Wichita eagle., 1888-07-24
A PEDDLER'S METHODS.
ONE OF THE FRATERNITY TELLS
ALL ABOUT HIS WORK.

|
Are vair-A Successful PeddIer Must
Have just Enough Self Confidence.
Up Stairs and Down.
''Good peddlers, like successful men in the
| higher walks of life, are born, not made, u
said the particular member of the fraternity
whom a reporter questioned On the subject
He was loaded down with rugs, door mats,
feather busters and other articles until he
looked like perambulating house furnishing
store. Any or all of the articles under which
he struggled he offered TO sell on ''t;me pay
ments of fifty cents a week. and when the
reporter gently but unhesitatingly declined
the offer, the peddler looked so unutterably
disguised that the reporter offered him q
chair and some refreshments. Soon the two
were engaged in a conversation which
brought forth the observation made above.
No" he continued, "a peddler is naturally
good peddler, and no amount of training
or trying will make good one Of a man who
hasn't it in him. On the other hand, a good
peddler is generally good for nothing else on
earth. Let him try to stop peddling for any
other business and the chances are ten to one
that he'll make fizzle OF it''
MADE A SUCCESS.
"Now, am G born peddler, and at pe6dling
l have at last made n success, where in all
things that tried before failed went to
school until l was is, and since then-that's
twelve years ago-I have been successfully
lawyers clerk, bookkeeper in an importing
house, clerk in dry goods store, driver of
delivery wagon, car driver, elevated railroad
guard, waiter and peddler. It's four years
pretty well.'
docs good peddler make much money!
the reporter asked guardediy.
"Wel1, that depends. Now, l average $50
q week. Some, few, make more, but the
majority make less Anybody that's good
peddler, though, should be able to make S25
week without any trouble and be able to go
out on Sunday for good time"
"What characteristics must good peddler
possess"
ooh, a great many. Self-confidence, or
Cheek, as it Is called, is the most essential.
Without it no peddler ever peddled with
success But too much of it is even more
fatal for his prosperity, for in addition to
failure he often gets broken head. No, he
must have self-confdence, but not too much
Just enough, you know. Then be must be
a character reader-know just to whom he can
sell and whom not, who will stand stiff
price and who must be offered the goods at
cut rates.
ITO be good peddler You must also have
a firm, yet gentle disposition. You must al
low nothing to deter you when you see per-
son to whom you feel you can sell No mat
ter what he or she says, you must persevere.
This is where the frmness comes in. The
gentleness is necessary, SO that you may, IN
der no circumstances, lose your temper. 1t
doesn't pay. If the door is slammed in your
face, swearing will only make matters worse
The people next door will only laugh a. you
No, you must preserve a dignifed silence
and smile indulgently as you turn away
Then you can sell to the neighbor. Her SYM
pathy will be aroused, and by patronizing
you she thinks she can administer rebuke
to the unmannerly woman next door and
shine by comparison"
UP STAIRS AND DOWN.
'Is peddling hard workF'
"Trudging up stairs and down with this as
sortment of goods isn't as much fun as play
ing poker, but there is more money in it for
the average person; and, besides, it's no
harder than many other things-selling dry I
goods, for instance l can pick my custom
ers in this business, but when l was counter
jumper l was entirely at the mercy of any
woman who happened along"
What becomes Of all the peddlersF'
"That question has often puzzled me. There
are two things / never saw in my Iife-a
dead mule and dead peddler. Sometimes I
think that when mules and peddlers die Old
Nick carries 'en off bodily as choice bits Of
'cusseduess.'h
care all peddlers full Of ways that lead to
Old NickT'
This was rather a leading question, but the
peddler met it unbllshingly
swell, generally he replied, nonchalantly |
"Some save their money, but very few I
generally turn up with big head and empty
pockets on Monday morning"
Then bow do you manage to buy your
goodsl On timer
''We don't buy our goods We get them
from houses around town that are only too
willing to let Us have them TO sell on commits
zion. When q new hand starts in he has to
deposit the value Of the goods he takes out,
but after awhile, when he gets better &C
quainted he can get all the goods he wants
10 take out.
II must go now. Just saw the red beaded
woman who lives across the street return
knew she was out, and I've been waiting for
her all this time. l can always sell TO a red
beaded woman l don't know why, but I
AN a red headed man, though, is a useless
being as far as peddlers are concernsd-"
With this parting shot 1.-THE reporters hair
sakes on russell tinge az sunset the migrate
tul vender Of rugs took his depa.ture-Gez
York Press.