Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-22

I'D you ever go out with the COM
N mercial club on . trade boosting
junket7
II not. you have missed some
IEfkf thing worth while-especially II
49, you delight in things optimis-
tic, for trade booster trips beget optimism.
not only among the sojourners. but with
the residents along the route, as well.
II is only Of late years, perhaps within
the last decade, that the trade extension
idea has taken hold upon the live COM
mercial clubs Of western cities. And, by
the way, II is a western and southwestern
idea. Nobody ever heard Of the Commercial
club OF Springfield, Mass, or Providence,
r. L. or wheeling w. ", going out on such
an excursion. But Omaha. Denver, Kansas
City, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, lei Paso
and other western and southwestern cities,
even down to the smaller tobbing centers
like Amarillo and Pueblo and Albuquerque,
have the trade extension idea well de-
veloped.
Many prudish folk who lag behind at
home may fancy that these trips are one
grand hur1'ah, sort OF a meteorc flight
through space, and that no actual good
results.
II such skeptic there be in Omaha, let
merclal missionary. and he will, nine times
out of ten, become a convert to the new
idea. The wholesaler or jobber or manu-
facturer who goes on one of these trips
does not expect to sell goods while he 10
out He may book a few struggling orders,
or he may not. In either event he is salts
fled because he knows that he is casting
bread upon the waters that he Is indirectly
sowing seed that will In future bear fruit
and best of all, II he be OF patriotic trend,
he may Justly feel that he Ia advertising
his town as q whole
Take the present itinerary OF the Omaha
Commercial club trade boosters for in
stance. Doubtless the name OF Omaha is
already well known along the route, but
even so, In this era OF rapid fire move
ment, persistent and consistent advertising
is necessary and tho more times the name
Of Omaha is mentioned In Nebraska, Iowa
and South Dakota, just so much better
does Omaha stand In the trade territory
that rightfuly belongs to this city.
There is Handwriting and speechmaking
along the line. Merchants meet customers
face to face. There IL much In personal
contact and after Mr.. Joe Smith up al
Birkville, Neb, has met and talked with
Mr.. William Jones, wholesale grocer OF
Omaha, he feels that he Is In close touch
with the Omaha man, and all things being
equal. next time he wishes TO place an
order, the chances are that he will re-
member the man from Omaha who spoke
pleasantly TO him and who shook hands
with him as he swung onto the rear coach
of the booster train as 1t sped out of Blink
willie.
Moreover the junketlng wholesaler is Inn
bued with feeling OF personal warmth to-
ward the customers he meets en- route. He
has met the merehapt, he has seen him
emerge from behind his counter to extend
the glad hand of welcome, he has formed
his acquaintance under conditions tending
TO optimism and In short, the wholesaler
and the retailer become frlends-somethlns
that is hardly possible by the mail order
plan
Another result that shows up the credit
Of the booster train idea IL the good that
the town as a whole derives from these
pigrimaEes. The doctor, the lawyer. the
real estate man and others who do not sell
goods TO country merchants may at first
glance fancy that the booster train Is no
affair OF theirs. but on second thought 1t
is apparent that whatever makes for the
general growth Of any city Is boost in