The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-06-10
pssgfhg into one store found

" 1er very talkative man. We put
Il heads together, and, iD the course of
a week, the store directly opposite his re-
ceived my stock III trade, and coat of
blue paint on tLe outside, while his re-
ceived cost of green.
"The first day did nothing but stand
at the door and look pouty at the green
store, and my friend Blake stood on his
steps looking ditto at me. AS people
came in l commenced running down the
green store, and Blake always run the
blue, so between us both we built up
trade that was quite respectable Peo
pie having taken sides, and new comers
always purchasing of one or the other,
we gradually grew rich, and at the end
Of some dozen years we settled up, and l
found that opposition had made my for
tune"
In this story the running down" proc.
ess seems to have been successful, but
l doubt if it is good one to follow. I
never cared to advertise my competitors,
and know of no better advertisement
thas - faegin running them down. In
buying goods was often posted by fool
ish drummers when they had no inten.
ton of doing it. A man seeks your
trade, offers yoe prices that are salts
factory and as low as any you have had
and assures you that he will give you
boStens prices, and adds that he will al
ways meet so-and-so and company's fig
ures. This Is firm with whom you had
not dealt, but you make mental memo
randum of the name, and know that they
must be house that quote low prices or
the drummer would not have mentioned
them. You drop them line, ask for
quotations, and find that they are ready
to give you some concessions, and your
next order is sent to them.
The merchant who does not mention
names generally holds his trade the
longest. One of the most successful
statesmen l ever knew claimed that his
success was due to the fact that he knew
no other house in his line of goods but
his own. "When customer mentions
one of my competitors" said he, 81
try to look as if the name was not a very
familiar one, and l never acknowledge
to knowing anything about the house
except few vague generalties. My
customers say to themselves that the
other house cannot be a very important
one or would know more about them,
and 1 am willing they should have that
impression"
Boosting of what you will do is as un-
wise as to advertise your prosperity. If
your plans are good ones some one else
will catch them up and be in the field in
time to divide the advantage with you.
If they are not good you may be certain
no one will point out the errors in them,
so that you cannot possibly gain aught
by your communicativeness. The men
who listen well, and are not in haste to
impart their own secrets, are the ones
who generally get along in the world.
While mans clerks should have full
knowledge of his business, there is such
a thing as telling them too much. That
they should know of ups and downs in
the market is certain, because the better
posted clerk is the better salesman he
will be; but it is not necessary to go
to him with affairs which do not come
under his supervision and upon which
his advice is worth nothing. On the
contrary, if you have certain ways OF
dong business, know of good ways OF
holding trade, or of buying cheap, or of
collecting, it is to your interest to keep
this information to yourself, and not put
it in possession of clerk who may leave
you tomorrow.
Minding ones own business means also
to be thoroughly posted about that busi-
ness. Every branch of trade has its own
journal to-day, and the merchant, be he
retailer or wholesaler, who neglects to
avail himself of these helps is not very
far-seeing man.
And if you are careful to attend to your
own and not to your neighbor's business
you will not be requested to indorse for
him, and if you are requested you will
not have much difficulty in saying no.
Let no feeling of friendship tempt you to
incur the chance of failure, just because
you dislike to refuse. The man who
asks you to indorse will not be hurt by
refusal one-tenth part as much as you
fancy he will. He has been debating in
his own mind whether you will refuse or
not, and is as much prepared for the one
as the other. The fact that he needs an
indorser is very good evidence that you
should not indorse for him. Don't allow
the plea that it is only form" to affect
you. You may find that it is very
binding" FORM" and one that you cannot
escape from.
Why should you risk your own success
merely to oblige man who is nothing
but an acquaintance: 1t is worse than
foolishness; it is crime. l heartily re-
echo Mr.. Brooks rule: If man wants
to succeed as a merchant, let him mind
his own business.-7oledo Blade.