The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1906-11-08

reached Crete, Neb., an hours run
west of Lincoln. at 1880 a. m.
This time the young man wrote his
name on the hotel register, John G.
Witherspoon." Before he had writ.
ten 81. Charles"
That's a whole lot better, Johnnie"
remarked Watkins, patting him on
the back. after a few more night
trains and early calls l think you'll
get down to the proper level. By the
end of the trip l think you'll have
II Jno. c.. and before the year Is out
you'll make IL as short as you can
y. c. and write it fast at that"
For the first month Of this trip
Watkins travelled at a lively pace. 1t
is early in the season that the man
on the road goes after the doubtful
customers. He must hurry them,
however, never letting his customers
know that he is hurrying. Often be-
ing even a day late will cost a sales
man a big bill. The young college
man caught onto his job and made a
really good helper for Watkins. John
C.. was a worthy chip off the old block.
What he needed was what he was
getting-a chance to work.
The fifth Sunday out on the trip
Watkins spent at Kansas City. He
was to be there for three days to wait
on country customers to come in
from surrounding towns. Two or
three of these reached Kansas City
on Sunday evening. They, with John
c., Watkins and some of his travel
ing men friends, sat in the lobby OF
the Baltimore hotel.
Caught the Children.
do you know" said Hoover, n
of Watkins customers, that | built
my business by paying especial at
teution to children. For the ten
years that | have been in my town
! have always done something to
bring them to me. The very first
thing that did when | started in new
in my town wa to have made a thou
sand one-foot rules On them | had
printed, Hoover makes it a rule to
wait on the children with as much
care as on grown people, ] first
handed these out to a little group of
kids from school who came in. The
news soon spread and all the children
in town came in droves for these
rules. You know the mothers often
send their children out to get some
little thing and / wanted to get them
in the habit of going to Hoover's. |
knew that If / had the children on
my side the grown folks would soon
fall in line"
Well. you've made a success out
where you are, too, Hoover Watkins
remarked.
Yes, / have. You kIow It won't
do fs a merchant to expect to stay
in a place and build a business, and
mistreat his customers. People be-
lieved that if | would take care of
children | would also take good care
of the grown folks Two of the most
successful retail business men In
American in the world, for that
matter-have built their businesses
by following out the same plan, after
a fashion, that / did-that is, by
pleasing the customer. They are in
the dry goods business mostly, and
when they started in their customers
were wholly women. Now. one of
these merchants used to have a little
store away down in a little country
town In Illinois. When he was a
young man he got it into his head
that he must satisfy his ONE Gus,
toners. He made his clerks take es'
pecial care to wait On them, and he,
himself. when he was behind his own
little counter, always made it a rule
to please the women. That made him
the leading merchant of his town,
He was a bright, progressive man,
and moved to Chicago, where he took
a little narrow store on State street
He carried out in the city the same
plan that he had worked in the coun
try. Each year his business grew
until now he occupies a large part OF
a block and his business Is up in the
millions, increasing every day.
Pleasing Women Customers.
"Well. you see, women are more OF
less helpless. If you please them they
will become your best f~riends-if you
do not, they will drive many custom
ers away from you And this other
man I speak of hit upon this very
idea. He not only gave instructions
that his clerks should please custom
ers in the store. but that IL the Gus
toner. after going home, did not like
what she had bought the goods might
be returned and exchanged, or money
back Just this thing alone helped
this great merchants business more
than any n thing, 1t gave people
who went to deal at his store conf
dence in that store"
Satisfaction guaranteed or YOU
money back is a good motto for any
establishment" remarked Watkins.
But once in a while, though, Wat
kins," Hoover continued, this ex
changing goods gives us who do it q
great deal of trouble. and the womer
folks occasionally carry 1t to an ex
y 4 IRENE. Now, for example, a lady II