The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-12-04
Observation-Disclosures
TRAVELLING MEN GET KNOCKS
Southern Colonel Angered by Samples of Blue OveraIls
Man Changing Houses Gets Knock Trying to Carry
Old Trade-Harm in High Balls and Poker


let almost absolutely alone You
cannot handle every customer alike
When | first struck this man and told
| him my business. he said. Now, III
buy some goods from you If you'll just
/ let me have my way, The fellow I've
been dealing with always wants to
buy for me. My money is to pay for
what | buy, and | want to have the
fun of picking 1t out!
so | had my trunks thrown in his
store, after supper, and when opened
my samples so they could be got at,
| took a seat down by the stove and
literally left this man and his clerk
to pick out the bill. He went through
the stuff line at time, throwing
out what he wanted, and as he fin
ished with one line he would call TO
me to write it down. That's the way
I've been selling him ever since. In
handling a customer there is great
deal in finding out how he himself
likes to be handled"
Handling a "Grouch."
did you ever strike a fellow"
asked Watkins, who had 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"
We'll what do you do, Watkins?"
asked Brewster the merchant.
4 try to make peace if | can If
cannot do that, unless my customer is
an old one and has good cause for
grudge, | usually hunt some one else
to do business with. In a case Of
this kind you can count on 1t that it is
easier to find a new customer than to
pack up your samples and move to
another hotel As a rule. I like to do
business with a man who has a hobby.
III I can find out what a mans hobby
horse is, | always try to jump up be.
hind, but I draw the line on a fellow
Hho won't deal with you ii you stop
at the wrong hotel His hobby horse
is too weaE-5acked to tote double"
Yes, but it's a good idea to stand |
in with your customer" remarked the /
man
But 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
nan must not do" began Watkins.
IT Is forgetting an old customer who
las gone out Of business. Once in
lwhile a merchant will come to feel
hat he would rather feed thrashing
when the thermometer is
.04 than measure calico. But after
hey sell out to try something else
or awhile, nine times ont Of ten they
% back into business. and when they
10, they will always appreciate the
nan who remembered them when
hey had no goods to buy.
AS Friend to Friend.
"Ah, you bet" exclaimed the fur
fishing goods man "The right thing
0 do in handling your customer is to
'e man with hlm-iust man
hats all. ! think a great deal of a
nan who gives me his business A
mans heart and his pocketbooli are
ot far apart.
Mr. Brewster, you know we boys
n the road become very much ut
ached to many of our customers.
he travelling man and his customers,
fter many years of dealing, draw
lose TO one another. OF course we
fttimes get A hard bump on the head
rom those We think TO be our friends.
nd / myself try TO avoid too close a
iendship with my customers. At the
anne time. / cannot help It once in
while. Now. take a case like this:
had man who had given me more
+ Jess Of his business for two or three
cars, hut ono year he had Just about
Mt me ont altogether. SO when ! went
ne to Omaha. which wasn't far from !
here hc u.s. IN business instead of
,ing ont to his town I dropped him
line thought he was going ~ pass
c Up anyhow, and, won know. when
a. don't wish to make a town or
link there is nothing in it, We write
p phone a customer"
That's a good way to lose one, too"
1t in Watkins.
Sure thing" continued the furnish
z goods man. Write man or
hone him If you want to lose him.
ell. reply came addressed in
dy's hand Ny customers wife
rote me that her husband was sick
the hospital in Omaha. She was at
e hospital with him. ! got the let
r only an hour or so before my |
ain left ! had my ticket bought
ID sleeper paid for. and ! had been
yay from home for about three
onths. I couldn't go ont to the hos =
tai. but I did go down 10 the florists
"a sent ont a nice bunch of flowers !
my customers wife and wrote her
motto saving ] trusted her husband
iuii supn bo up aud uu his feet
ain That was just simple hing |
ju AVID ? v1nd have done this inst
re- same had tho man hcon I'm tho
ue business instead Of in my line.
b. next time I was In Omaha.
Ind a letter from this man, asking
p 90 phone him ] did 50 and he