The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1906-08-30
AMERICAN DRUMMERS
ARE AT FAULT WHEN THEY GO
TO SCOTLAND.
Seem for Some Reason to Make a Bad
Impression Among the Scot
tish People-Some
Instances.

tish People-Some
Instances.
Unite States Consul Fleming, at
Edinburgh, explains the reasons for
the numerous failures of foreign COM
mcrcial travellers to effect satisfactory
trade results in Scotland He thinks it
is due to unwarrarIed careiessness in
| ignoring certain fundamental rules that
obtain with Scottish merchants
1T has been my observation" he
writes, that the average commercial
traveller on his first trip to Scotland
makes a bad start. 1t is within bounds
to say that SIX out of every ten American
sales agents who have come to this. coun-
try have not sold enough goods in three
months to cover the amount of their ex-
| penses for that period. The principal
cause for their failure is the false as
sumption that quality of goods and fair
| ness of prices and of general terms are
sure to bring success. After time-in
some instances a long time-they dis
cover that the foremost requirement is
| the exercise of prudent caution in taking
| the initial step toward getting in touch
| with business concerns.
'Inlarge as we'll as small Scottish firms
| and joint stock companies the manage
ment, as rule, is in the hands OF one
person. AS 10 companies Gncluding CO.
operative and all other societies engaged
| in business) division of authority is even
| less frequently seen here than in the
| United States. Each has single head,
! and subordinates have nothing to 10
with the affairs of the company except
! to obey the instructions of their chief.
! Take the case Of department store.
| The sO-called head Of a department is
merely the principal salesman in that
| branch of the business. He does not pur-
| chase for the firm or company. nor is he
| auth orized to act or speak for the firm or
| company in matters outside of his duty
as principal salesman. These facts are
supposed by the heads OF concerns to
| be universally known in trade circles,
| and if commercial traveller calls on the
| head of a department or invites him by
| letter to see goods n hotel sample
room, instead OF going directly to the
general manager, upon his subsequent
Introduction to the latter he finds HIM
self handicapped by his mistake-a mis-
take which he may regard as trivial, but
which may create a prejudice against
him that will be hard to overcome.
I'm the Scottish business world GUS
| toms, which are unwritten laws. differ
from those of America, and of some
other countries, and it is highly impor-
tant that sales agent take care to
learn the difference. If he does not he
might better stay at home. Experienced
| travelling statesmen, American, German,
French and Russian, give close attention
to the personal element in business. a
few instances have come under my no.
tice A German commercial traveller in
the hardware trade when he first VS.
| tied Edinburgh devoted several days to
work of gaining an accurate knowledge
of the men having charge of the con-
Germs on the list which he brought with
him. A Russian sales agent in the fur
trade once informed me that he spent al
most as much time in acquainttng him
self with the personnel of firms in the
cities and towns OF Scotland as in after
ward placing his goods before the au-
thorized buyers for the various houses.
| An American representative OF we'll
| known machine manufacturing firm
said that his capital mistake was in
muddling his business from the start by
not taking time to obtainfull information
as to the names, positions and charac-
teristics Of the managers OF firms and
corporations. Three or four months eX-
perience gave him useful lessons, and
after that he was remarkably successful.
"To call for the manager of the COM
pany is a mistake 1t is a mistake also
to enter the business house of Jones,
Smith & Co and ask for Mr.. Jones or
Mr.. Smith They may have been dead
for SO years. and nobody of their na1z=cs
connected with the firm since"
To lay ones business before a subor-
dinate is in most cases grievous mis-
take. Mr. Fleming says that it is his OBJ
seryation that sales agents who do not
congorm tactfully to custom will find
their stay III Scotland expensive rather
than profitable to their employers.