problem, you will be
helped very much if you size up not only the tone pitch of the
objection, but also the _units_ of tone employed by the prospect in his
expression of opposition. If he refuses your application, but uses just
_one_ tone, you may be sure his negative is not strong. If you do not
strengthen it to stubbornness by antagonizing him, but use tact to get
rid of his resistance, you will not find it difficult to melt away the
obstruction.

However, should the "No" be spoken in two or more tones, with increased
stress at the end, your prospect certainly means his rejection to be
final. His mind is fully made up for the time being. It would be poor
salesmanship to butt your head against his fixed idea, just as it would
be foolish to tackle a strong opponent when he stands most formidably
braced to resist attack. But the two or three toned negative does not
mean that the idea behind it is fixed in the prospect's mind _forever_.
Any one is prone to change his mind, _unless he is kept so busy
supporting a position taken that he has no chance to alter his opinion_.

[Sidenote: Preventing Stubborness]

Therefore leave alone at first the rock you encounter. Get behind the
boulder by taking a roundabout path. Then quietly dig the support from
under the negative idea. If you make no fuss while you are undermining
the obstacle, it will be likely to topple over and roll from your path
without your prospect's noticing that it has disappeared. If his
interest is diverted from it, there is no reason why he should turn his
mind back to a stubborn insistence on his objection. Should he be
conscious that the rock of his earlier opposition has rolled away, he
will probably think it lost its balance. He will not realize that you
subtly undermined it and got rid of it by your skillful salesmanship.

A salesman of an encyclopedia met a prospect who refused to give
favorable attention to him and his proposition.

"No sir-e-e!" declared this objector, shaking his head emphatically. "No
more book agents can work me. The last slick one that tried to swindle
me is in ja-a-il now, and I put him the-ere!"

He gloated in two or three tones.

[Sidenote: Turning Back A Turn-down]

"Good for you!" praised the undaunted salesman, who had come prepared
for adamantine obstacles in his path. "If more book buyers would see
that such rascals get what's coming to them, the rest of us salesmen,
who represent square publishers squarely, woul