Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-01-18

has grown into an inormous business.
A year ago he sold $4,000 suits 3of
clothes from one pattern only one
pattern out of scores. 5ss
e The price which he asked for his
suit was low, probably lower than
that Of the retailer. butathat was not
what Started him It was the free
garment which the buyer was to;
receive that was the idea which
made this mail order proposition a
1ssucress. After the business had
grown and established a reputation
it could probably have secured bust
ness without this extra inducement.
but the idea made its beginning
possible
| Making the buyer think he was re-
cefYing something for nothing, which
was this salesman's scheme. lis the
core around which the majority of
mail order houses have been built.
This clothing seller might have re-
duced the price of his suit 81 and
dropped the free offer, he would prob
ably have failed, for nothing is so
/ psychol logically attractive to the aver
age human nature as proposition
which offers him something for
nothing. The knowledge of this
/ psychological fact has been the
foundation of hundreds of fortunes. &,
! & 1t was another clothing house, looking
around for some plan by which to attract
orders by mail, that hit upon the COM
/ bination outfit idea The combination
outfit is simply to sell group Of re-
lated articles, any one piece of every
kind of clothing that man, wears. from
i hat to shoes, for a round sum. The
| offer was that the suit of clothes alone
| was worth the price asked and the acces-
sesories were, therefore, gift to the
buyer Maybe the buyer could not have
bought the suit of clothing for the same
| price in his own town, but the point
was that he was getting all the acees-
oraries free, and the house has built up
a large and steady business on this plan,
where it would probably still be strug-
| Cling along if it had simply advertised
suit of clothes for $40 which you can
not duplicate in your own town for SIS. y
i One of the most successful applica-
tons Of the premium idea of today is
] a Big concern which began LITTLE over
j a decade ago to sell a box Of soap at
/ the ordinary market price and to give
/ with it piece of furniture of equal
/ value Manufacturing on large scale
i selling direct to the consumer, the house
was evidently able to place soap in the
consumers hands at lower prices than
j could the dealer in the locality; but in
stead of selling $40 box of soap at S.
and using the low price as an argument,
4 this house was familiar enough with the
/ psychology Of human nature to offer
4 soap at the market value of $40 per box
j and add a free premium also worth $40
i retail price A business of millions 3
year, factory plant of three great
i buildings, an office force of 600 people
4 to handle the orders and business
/ which is extending into many lines Of
1 home consumed articles--all these are
the result Of the knowledge of this one
fact of psychology. s..9
These and many other schemes have
been the starting and also the ltibrican
that has kept the machinery going am
have built up great business enterprise
all other the country. You and ma,
|, not approve of the premium offers, bu
the fact remains that to the great ma
L jority of people the idea that they cal
1 get something for nothing is very at
). tractive and we must remember on
thing, and that is that we have to d.
!, business with the people as we fin,
J, them, not as we would like to hav
/ them be-,
I Prof. Laid of Fargo, then made
short address on the proposed pure foo,
] appropriation by the legislature and sal,
/ if the work outlined by the pure food de
}, paTt1nent was to be continued in its full
efficiency larger appropriation was es
, sential to best results.
The committee on resolutions, consist
! ing Of H. L. Reade, w. ID. Hatch an,
I Robert Orr, then reported The resolu
B lions express the desires of the associa
ton on many subjects and in conclusion
expresses its appreciation Of the man,
courtesies rendered by the Commercial
club of Bismarck and by the merchant
!. and people generally, and voiced I'll
general sentiment that the members ha,
had a splendid time socially while in th
! city. 81 s
The constitution was changed SO as t
provide for the annual meeting bein
held on the third Tuesday in July here
2 after, and in accordance with this ide
I q meeting will be held on that date t1li
!, year at Devils Lake, N. D., it being ii,
Il