Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-11-07
THk rRulrrREE AGENT.
con. Experlences in Selling Nursery
Stock.

y
.;tar IN tho Atlanta Constitution: In
INV salad days was Let me pun away
the fog of time and see again what
once essayed to do. Hold YOU. breath
a minute while recall those beaming
DAYS OF yore, when 1 slung my book OF
beautiful Autographs of speckless, rosy
apples, blushing peaches and impossible
nlums over my shoulder and set out to
harvest shekels galore. 1 had studied
nv obstruction" important points"
and emergencies" until felt like Q
whale. and being abuntantly charged
With enthusiasm, 1 fully believed that /
was irresistible in persuasive argument.
felt fully prepared to collar the
toughest old grisly that ever steered q
pillow or swung ahoe and convince him
that health, wealth and glory were his
if he would only be wise and cover his
broad acres with the trees and vines
propagated and disseminated by the
nursery L had the honor to represent.
This particular nursery was not O
common, every day, dirt-and-bush affair,
but a "con,mcrcia." nursery, aud it EN-.
ployed only professional and expert
grafters. builders, cultivators, diggers,
heelers, packers. agents, etc., ind every
one of its officers was a person OF con-
sequence. In employing me -
an unprofcssional they said
they had departed from their usual
custom only because they were well
satisfied that / was y. K, and would
do my utmost to uphold tho good name
of the firm and bring additional honors
to its trademark aud ducats to it's
Golfers. I was instructed to sell every
thing TINT ever grew in All orchard or
garden, or on lawn, because they
were prepared to fill orders for any
thing that ever wore leaves, in thirty
minutes by the watch.
Well, the first man attacked was a
good old Christian, mild, pleasant
sort Of coon, who sat in al easy chair
and seemed at peace with oil the world.
With him labored over OH hour, and
though he smiled and smiled, yet not q
tree, bush, vine or plant would lie buy.
The next husbandman encountered
was what might be called o "rusher.
He was ut work in his barn, aud when
I introduced my firm and business, he
used bad language and heaped con.
tumely upon my calling, and then in
formed me that my extreme youth
alone prevented him from cracking my
skull with pitchfork. L was filled
with fear and fled, congratulating my
self on the extreme " nth, whicl had
saved me from such dire disaster.
was disheartened and filled with fore.
holdings, buried again. This time l met
farmer, business man and a gentle.
man. When I told him the name Of
the nursery represented, he asked me
ii knew that it was base fraud. He
then informed me that he had at three
different times bought trees from agents
OF that same firm, and Of the few that
lived not one had proved true to name.
He said my business was all right
when honestly conducted, but that the
firm represented was composed of 8
lot of swindlers who were buying UP
the cheap stuff and working it off at a
big profit through agents. He then
gave me the address Of firm he knew
was reliable, and said he would give me
small order if I could secure the
agency for that locality. I commune
Gated with the firm, was appointed theil
agent and began work. Their price:
were reasonable and my profits were
not half what the bogus firm allowed
me; but their stock was guaranteed to
be exactly as represented. / worked
hard, sold considerable stock and made
fair wages, but failed to pile up great
bank account. In few months L gave
it up and hired out to work on farm
for SIG per month and board and
found this work fully so per cent easier
than selling trees, and more profitable
in the end. Now, as to agents gen.
orally. OF course every farmer does
net meet them with cooked arms and
blazing eyes, but chiefly with frowns 9
sul!en aspect and a big dog. The man
be he book. tree, implement or notion
agent, is regarded Us q double-dyed
villain and rapacious robber who comes
on evil bent, and in order to illustrate
his base designs he must be met with {
glowering gaze, few sharp-edged
oaths and warlike mien. The expert.
enced agent expects these things and
hardenth his heart. Instead OF intro
ducing his business ina straightforward
manner, showing what he has to sell
and going right to the point, he frs,
seeks to divert the attention of hi.
would-not-be customer to something
else until he gets him into good hu
NOR and wins his confidence to some
extent; then he soon finds his veal
points and dextrously gets in his work
Now, how does the genuine bushes.
man treat an agent? Does he gnasl
his teeth at him, and threaten to feec
him to his dog? Does he swear anl
feel for his gun and make tombstone
grimaces at him? Never! HI
looks at what he has to sell, and within
five minutes knows whether he want:
it or not. If he wants it, he takes it a,
once; if not, he says so in half dozer
words and that is the end of it. A sen
sibie man looks upon an agent simply
as o person having something to sci
and treats him accordingly. He treats
him exactly as grain buyer treats the
farmer who brings him load of grain
There is little plain business talk
and i'll a few minutes each is on his wa,
with no ill-feoling toward the other
When an agent calls, look at what ht