and feelings. He may be "pulling
for" you strongly when he seems to be "bucking" the hardest.

[Sidenote: Objection is Favorable Sign]

_An objection really is a favorable sign._ If you call upon a
prospective employer who, after hearing your presentation, begins to
find fault with it and with you, or tries to evade your proposal, you
may be sure that you have carried him along a considerable distance
toward the accomplishment of your purpose. _He objects or evades because
he is on the defensive._ "You have him going." He is wary, and so takes
measures for self-protection. _The moment your prospect begins to raise
objections