Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1893-03-30
Know When to Advertise.

| Know When to Advertise.
Five seasons of business-the fall, the
afteI-holday, the dull cold, the spring
! the dull hot season. There are business
men with antiquated ideas running
business by the water which has passed
They do not cut expenses with lancet
They practice economy with the broad
ak, and a dull one toos When business
is brisk, when goods almost sell them
selves they appear progressive. When
business is dull they fold thier hands,
thumbs in, seize hatchet, cut and
slash everybody and everything, strike
in the dark, hit the wrong thing every
time; cut down advertising.
There are business men of success,
because they have made success, retain
ing the old-fashioned opinion that it
does not pay to advertise when trade is
dull or stagnant.
1t may not be profitable to advertise
summer restaurants in January nor to
make special effort to sell ice cream
freezers mid Arctic winds. 1t is not
business policy to put out extra money
for advertising seal skin cloaks in
August.
1t certainly is not profitable to ad-
vertise out of season those things
which have special seasons of thei rown
and are only purchased transiently dur
ing such seasons and at none other
There are too few of these goods to
consider this side of the question.
General business cannot be run by
the logic of exception. General prin-
ciples furnish the safest line Of argu-
ment. The law Of averages can better
be followed than special rules.
During the duh season the merchant
lets down the bars of business, practi-
cally attempts to do nothing, looks
blue. feels blue, allows his feelings to
preyade his, entire establishment. He
does not try to do business, because he
thinks business cannot be done. Few
customers come to the store, because
he does not invite them.
Trade is not like the catalogue of a
public library or the bill of fare of a
restaurant. If it were, neither adver-
tising nor statesmen would be in trade.
Ten times more goods would be sold
during dull times if dealers made the
usual busy season selling effort.
About twenty-five per cent OF buyers
put off buying that which they need or
want until the last day.. While they
may buy necessities and luxuries dur
ing buying season more than dull sea-
son, it is obvious that goodly proper
tion of buying is delayed for reasons
which buyers do not know themselves.
Some merchants make an effort when
they do not need to, make no effort
when an effort is absolutely necessary.
If the merchant pushes for trade dur
ing the so-called dull season, he will
find coming to his store hundreds of
the negligent buyers who have been
waiting for him, or for some one, to
supply the missing link in their mem
ory, suggesting the necessity which they
did not before realize.
Thesecret of good advertising wheth-
er it be dull season, or flush, is to ar
range it SO that it may cover the re-
nuiramants Of tha season
Experience will prove that ma
iority of sales, no matter what the
business may be, are made one. two or
three months after the thought first
entered the buyers mind.
The majority OF men think before
they buy, or over think before they pur-
chase anything, save triAlng necessl-
ties.
The dull season is as mportant as the
flush season.
The dull season opens for the mer-
chant natural opportunities for start
ing in the mind of the purchaser the
desire to buy the goods he has for sale,
that he may now, or later on, sell such
goods.
It's more profitable to advertise be
fore season than after season. Ere
uuently before season is worth more
than during season.
AS ea1ly as January or February peo-
pie are beginning to think what they
will buy in the spring.
The shrewd merchant, with Of course
limited exception, advertises extensive
ly the year around that he may reach
the buyer long before he buys, as well
as to reach him when he is in the mood
for buylng.
This principle is a business axiom,
recognized by all except the unthinking
man OF business, who
counts not, for he is either going ontof
business or doing too small business
to bear weight for or against argument
of business.-Nathan G. Fowler, Jr.