The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-12-01

I've been selling him ever since. In
handling a customer there is a great
deal in finding out how he himself
likes to be handled. .
Handling a "Grouch."
did you ever strike fellow"
asked Watkins, who had a spite
against one of the landlords in town
and would not buy goods from you if
you stopped at that mans hotel? /
run against a snag of that kind every
once in awhile
Well, what do you do, Watkins ?'
asked Brewster, the merchant.
7 try to make peace if / can. If
cannot do that, unless my customer is
an Old one and has good cause for a
grudge, I usually hunt some one else
to do business with. In case of
this kind you can count On it that it is
easier to find a new customer than to
pack up your samples and move to
another hotel. AS rule, like to do
business with man who has a hobby.
If | can find out what mans hobby
horse is, / always try to jump up be-
hind, but draw the line on a fellow
who won't deal with you If you stop
at the wrong hotel. His hobby horse
is too Weak-backed to tote double
ssYes, but it's good idea to stand
in with your customer" remarked the
grocery man.
ssBut it is better replied Brewster,
ito have your customer feel that he
should stand in with you. In handling
your customer, if possible, accept a
favor, rather than give one
And there is another thing that a
man must not do" began Watkins.
1T is forgetting an old customer who
has gone out of business. Once in
awhile a merchant will come to feel
that he would rather feed a thrashing
machine when the thermometer is
104 than measure Calico But after
they sell out to try something else
for awhile, nine times out of ten they
so back into business, and when they
do, they will always appreciate the
man who remembered them when
they had no goods to buy.
7 used to have a customer who
finally sold out his store and started
to raising chickens. For three years,
every time visited his town, I would
ring him UP on the phone and have
him come in to take dinner with me
or else go out to his house and take
a squint at his domineckers. He
would invariably say to me: Wat
kins, confound you, you know, J ap.
preeiate a little visit with you A
whole lot of the boys, who were good
fellows when I bought goods. have
dropped me now that I'm not in the
business, one by one until there are
only few of them left. I'm going
to fool a big bunch OF them pretty
soon. I'm getting tired of WhiteWash.
ing hen houses to keep the mites
away, and I think next spring shall
start up a business shack like I used
to have. That's when some of the
boys will come back and want to be
sweet again, but just watch me give
a few Of them the Wrinkled brow"
As Friend TO Friend.
All, you bet!" exclaimed the fur
nishing goods man. THE right thing
to do in handling your customer is to
be man with him-just a man
that's all. I think a great deal of a
man who gives me his business. A
mans heart and his pocketbook are
not far apart.
sMr. Brewster, you know we boys
on the road become very much at
tached to many of our customers.
The travelling man and his customers,
after many years Of dealing, draw
close to one another. OF course we
get hard bump on the head |
from those we think to be our friends |
and l myself try to avoid too close a
friendship with my customers. At the |
same time, | cannot help 1t once in |
awhile. Now, take case like this: |!
had man who had given me more |
or less Of his business for two or three |
years, but one year he had just about I
cut me out altogether, SO when | went
out to Omaha, which wasn't far from
where he Is in business, instead OF /
going out to his town, I dropped him
a line. I thought he was going to pass
me up anyhow, and, you know, when
we don't visa to rake a town or
think there is nothing in it, we write
Or phone customer"
That's good way to lose one. too"
put in Watkins.
Sure thing." continued the furnish
ng goods man. Write man or
phone him if you want to lose him.
Well, a reply came addressed in
ady's hand. My customers wife
wrote me that her husband was sick
n the hospital in Omaha She was at
he hospital with him. I got the let.
,er only an hour or SO before my
rain left. I had my ticket bought
md sleeper paid for, and I had been
away from home for about three
months. couldn't go out to the hos
oital, but did go down to the florists
Ind sent out a nice bunch of flowers
o my customers wife and wrote her
/ note saying trusted her husband
would soon be up and on his feet
lgain. That was just a simple thing
o do, and would have done this Just
he same had the man been in the
lrug business instead of in my line.
The next time / was in Omaha.
ound letter from this man, asking
ne to phone him. did SO and he
anne down and bought from me his
complete bill Of goods
Copyright, 1906, by Joseph B. Bowles.1
Pet Names fer Burglars, Tools.