The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1910-10-06


this position, after he has studied into
the broader phases of clerical work, is
to chief clerkship Of one of the large
departments, which pays anywhere
from $4,000 to as high as $4,000 year.
And that is about the limit of the ad.
vancement along this line.
Our boy, however, has discovered
this long since; for he is not the kind
to run into a rut, and has aspired to
become an agent, the big end of the
commercial department. AS clerk, he
had to take care of the accounts turn
ed in by the agents, and so he became
familiar in a general way with what
they did and by the time he was
twentyone- agents have to be Of full
legal age, so they can sign contracts
aspired to be sent out to deal with the
subscribers direct.
Good agents are always needed in
the telephoning business; for upon
their efforts rests to a large degree
the prosperity of the institution. They
make the business arrangements with
the telephone users for new or in.
creased service, assist in preparation
of advertisements that are designed to
cause more people to use telephones,
and generally are promoters Of the
business; also, they adjust claims,
make collections and maintain pleas
ant relationship between the company
and its customers.
It is readily seen, therefore, that the
successful agent must be a man OF
considerable tact and the same ability
that enables man to get on in any
line where dealing with people is q
prime requisite.
Well, our boy has proved that he
has this ability to such an extent that
his salary of, say $12 week when he
began, has been increased till after q
couple of years or so he is getting as
much as $35 week, and is looked
upon as one of the best men in his
line. Then he is made head agent OF
one of the multitude of agencies that
large companies maintain, and maybe
is paid $4,000 year, and has under
his direction several agents such as he
himself was a short time before. His
next advance will be to the manage
ment of a district containing several
agencies, at salary of $4,000 year
to $500 month. Finally, having dis
played great executive ability, as well
as skill as an agent, he is given charge
of all the agencies maintained by the
company, with several hundred men
directly under him.
In this position he is one of the Off
Gals of the institution, and is known
as general commercial superintendent
or general contract agent, or some
thing similar, and his salary Is several
thousand dollars year. AS the com
mercial Is the most important end
of the business, and he has succeeded
in 1t, our friend is in direct line from
here to be made general manager 81
} the company. From there to vice
president and then president are logi
cal steps.
1t is not at all impossible for {
young agent to reach the management
of one Of the small agencies by the
time he is twenty-three or twenty-five
, years old, and he might be manager
} of district with several agencies I'm
der him before he is thirty. 1t re
quires more time, of course, to get intt
the higher positions, chiefly on accoun
5 Of their scarcity. But telephone line
are being extended to and in all part
, Of the country, so that within com
paratively few years practically ever.
l village in the United States vii
!. be in voice communication with ever,
= other.
< With every important extension
3 handle the business end of it, and tn
u man who has demonstrated his abilit
+ in this direction as an agent, or
manager of agents, is the very on
l. that is valuable as manager of tn
e extension. An extension may mean
y brand new telephone service, coverin
s a large portion of some western state
l. or new exchange in some city, OWN
}. to the latter's growth and greater d.
9 mand for telephony. AS there ar
J. hundreds Of subsidiary telephone COZ
l. panies, as we'll as constant redistrtc
n ing of present telephone boundarie.
y opportunities for your boy to get O
l. in what might very appropriately b
$. called commercial telephony are a
a most unlimited.
Copyright. 1910 by the Associated Ii
II erary Press)
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