The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-02

The employees Of scrags' vanceryoort &
Barney are being educated IN the line aiis
of selling goods
The first step was IN tho securing ~ Doc
tor silas NeT Of Ph.la Iclrhia "a deliver a
series OF lectures n the stone IN THE SCI
ence OF salesrnanship."
Hanford Crawford. the manager NJ the
store after the lectures. offered rrizcs ~
Co end s. for tho two host esrnys on In"
subject. The first prize was awarded to Ed
ward z. Henry. and the second prize 30
NJ. W. Eckert.
Ten lectures. each ~ which consumed an
hour. were delivered ~ Doctor Sef. 4 con-
dit,on Of the contest was that al articles
should embody the chief points Of Doct77
u feN's lectures. In not more than i''
: words. The lectures were finished On
"Wednesday evening. aud the contest. which
was open 10 all empioyts Of the store,
closed one week later.
The Judges OF the ar'icicE Scrc HantoFd
Crawford and Frank ]. Carlisle Each com
nosition was signed with fictitious name.
Neither Judge consulted the other in making
his awards. and both gave first place I"
Mr. Henry The second r4'iSe was given :"
Fckert, and third place. With hnpnrahie
mention, TO Charles Jerome Es1st. ....
Mr. Henry IL a salesman in the white
goods department and has been with his
present employers for three years. Into his
article he has put many Illustrations ana
epigrams not used by the lecturer. Dur ng
the majority Of the twenty-four years Of
his life he has been connected with dry
goods stores
Before he heard Doctor NeH lecture he
had worked out a dry goods philosophy Of
he n
qualities required Of the successful sal7s-
man is 10 protect both his store and his Gus
toner The personal element plays large
part in the selling Of goods. he thinks. and
q memory OF faces and names is i1dispen--
eble.
Mr.. Eckert. winner OF the second prize. Is
one of the veterans of the Vandervoort
store He has been with tho firm for nearly
twenty-five years. and present is its silk
buyer.
Tho composition BY Mr.. Henry follows:
THE SCIENCE Of SALEsGANSHIP.
In the world OF commerce Of today two kinds
o. knowledge employed ,o accomplish the re-
suits desired
In former wears wrought by experience.
and the knowledge acquired experience
nowici=e This verv good and today 4. OF
A.r.nt benefit in al branches OF the commercial
v,orld.
The progressive man a today first acquires
knowledge Of the laws which govern TIC thing in
hand 20 be done and th"n proceeds according 70
thos. laws to accomplish the end desired. This
IL scientific knowledge.
BY the old method there are many opportunities
OF failure. By the new method. providing all the
laws observed there are none
To illustrate This. obserye the woman VIII.
hakes her bread by experience. She smells the
yeast IL 1t is all right: puts her hand Into
"A
Hturc. and all tho other things connected with
baking she doeH bv her experience knowledge.
She does not think that when her hand is cold
the oven will feel warm to her. and when II is
warm the will feel cool. and II there are
sour smells in the room the yeast will smell
sweet. and vice versa.
The scientific baker Of to-day does not tell
the freshness Of his yeast by the smell. but
chemically tests &, and finds tho temperature ~
he oven with Thermometer. and all other
processes Of baking are subjected 10 scientific
tests TO see II they conform the Law. govern
ing the process Of bread baking
What IS the result in the two instances The
woman. as every one knows, sometimes has good
bread and sometimes bad The scientific baker
always has good bread
One thing is SIre-whethsr working hy experi-
ence knowledge scientific knowledge the laws
governing the work must 5e obeyed or perfect
results cannot he obtained. Tho man working;
by experience NAV nearly always turn out per
feet work. but the who does his work b.
science or according 10 law will never fail to
turn out perfect work.
The salesman has laws which govern his work
the the baker. and II he does not work
according 70 them he cannot accomplish much
for himself or his firm. He deais with tho hr-
man mind and must sarn the laws that govern
the mind. SO that he may he able TO make per
feet sales.
tn. FIRST law 10 be observed is the law Of
Gsf-harmony. That is. he must bring himself
into position that he may adjust himself
20 the customer in front Of him.
second-He must concentrate his attention %
upon the customer before him that nothing