Evening journal., 1896-08-01
SELLING CIGARS.
NOT EVERY FOOL CAN MAKE sue
CESS or THE BUSINESS.

A Dealer Who SETs the rirst Glass Sales
man Is IN Artist In his Way Must BE
Judge of Human Nature and Eavo en
Excellent Memory,
at looks TO the uninitiated Ike the
easiest thing in the world to sell CIGARS
said local dealer recently, "but it Is, per-
haps, the most deceptive business in that |
regard Ia the category
1t is not every person who can become |
good counter man." he went on. In 1
fact, those who are successful in the busi-
ness are exceptionally rare, and good |
salesman commands high salary. AS in /
aisy line of retail trade, the salesman must /
have an abundance of patience and must /
be able to lay aside his own feelings and /
cater TO the whiihs Of his customers But |
in this business this faculty must be ex-
coptionally well developed, for the crank |
lest class of people are smokers OF high
grade cigars, and they arc crankiest about |
their cigars. A lnan coming into the store
for his cigars expects the particular make,
size and color he siaokes TO be placed be
fore him without tho formality of asking
for IL. Some customers would bc nettled II
this were not done and might seek another
place 60 buy their cigars if the clerk CON
When it is remembered that there are as
many as 21 sizes of some branc~ ard that
each size comes i'm half dozen coloro and
az a variety of prices, it VIII hc seen that
tits no small matter 80 wait upon a large
trade.
1.-THE clerk behind the counter of first
class cigar stand in a hotel perhaps has the
hardest time. He must be an adept at
reading men and be able 10 size up o. man
as to the priced goods he probably smokes,
for few men state the price they want TO
pay i'm asking for cigar. If higher
priced cigar than the man wants is set
out, he feels embarrassed or feels that the
clerl, is trying to work him. If too low
grade is offered him, he feels offended It
is therefore, difficult thing to please
transient trade.
"a man win walk up 70 the counter
and ask for a domestic cigar
Seed or clear Havanas asks the clerk.
" Il said 1 wanted domestic cigar, the
cust1ner repeats and in his own Ignorance
he thinks the clerk is ignorant in not
knowing what he wants Tho fact is that
nearly all tho cigars sold now are domestic
made. Before the tariff on imported ci-
CARS practically cut OIL this line of trade an
order for domestic cigar was equivalent
to an order for n seed Havana, but now
when the same cigar that formerly was
mado ia Havana is made in this country
from imported tobacco the word domestic
does not make a distinction. Some Gus
toners who smoke the cle2r Havana nadc
in this country call for "a domestic cigar,
expecting this and others stiu remember
the domestic cigar as the seed Havana i'm
! contrast with tic imported clear Huyana.
| There are some smokers who claim they
can tell the difference between a clear Ha-
yana manufactured in New York and one
manufactured in Havana. There isa slight
| difference, but not 1 smoker ia 100 can
discover it. The fact is that some people
who have the money TO buy the imported
article are smoking the label rather than
the tobacco. II they enjoy it, that is their
business, and IL is ours to humor them ina
the dclusiOn.
sNow, That gentleman to whom I hand
cd that box just now was never I'm the
house but once before, and that was a day
or two ago He camc in and asked for a
good cigar. L gave him rilat one trusting
to my Judgment of the man to suit his
taste. lie stood in the door talking fei
awhile and presently came back and said:
"'Giyo nae another cigar
'I did not know whether that word en-
other meant that he was dissatisfied with
the one / gave hiia-or that it pleased him
and he wanted one TO put in his pocket
concluded that it suited him, however, and
offered him the same box Now he TO
turns, and 1 remember just what he wants
and give it to him.
"With regular customers and occasional
customers the faculty of remembering just
what cigar tho customer wants must Ia
well cultivated A well stocked stare viii
An. en- q
brand has goods ranging in price fron o
cents up Co 90 ccnts--somo fewer grades.
some moyc. Bach prade will have from sTo
to seven sizes and shapes, ard there are
six colors. To remember which ono Of the
thousands Of combinations each individual
customer wants is no small matter, and
upon this depends n large portion of Che
trade. The matter of remembering tho
sizes of the various brands by the name.
which the different makers give them is q
thing that requires long study. For in
stance, one brand has the ccat siz,
marked Coquetns, and by this name On,
clerk must rememhcr IT, The thrcc for q
quarter goods of the same brAnl arc known
according 10 their size as Ni0leias ans
Concha Fina ExtTas. Rothschill Extra.
and Pentallas mean To the cioFl the ll
cent straight size. The two for quartz
sizos are labeled Dclmonicos, Pciicoto Sc
lccts, Rerias, Prince cf Wales, potit Bou
qucts ard Concha BouQuct Extras II
the three for half sizes there arc Clul
pricctos, the Santiago Perioctos nnd scv
cral private r4'.os. In the 15 cent size
there are the I'm, incibles aId Pcrlc, tos
1T is something OF a trick to romcmbu
all these terms md their meaning I'm sin
1 gle brand but the cigar clerk must re
member thcn for a score on more makc
of soods and be ready 60 hand ont % an,
, one upon call given priced cir;rof par
l ticular brand. 1t is not an easy matter
= and it is not every fool that can sci
e cigars "-Indiarapolis Journal.