Arizona republican., 1906-03-26

must De Sdlu lildl lAlGIG eiAG ANN 1 merchants who invariably pay more than market rates, and in return main tain an unusually high grade of busi- ness which is permanent in character.
 The demand for bargains, and for cheap goods of every class, is a mighty factor in the maintenance of low The customer, more than the controls the situation. So long as the majority of our shoppers are demanding bargains and goods at cut prices, it is evident that a grade of salesmanship suggestive of high sal aries cannot always be maintained.
 Resident statesmen of experience, ;nl wholesale houses, cOmmarN salaries as high as three thousand dollars a year, and a few enjoy incomes of ten thous- and dollars a year, but the average annual salary paid to the first-class resident salesman is probably not more than twelve hundred dollars.
 The travelling salesman usually be-
 gins at ten dollars a week, and the average salary of a good salesman Is less than fifteen hundred dollars a ! year.
 First-class travelling statesmen sell
 dom receive less than two thousand | dollars a year. Those of long eX- perience and of exceptional profciency,I may enjoy annual incomes of as much | as five thousand dollars. Compara | atively few reach this latter figure, and |
 a very few exceed it, although there are now lon the road" a number of travelling salesmen drawing salaries 1 as high as ten thousand dollars a year, and probably there are some whose an
 nual incomes are not far from double
 this amount but these men are great
 exceptions.
 Unless a travelling salesman sells upon commission, all of his necessary
 travelling expenses are paid by the firm for which he sells.
 The salesman on commission is real ly in business for himself, and his in come almost always exceeds what he
 would receive on salary. Some sales
 men have a dual. arrangement with their employees by which they sell up-
 on both salary and commission; that
 is to say, they are guaranteed a cer- | tain amount every year whether or not 1 their commissions reach it. But it is| ! obvious that no concern will continue ! to pay a stated sum if the amounts 1 that it would pay on commissions 1 long continue to be below such sum. The store salesman is confined to narrower limits, and unless he pos 1 sesses aggressive or other exceptional ability, he stands little chance of ris-
 ing above the position of head of his
 department. The travelling salesman
 has much better opportunity for ad-
 vancement. His work is more difficult and requires closer attention and greater energy. If he makes a success
 of it. he is likely to be recognized, and
 to be promoted. If he is particularly
 successful. and has built up a large 1 clientele. it occasionally happens that he is given an opportunity to enter the firm, or he may form a business partnership with other salesmen of his
 capacity. As substantially all mer-
 chants and storekeepers were at one
 time salesmen, we must draw the con-
 clusion that the selling department of
 business offers the greatest oppOrtun-
 ities for advancement to the boy who
 wishes to enter a business life
 r have said that the inside sales } man does not find so good an oppor-
 tunity for advancement as does the drummer. While this is true. and while would advise the boy to ''go on the l road" in preference to remaining in-
 side. I do not wish to give the i'm pression that there is no opportunity
 behind the counter. There are many , men of strong selling ability, who do 2 not seem to possess the aggressiveness necessary for outside drumming. They $ are natural salesmen. know how to ? impress the buyer, and understands the I goods but for some reason, which I they themselves cannot explain, they . lack the ability to get out into the open to fight trade face to face. These men are not adapted to outside selling s Their place is inside. Their ability is y sure of recognition, although they may h. . later. unless conditions are very much q against them they will be promoted Q to responsible positions, and occasion - ally they may combine with others ir 1 establishing a business of their own The first-class inside salesman ire $ quently becomes a buyer, and thus he . may or may not remain salesman
 The travelling salesman is without 2 n home; he lives on trains and in sleep r CTS and at hotels. He is obliged tC put up with every kind of accommOda- . ton, and is exposed to sickness anC - to accident Every form of tempta y tion everywhere, and the boy of we'll t formed character, who is conscientious e and faithful, can safely take the road r Travelling may facilitate the distribu e ton of the bad, but the bad is sur' y to come out whether one remains a q home or travels. The boy of loose hab e it's. who has little stability, who i a easily influenced, and who cannot b I, trusted, will immediately yield e temptation, and will sacrifice his nor l. als and undermine his health. But l this boy is so weak in character tha e the road will ruin him, is it not logi 't cal to assume that he might just a n well be ruined rapidly on the road T to stay at home and undergo a slmlla - but slower process?
 y While it is true that not one sales s man in a dozen amounts to anything n that is to say, rises above the lowe n grade of ordinary success, the sam - is true of almost any other trade = business or profession; for most of are ordinary mortals, and few of n can hope to become extraordinarJ