The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-12-25


price book, the price of any article th'
instant it is asked. He should be ablt
to discriminate accurately between
brands, grades, qualities, etc., and tt
explain differences between them to 6
customer.
Next to having thorough knowledge
of his own stock andibusiness, it is i'm
portant that the wholesale salesman
should be familiar with those of his
customer. He should know what kind
of business his customer is doing,
what class of people patronize him. and
what goods will be most popular among
and best suited to the needs of that
class. A wholesale salesman should
not try to load up retail dealer with
goods not suited to the latter's trade.
If this is done the retailer will meet
with disappointment and loss, and i'll
consequence of dead stock VIII be
unable to meet his payments. Disgust
at his own bad judgment will be min
gled with distrust of the salesman who
induced him to take the unsaleable
goods, and he will thereafter buy else
where. Thus the retailer is injured
and the VIII )lesaler loses a good Gus
toner. All this may happen when the
goods causing the troubl9 are really
first class and sold at reasonable
pr c.; the difficulty lying in the fact
that tie wholesale salesman either did
not know or did not regard what tie
real interests of his customer required.
All wholesale sa.esmen of exper-
iepce understand perfectly well that,
having once won the confidence and
patronage of a retail dealer, he is in
fuenced to a great extent by their ad-
vice and recommendations. 1t fol
lows then that these should be offered
lntelligently and in the strictest good
faith, with an earnest purpose on the
part of the salesman to subserve the
| best interests of his customer. Their
interests are identical. The more
goods the retailer sells the more ne
| will purchase from the wholesale house
which has won his confidence. A bill
of goods which IS Improbable for
him to buy, is Improbable for the
wholesale house TO sell t. him, and
nice versa. In act trunk and branch
relationship exists between a wholesale
house and the retailers whom it sup
p es; and thu policy o. the wholesale
salesman should be to cemsnt more and
more closely that relationship, and
strengthen the ties of confidence and
| friendship between the two, always
having in view the interests of the
buyer as well as those of his own
b 0use.
1t is essential that the wholesale
salesman should be thoroughly posted
respecting the financial standing of his
customer. Upon this point depends to
great extent his success In the art of
selling goods. 1t requires little tact or
ability 10 sell goo d to a customer who
is bent only on getting all he can on
credit, without due consideration of the
matter of ma '1ng payment wi en- due.
1t may, however, require considerable
tact to properly treat customer whose
intentions ar5 honorable, but whose re-
sources. ability or experience are limit
ed. If buyer is known or suspected
to be dishonest. sell to him for cash
only. If necessary, tell him frankly
that you do not know him to be man
whom you can afford to carry, and that
your rule is to extend credit to those
only whom you know you can depend
upon. If your customer is worthy of
credit up to a limit which, however,
you do not wish to pass, avoid
what, to a good salesman, is sec
ond nature, pushing goods upon
him. Endeavor TO furnish him with
what he really needs. and to satisfy
him, without going beyond the limit
fixed for his credit. But should it be
necessary, tell him plainly, but ia a
frank and friendly way, that at present
you do not wish to carry him for mere
than gwen amount. If he is a SEN
sible man, he will take no offense, and
if he is not a sensible man, it is lsafe
for you to carry him on your books.
Selling goods by travelling statesmen
with samples is expensive, but long ex-
parience has shown it to be the
best method for wholesale deal
ers in many lines The sample trunk,
If properly prepared and packed,
is the wholesale establishment in min.
iature. BY It's aid the country ue aler is
conducted through the big store in the
city, from the basement to the highest
story. and is able to make seleo ions as
intelligently as if he had paid his fare
to the city and was personally pres, Mt
in the establishment he is dealing with.
The salesman should see that his
sample trunk is complete. neatly and
Systematically arranged. and that the
sam pies correctly represent the stock.
He should acquire facility in displaying
them, in describing grades, qualities,
etc., and in giving prices. The station
airy or travelling wholesale salesman
should keep complete price books, and
post them as often as prices vary The
memory should not be depended upon
without their aid.
THE RETAIL SALESMAN.
Much of the foregoing applies to the
retail salesman, espe cially in regard to
familiarity with stock and prices, and
the giving OF credit. He should be per-
fectly familiar with the goods he
handles, and with the prices at which
they should be sold. If his employer
deems it best to give him the cost
mark, " as will generally be the case if
he proves a good hand, so much thu
better. He should know exactly where
to find any article called for. Time is
money to buyer and seller alike, and
the time lost by BON while a clerk is
hunting for some article for which
customer is waiting, often amounts to
a heavy percentage of its value. 1t is
thus necessary Tor retail CLERK to bs