Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-10-25
ABUSED BOOK AGENTS.
WHAT is REQUIRED IN A SALES
MAN OF CURRENT LITERATURE.
Gigantic Self Confidence, Hard Nerve and
Stout Pair OF Legs tie Cher Requi-
sites-rhe General Instructions Under
Which Csnvsssers Work.

Stout Pair OF Legs tie Cher Reaui-
sites-rhe General lust tructions Under
Which Canvassers Work.
"All this talk about book gents being such
a disreputable lot is the worst sort of bosh.
said the manager Of one of q icago's subscrip-
ton book houses to a reporter
There are plenty of men who date their
start in life to a prospectus and a victim as
the funny man calls the agents customers.
Its good way for young man with ener-
gy, push and a determinati IN to succeed to
make little capital To enter another busi-
ness. The only capital book agent needs is
self confidence, or gall, if ths name will suit
you better, and indomitable industry Un-
lass man has this he will not stay in the
book business long, and it will be few men
that he talks TO death.
''Of course the life of a canvaSser has its
drawbacks, and so has the life of a bank
president The agent must accustom himself
to insults and rough treatment. and must
preserve his temper, no matter what happens
THE TRAINING.
What sort of training 10 we give our
agentsi Well, we tell them all we have
learned of the business and 1hen start them
out with instructions 10 ask rs any questions
they may choose TO in regard To objections
that may be raised 10y intend ii customers.
Among the instructions we give are the
methods of approaching men and introducing
the business IN "A manner that will attract a
persons interest and gain his confidence
That once done, il is an easy. matter for the
clever agent 10 complete the sale, even ii the
work Is valueiess and is selling for three times
the price IL should.
Then we instruct all agei t. to avoid dis
cuSsing politics or religion aud To acquiesce
IN all propositions made by he victim when
such acquiescence does not conflict with the
sale of the book When an a CONT engages in
D discussion with a man and provokes him
into IA quarrel there Is littlc hope of sale
and some danger of being suumarIly elected
without II chance 10 explain he book aud its
supposed merits. The agent must learn how
To talk enough and not TO ak too much
This Is thing that 1t woul be well for all
persons to learn, aud the earl er they learn 1t
the better 1t Is
Il was an agent Tor severa years before !
was promoted u the position | now hold,
and know the business from one end to the
other. After "a man has bsen in the work
long enough 70 become accustomed TO all
sorts of people and all Kinds Df treatment 1t
is quite an enjoyable life. Tie book agent is
he doesn't feel like it. Ii hu is industrious
and understands his business ne makes fairly
good wages and can afford TO take lay of
once in awhile
The training young man acquires travel.
ing around with u prospectus under hls arm
Is perhaps the most valuable for IA business
life that he could get. Ii gives him self con
hdence and ease of manner wi i-hout assurance
or embarrassment. He gets u knowledge of
human nature that Is invalus ole and learns
TO influence and control his fe low beings
1t takes "A higher order of ability to sell
any kind Of article by canvJSsing than for
any other business. The agent has to secure
the attention Of man who doubtless looks
on him with a species OF scorn. then he has to
create n demand for MS goods aud then close
the sale
YES, an agent has plenty # amusing ex.
perieuces, and he soon learns % look upon lite
with an eye for the humorous People will
resort 10 all sorts Of deceptions To get rid Of
All agent
The success -ful agent mnt keep himself
neat, but must avoid the extrt me OF seeming
too dudish or he will lose the respect Of the
people, and then he might as well quit busi-
ness. A sale very often depen4s on a very
little matter. A soiled collar or a disar-
ranged necktie will attract the attention of a
lady and will prejudice her az ainst an agent,
and it will be difficult matter to overcome
that prejudice
HE GOT EVEN
Yes, we have speeches o. KEYS for the
use of agents, but the most successful agents
do not use them. That is, they do not follow
1t word for word, but simply take it as gem
eral plan for the canvass. Unless the agent
hau
fluent and easy manner he will not be able to
hold the attention of a man even after be has
secured IT. Very often we send agents out
who have no idea of their own, and who
learn the speech and then deliver it in a
monotonous sing song tone tIat would tire
a person to death. As a general thing the
agent soon assumes a more na -ural tone and
manner, and is soon able TO talk fairly well
at random. He either acqui -es this ability
or has 70 quit the business for lack of success
II remember once, when mt king a canvass
that was rather long, / was ia king very rap
idly and in "A low tone TO a lady seated by
my side. On the other side of the room was
a young lady learned was married, aud that
her name was Clara. She interrupted me sew
eral times, declaring that tai sed faster than
any one she ever heard spea sing, and that
she could not understand one word said.
assured her that did not care n she could
not understand, Us | was net showing the
book 70 her. The interrupts ms resulted in
preventing a sale, OF at least ] did not make
the sale, and ! laid my mis- ortune at the
door of the young married woman. Several
days after, as was passing in front of an
other house saw Clara, her husband and
several others seated ON a porch near the
sidewalk
Before reached the house she made some
remark about a book agent, and the Others
looked down my way and smi ed. saw my
chance and | eagerly seized it. Just as ]
passed the porch and a. all their eyes were
on me ] tipped my hat and said; Good morn
ing, Clara You should have seen her face
as well a her husbands just then. She could
not claim that she had never sen me before,
Us she had just been telling tn I'M something
about me-prObably how fast | could talk
have an idea that she had tie difficulty in
explaining 10 her husband just how a hook
agent should know her giv,n name and
should be 81 intimnt, with her. Perhaps II
was an unjust advantage, but ! thought she
had prevented my making 81 lie and | mad
no compassion in my heart -n-Chicago Times