The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-03


Well. I think l disarmed her at the
start by speaking. courtepusly. She
asked me to sit down. 1 did, but 1
didn't plague her about taking the
books. Don't flash your order blank
the first thing. Try to interest the per-
son in the book Just as you would q
friend. I reused this woman's inter-
est, and after we had talked about the
work for a while I brought the con-
versation to rather an abrupt close.
| I've detained you long enough I
said. I'll fill out your order and not
keep you any longer
she kept me. however, another 20
minutes. and when / left asked me to
come for the check the next day. said
we would send for 1t. No, she was
careful to whom she gave checks, and
would rather I came for 1t. Very well;
| ing me the check, she said that must
excuse her for speaking of 1t, but she
! was surprised to find a man of my
seeming intelligence engaged in selling
books. l thanked her for the compli-
ment.
do other houses employ men OF
| your ability? she asked.
"'They have the best men they can
| get said.
| Well, shall have to reconsider my
| opinion of book agents. she laughed.
But why don't you do something else?
Go into brokerage office, or something
| like that?' 4
Have you a brother, madam?
YES eagerly. That's why spoke
to you. He's in a brokers' Office. /
should think YOU
May I ask his salary?'
Twenty five dollars a week -
Yes. Well, you see. get SIS week
and that explains, perhaps, why don't
go into the brokers' office
90 Seventy five iO1larsI Sha exr1aim-
ed She thought minute and then said
slowly: I wonder-if Charley
wouldn't like--to try this business
las | explained to you, it isn't 50
hard for a solicitor to get into house.
That isn't the rub. Everything de-
after he gets in. And the way he treats
her, I may add depends on the Wo-
man herself. Very often I have found
frankness the best plan.
Mrs. Blank l would say, I am Mr..
Seller of such and such a firm. I am
Blank, and l apologize for intruding on
you, but as the firm asked me to come
and as it pays me for this very work,
l have no discretion in the matter. !
don't know whether you want to even
look at this book, and if you don't l
hope you will say so candidly without
any regard for my feelings
best. 1t is like the tramp who bluntly
asks for a dime to get a drink. Many
a man will give it to him because of the
honesty of the appeal"
rs it hard to get into the office of
a busy MANI"
The trouble if after you're in. I'll tell
you how l sold work to certain
millionaire. He had built public
school and given it to little Connecti-
cut town. That was my handle to
work with. I went to his Office and
found the anteroom full of people wait
ing to see him. The attendant came
sage that / wanted to see him about
something in connection with the
school. l suppose there was dozen
cards ahead of mine, but ! was sent
for at once. 4.
=" Mr.. Blank said, I want to see
you about work which the principal
of the school has seen and expressed
a desire to have in the library there
WHO sent your sharply.
" Nobody. The principal said he
wouldn't ask you to buy the work be-
cause you have spent so much al
reardy.'
did he say he wanted it,?
HE did. Which was true.
What is it?'
II told him.
"'How much?'
lone hundred and fifty dollars"
You say he expressed a desire for
it,?
He did
''Send it up to him.
Il sent it the next day. Don't you
see that the successful solicitor is the
man who informs himself of some vital
point of attack and then conducts the
attack in the way which fits that par
ticular case? If ! had wasted three
minutes of that mans time in an effort
to palaver or work him up to the SUBJ
ject he'd have sent me off so quickly
I'd have been dizzy A successful
scheme which is popular among solicit
tors for good houses Is to make calls
in a carriage. This is particularly eff
fectual in small towns, where, as
general thing, people do not decline to
receive carriage folks.
Il know man who makes regular
trips to certain small cities where he
knows the best people, Is entertained So
cially and Is welcomed, as he deserves
to be. He Is a college graduate, gen.
tleman, and an interesting fellow in
every way. He never posters people to
buy, but simply makes a personal call,
talks cleverly and entertainingly about
things, shows them incidentally the
books he has and takes their order If
they want to give it.
when it comes to the cheaper books,
handled by regular book agents, the
methods are different. Women sue
coed pretty we'll with men when it is
question of these books, because the
man will buy out of charity or because
he doesn't like to say no or because
she has a pretty face-yes, that goes
a good way. But when it comes to ex-
pensive books. the pretty face isn't
enough to make the sale. OF the men
who sell cheap books in factories, Of
fees, stores and such places, the Irish
10 slsel eul o. IealeU ueo 'aIM 6pesI .
anybody, and is a success."-New York
Sun.