The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-07-19
MAIL ORDER HOUSES
ARE TRUSTS
Use Trust Methods TO Get
Business.
Special Representatives Can.
vassing Rural Com
munities,
BY o. A. CHARLES.

The mail oder houses, like all other
trusts, are resorting to trust methods
to get business, and the latestt silent
but extensive maneuver OF these
houses is to cover with specially
trained merchandise statesmen the
fields that have formerly been reach
ed solely by their catalogues and
printed matter
The catalogue houses are gathering
together the very best field selling
forces possible to secure. The plan
is to send armies of expert statesmen
broadcast throughout the rural COM
munities.
Now this means that the mail order
houses are going after business with
more determination and a stronger
selling force than ever before.
You can surely realize the vital i'm
portance of this move when you re.
member that one large mail order
house doing business of $50,OOO,O 900
per year was begun with a so watch.
The same determined energy that
porduced the wonderful growth and
immense wealth is now to be supple
mented and reinforced by active
salesmanhip in the field.
The catalogues and printed mat
ter will be used the same as they
have alwhys been used and the cata-
logue houses are schooling their men
In all the scientific methods of expert
salesmanship. Every man is being
trained in all the known clever
schemes and tricks for playing on the
weakest points in human nature.
In employing these statesmen the
mail order houses have only one
source to choose from, and that is.
experienced statesmen. First, these
statesmen are drilled in the mail or.
der house sytem. They are being
taught the details of the organization
and the course of operation. This is
absolutely necessary, because no mat
ter how clever a salesman may be,
he must understand the inside work
ings of the mail order game in order
to beat the retail merchant and send
the business out of rural communi.
ties
These special representatives are
taken in charge by able instructors,
who make daily report ON each mans
progress. They watch the work of
salesman to find out whether he is
quick, whether he is intelligent
whether he can talk well, whether he
is industrious and whether he is man.
ifesting special ability for work in
the rural communities.
When a salesman has finished the |
course of training to become a mail
oreder special representative he sees
that he is a part of big thing, part |
of an active commercial warfare he |
will then be allotted certain district
and he will start in with the sole in.
tention of getting we'll acquainted |
and establishing himself on friendly
basis with all the people of his dis.
trict.
First, he will see that catalogues
and advertising literature are thor
oughly distributed in his district and
then he will call on the people per.
offers of bargain lots of merchandise
possible to conceive.
The special representative in the
mail order house will go further than
merely trying to sell merchandise. He
will spend his time visiting, organ.
lzing social clubs, making arrange,
ments for farmers entertainments,
forming farmers benevolent and in.
surance clubs AID looking after the
farmers interests and welfare
in every way possible. He will
advertise himself as being able
to give free counsel and advice
on all subjects and always wiling
and ready to help the farmer in his
difficulty and trouble.
All of this special service will cost
the farmer nothing, but back of every
motive, no matetr how seemingly free
and generous it may be the will be
the fact that all this work is simply
part of an immense plan of adver.
tising destined to catcb the farmer at
his weakest point and enthrall him
in the meshes of 'ntil order depend
ence. This system is NOT unlike the
systems Of all other trusts it being
different only in its application.
The sample of merchandise to be
distributed will represent special bar.
gain leaders offered at extremely low
prices in order to get closer In touch
with the farmer and make him feel a
deeper interest in the mail order
houses.
In order to get the farmer inter-
ested In their lines these mail order
houses will lose money at first If nee
essary, just to get the farmer in habit
of buying through catalogue. The
sole object of this campaign is to
wean the farmer away from purchas-
ing goods of any kind from his home
merchant and it bears out the boast
of a prominent mail order man who
said. "Giye me but time and I will