The Cairo bulletin., 1906-07-09

evidence.
Selling has become an arr, Its prac-
tice is universal 1t is one Of the two
fundamental elements of business Il
| may be said with absolute truth that
there is not a wholesale, or a retail
or manufacturing house Of any kind
without a greater or less number OF
! selling representatives. The trades
man may know what he wants, and
he doubtless is aware that he cannot
/ do the maximum of business without
| the proper goods. and yet Cor some
| reason which has NOT yet been fully
| explained the chances are that he will
| seldom order these goods by mail or
go after them, but will wait until some
travelling salesman has called upon
| him and solicited his trade.
The salesman represents the firm in
presenting the goods and he IS virtual
ly the go-between. He is a solicitor
of trade, whether he sells goods on the
road or from behind counter
The travelling salesman, or drum
mer, is one who soIicits outside OF the
store He usually earns a higher sal
airy than is paid the counter man who
handles the trade which comes to his
store and, while to be successful, the
latter must possess the abilities of the
solicitor, yet it is not necessary that
he be so alert and aggressive as The
drummer who goes from place TO place
for orders The real difference be-
tween the outside and inside salesman
ia this: The outside salesman takes
the initiative, while the customer TO
some extent makes the frs, move
when buying goods from the inside
salesman
Probably Is per cent. Of the success
full merchants began as statesmen and
nearly every prominent wholesaler
was at one time a drummer It is GER
tainly common sense 10 assume that
no man can successfully direct the
movements of others unless he has
actually done what his employees are
called upon to do. True, a man may
be an expert at selling and not make
a good manager OF salesmen or good
merchant, for some mems ability
needs the direction Of a broader and
greater mind. 1t is also true that
some sales managers have little actual
selling capacity and cannot successful
~ meet a customer,
All or nearly all of our merchants
entered mercantile life through Office
work or through the selling depart
ment They began either as Office
boys or as store boys, and after one
or more years of mental work, of lit
tie value to anyone except TO them
selves, they became clerks or statesmen.
Some boys jump directly from this
hoyship into subordinate salesman
ship. The average boy working in a
store receives from 81 to s. week,
81 being a fair average The young
salesman seldom receives less than So
a week, and occasionally he is paid as
much as $40 or 81 a week From the
sl2 mark his rise depends upon his
proven ability and the conditions un-
der which he is working.
It is extremely important that the
boy should start right; that he should
connect himself with some business
which he will not outgrow. For the
first few years, the boy wifi be learn
ing and really accomplishing very lit
tie This is his apprenticeship, and
during these initial years he cannot
hope 10 receive more than few doll
lars a week. When he becomes a
salesman. then he begins to rise. and f.
II he has the right kind Of stun In
him, and the conditions are right, his
rise may be rapid.
The rank and file Of country store
statesmen, that is, inside men do not
receive on the average more than $40
or S12 a week, even after they have
become thoroughly experienced. and
the maximum pay pra4ably has never
exceeded s2j a week Department
store statesmen in large cities draw
salaries Of from s. to $50 q week. the
average paid TO a good salesman of
experience being from SIS TO $50 The
average salesman In small city stores.
and even in those located ia large cit
les. receive anywhere from IS 10 $50
a week. comparatively f-w drawing
the latter salary.
There are two reasons why the in
side salesman cannot expect 90 draw
more than a moderate salary: First.
the customer comes 10 him, and he
does not have to 90 after the custom
er. and. second. fully 90 per cent. OF
inside sellers are women. who are
willing TO do work for much less Than
the amounts paid to men, Tie mer-
chant. in business for gain and not
for philanthropy, buys his statesmen in
the market and pays market prices.
although 10 the credit Of business O.
r1ust be said that there are a few
merchants who invariably pay more
than market rates. and IN return
maintain an unusually hich grade of
which IS permanent in char
acter
Resident sai7=m-r r- experience. in
wholesale housss. e.mr md salaries Is
bigh as g.. CJ rlaI. il1 a few on
iov incomes Of $4,000 year. bHi the
average annual salary paid % the FIRST
class resident salesman Is probably
not more than 1920.
TIE f-avelir- salesman usually ~
Gin al 81 q week. and The ave age