The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-10-29

irving to pursuade the conservative
Eastern manufacturers that all China
needed was development and that
any one who would devote a little
time TO the interests of this new buyer
could build up a colossal trade in little
or no time They knew of what they
were speaking, for they had been over
the ground carefully and systemat--
ically.
Some firms more venturesome than
the rest, went back to first principles
nothing ventured, nothing gained
and sent out samples of everything
they carried in stock. But on the
other hand. some were afraid of the
proposition, and were satisfied to
dilIydaIly in safer, tried-out fields.
That failed to ruff1e the calm of the
advance agents. and when they sailed
again thew carried with them sixty
odd trunks, and had others meet them
in China. so that by the time they
were ready to invade India they car
ried one hundred and four pieces of
luggage and never failed to create the
impression that they were anything
short of travelling circus.
Business" said Rosecrantz, rs
just what one is a mind to make it.
It's easy to sell and it's easy to buy,
but one must conform with the rules
of that country. For instance, the
Chinese are queer about their ship
ments. They want everything packed
in twos-two watches, two umbrellas,
two chairs-and unless they come that
way they are not pleased and some
times refuse to receive the goods. In
Singapore and about thot district they
want goods in pairs-say, two, four, six
or ten. Now it really ought not to
make any difference to the man who
supplies these materials so long as his
customer is pleased and sends in large
orders, but somehow or other he is
10th to depart from his own METHODS
of shipping and packing. and SO loses
trade that would in ell probability
amount to hundreds of thousands Of
dollars to him.
1.-THE Germans and the English do
not consider any order too much trou-
BILE They are in business to sell, and if
a customer wants an order shipped
boxes that entails few cents more
expense they charge it up to profit and
loss and trust to luck to get a bigger
order next time. And, rest assured,
they get it, for when firm orders a
thing and is willing to pay good
price for it it intends having it. and if
it cannot get it one place it will go
elsewhere.
"Why Americans imagine they can
send out twenty goods
when thiryt-six has been explicitly or
dered is beyond me, yet they do it right
along and expect to build up a trade
in that way. That material is not only
useless to the consignee, but it makes
him very skeptical as to American busi--
ness ability and honesty.
s'The few firms that have sent men
to the Orient have made a mistake In.
trusting to the honesty of the inter
prefer. The only way to do business
with any foreigner is to do it direct.
1t is better in the long run to take time
and learn the language, for then there
is good faith on both sides and the sale
is virtually made.
my list of dos and 'don'ts' is very
small. but if the business men would
give up some of their long, tiresome
conferences and pay attention to them
they would have all the business they
could handle. They are just this:
81. Don't send out catalogues prinl-
ed in English. The customer can't
read them and nobody else will take
the trouble to.
80. Don't send letters to ConsuIs. |
More than half of them don't undeH-
stand the knack of getting trade and
they are too busy to take time to an
swer letters and petitions.
"3. Don't trust to an interpreter.
Try yourself, for you can sell almost
anything with samples and personal
solicitations.
~. Don't fill orders at all unless you
can do it properly.
SO. Don't pack goods in anything
but tin-lined boxes. Remember the
shipment may be damaged in transit
and that you will be held responsible. |
IS. Do make up your mind to give
people exactly what they want
That the field for trade is immense
cannot very well be denied, for a coun-
try that contains more than one-half |
the people Of the earth naturally
has enormous needs. Then see the
possibilities for this coast. Tt certain |
ly it not from lack of excellent har-
bors, and it cannot be for want of |
vessels, for every day or SO sees a
craft of some description clearing for
Honolulu, the Philippines, Japan and
That vicinity, yet with these facilities |
the fact remains just the same that
the United States has bua 9 per cent of |
the Asiatfc trade, and if she is not
careful she will not be able to retain
even that much.
That the Chinese are waking from
their long sleep and trying to make up
for lost time is evident by the variety
of stuffs which they are importing
daily. To illustrate, watches, spec
tacles, gramophones. heavy and light
hardware, false teeth, typewriters, au-
tomobiles, cameras, telegraph instru-
ments, jewelry. cotton goods. agricul-
tural implements, musical instru-
ments, ink, gunpowler, firearms, flour,
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