St. Tammany farmer., 1906-12-08
KEEPING YOUR TRADE SOLID
Important Point Is to Gain Confidence OF Merchant
With Whom You Have Distinguishing
to Mans Hobby aas

's~s|1crss-~7c -~,t1Nrse~r|3N~l3
the stuff line at a time, throwing
out what he wanted, and as he nm
ished with one line he would call to
me to write it down. That's the way
I've been selling him ever since. In
handling a customer there is great
deal in finding out hoV he himself
likes to be handled"
Handling "Grouch."
. "Did you ever strike fellow.
asked Watkins, "who had a spite
against one of the landlords in town
and would not buy goods from you 1t
you stopped at that mans hotel?
run against a snag of that kind every
once in awhile"
We'll, what do you do, Watkins 2"
asked Brewster, the merchant.
81 try to make peace If can. II
cannot do that, unless my customer is
an old one and has good cause for a
grudge, I usually hunt some one else
to do business with. In a case OF
this kind you can count on 1t that it is
easier to find new customer than to
pack up your samples and move to
another hotel. AS rule, like to do
business with a man who has hobby.
If can find out what mans hobby
horse is, always try to jump up be-
hind, but draw the line on a fellow
who won't deal with you If you stop
at the wrong hotel. His hobby horse
is too weak-backed to tote double.
"Yes, but it's a good idea to stand
in with your customer" remarked the
grocery man.
"But it is BETTER" replied Brewster.
ito have your customer feel that he
should stand in with you. In handling
your customer, If possible, accept
favor, rather than give one" u
"And there is another thing that q
man must not do,' began Watkins.
'It is forgetting an old customer who
has gone out of business. Once in
awhile a merchant will come to feel
that he would rather feed thrashing
machine when the thermometer is
they sell out to try something else
for awhile, nine times out of ten they
go back into business, and when they
do, they will always appreciate the
man who remembered them when
they had no goods to buy.
II used to have q customer who
finally sold out his store and started
to raising chickens. For three years,
every time visited his town, / would
ring him up on the phone and have
him come in to- take dinner with me
or else 60 out to his house and take
squint at his domineckers. He
would invariably say to me: Wat
kins, confound you, you know, ap
preciate little visit with you. A
whole lot Of the boys, who were good
fellows when ! bought goods, have
dropped me now that I'm not In the
business, one by one until there are
only, few of them left. I'm going
to fool a big bunch of them pretty
soon. I'm getting tired of whitewash'
ing hen houses to keep the mites
away, and / think next spring I shall
start up a business shack like used
to have. That's when some Of the
boys will come back and want to be
sweet again, but just watch me give
few of them the wrinkled brow"
As Friend to Friend.
"Ah, you bet!" exclaimed the fur
nishing goods man. .'The right thing
to do in handling your customer is to
be man with him-just man
that's all. I think great deal Of q
man who gives me his business. A
mans heart and his pocketbook arc
not far apart.
"Mr. Brewster, you know we boys
on the road become very much at
tached to many of our customers
The travelling man and his customers
after many years of dealing. draw
close to one another. OF course VIZ
ofttimes get q hard bump on the head
from those we think to be our friends
and l myself try to avoid too close q
friendship with my customers. At the
same time. I cannot help it once in
awhile. Now, take a case like this:
I had man who had given me more
or less of his business for two or three
years, but one year he had just about
cut me out altogether, SO when went
out to Omaha, which wasn't far from
where he is in business, instead o1
going out to his town, / dropped him
line. I thought he was going to pass
me up anyhow, and, you know. wher
we don't wish to p.ake a town ol
think there is nothing in it, we write
or phone customer"
.'That's good way to lose one. too
put in Watkins.
"Sure thing!" continued the furnish
ing goods man. Write a man OF
phone him If you want to lose him
Well, reply came addressed in Z
ladys hand. My customers wife
wrote me that her husband was sicl
in the hospital in Omaha. She was al
the hospital with him. l got the let
ter only an hour or so before my
train left. had my ticket bough
and sleeper paid for, and had beer
away from home for about three
months. couldn't 60 out to the hos
pital, but did go down to the florist.
and sent out nice bunch Of flower.
to my customers wife and wrote he1
a note saying I trusted her husbant
would soon be up and on his fee
again. That was just a simple thin:
to do, and would have done this JUS
the same had the man been In th,
drug business instead Of in my line
The next time was In Omaha,
found a letter. from. this man asEins