How My Hundred-Thousand-Dollar Dream Came True

Nov 20, 2008

Image by NCinDC via Flickr

As I pondered over this dream in 1920, the thought came
to me that I did not need to inherit one hundred thousand
dollars. All I needed was to stub my toe, wake up, shake
off the state of lethargy, get out of the rut, and come to a
conscious, vital realization of the power of creative selling
that was hidden within me. I firmly believed that the devel-
opment of this positive and creative power of thinking, ap-
plied to selling, would enable me to make many hundred
thousands of dollars. However, in order to claim my herit-
age, to realize the full impetus of my latent power and
ability, and to derive the full benefit from that creative sell-
ing, it was necessary for me to develop a definite and con-
crete plan of action.

At that time I was attempting to sell life insurance. In
those days there was no scientific plan of action for selling
life insurance. It was a hit-or-miss proposition—mostly miss.
Creative selling was only a dream, like my inheritance. The
general agent of a life insurance company was usually a
pompous gentleman. He would put his hands on your shoul-
ders, rear back with an air of great authority, and hand you
a rate book and some application blanks with the remark,
“Now, go out into the world and sell!” That was the extent
of your training as a life insurance salesman.

It was sink or swim, so out into the world I went—and I
floundered. I walked the streets, stood on the street corners,
and watched the people go by. Prospects! prospects every-
where! But I had no definite plan of action to contact any
of them. Now and then someone would grant me an inter-
view for the sake of courtesy, but the inevitable answer was
“not interested.” Thus, with sore feet, a tired back, a sour
disposition, a weary body, and with both hands empty, I
would slowly trudge back to the office.
This procedure lagged on for many days. I began to ques-
tion—what’s the trouble? Is it me or the life insurance busi-
ness? I decided to do something about it.