The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-12-06

with us, and from their characteristic
craftsmanship we may form some idea
of the sharpness and shrewdness of
their predecessors.
Like all successful vocations, the art
of salesmanship has passed thru CEN
turles of experience, leaving the fiery
furnace of competition, hammered and
refined to nearly science. From the
people of the far East, the Oriental
bazaar statesmen, we may take our first
lesson in calmness, GOODNESS and gene
raj impressment of manner. How
many times has the novice, by his over
anxiety to make sale or take an order,
so unfavoraby impressed the customer
or excited his suspicion, as to render all
his efforts fruiless of results, while
the Oriental, by his cool, suave man.
ner and just the proper touch of def
erence, so enhances the value of his
goods that we feel at once an irrisisti-
BILE longing to purchase.
During the years preceding our civil
war it was the general practice in deal
ing with hesitating customer for the
clerk to put his foot against the door
and by argument, persuasion, or often
intimidation, compel sale; the asking
price being as high as it was thought
the credulity and purse of the customer
would bear; the latter being expected
to beat down the price and, if possible,
secure something for nothing. THIS
old system of buying and selling may b.
illustrated by a knowledge of the inner
workings of Jews mind. He is Of
fered a suit of clothes for ten dollars.
and as he critically examines them for
says ten dollars for this suit; he means
\ eight; the clotbes-~ are worth-six; he'll
axe four; iii offer two.
The large department stores, by their
one-price system, have done away with
ii hsggling and beating down. This
brings us to another maxim-state
your price and stick to it, The sales
man who allows the would. be buyer
to beat him down, never knows where
in the descending scale of prices he
may safely take his stand, refusing
further reductions; and very naturally
the buyer reasons that if ten dollars is
,aker off the asking price, why not
wait and get twenty more. BY a
straightforward, convincing manner
. III heart-to-heart talk, reinforced by
proper demonstrations, the salesman
/ should be able to shuw his customer
: that his line safely challenges comparl-
son with any on earth, and that full
value is given for the money expended
The successful salesman has more
> than the average degree of persistency
in his make up. He knows from ex-
; perience that merchants, when solicited
to order goods, invariably say: No,
> need nothing today. 1t is the writer's
experience that this stereotyped reply
3 is the signal to open the batteries OF
5 fattery, suggestion and persuasion
and by firing the right prices at the
3 head of this sort of man, compel hit
/. attention and secure his order. The
I qualifications a successful salesman
! should possess are many and varied
: Indeed, it is not too much to claim tina
l he is born, not made by education. III,
! must possess an accurate knowledgt
f of human nature that will direct TIT
}. proper line of action in any given case
q He must be all things to all men, tt
: know intuitively what to say and wha
9 to leave unsaid; when to smile and
t when to look solemn; when to b,
s smooth polished and plausible, ant
+ when to display forceful, energetic
manner by taking the lead and telling
in plain English what goods the Gus
toner should order.
Many storekeepers of the tall-gras
towns of the West and Southwest reli
n on the advice of the statesmen, and ex
n pect them to push the goods that SHOW
v the latest style or vogue of the day
} He is a wise, level-headed salesman
# who respects and keeps this confidenc
n and does not violate it, by unloadin,
Z on the unsuspecting merchant lot o
u unreasonable and unsaleable goods.
h Like all callings that compel clos
e contact with their fellowmen, he sue
g ceeds best who is sincere and unselfist
!; Many otherwise desirable salesme
II fail to achieve their full measure Q