Cañon City record., 1911-10-12
His Eoual Rieht to Do Business.


of the Mail Order House evil, permit
me to say tina the mail order fouse
is a competitor of yours. You must
admit that the mail order house has
as much right to do business as you
have.
you should treat this competitor
with the same spirit of fairness as
you treat all your competitors. Com
petition should only spur you to
greater activity and to adopt better
methods in conducting your business.
A good competitor is always more
beneficial than detrimental to your
business.
There is no territory that you can
claim exclusively as your territory,
around which you might build fence
and compel the people to purchase
from you. You cannot force the pub
lie to buy at your store.
| "But it is true, there is a certain
territory in which you should have
greater advantage to do business, all
other conditions being equal. You
should have a decided advantage to
do business in your home town and
surrounding territory over any out
side competitor There is a territory
that you may call your territory; you
know the people; know their habits
and desires and know their purchas-
ing power (at least you ought to).
You are living with these people. you
are ready Tor at least should be
ready to help them build schools,
churches and streets and all other
improvements which help to build up
community in which 1t is a pleas
ure to live.
These same people will be willing
to purchase their needs from your
store provided you give them the
same courteous treatment that they
get elsewhere and sell them goods at
as reasonable a price as they can
buy for at any other place. And this.
you certainly can do, for whatever
advantage your mail order house
competitor may have in purchasing
his goods on account of his large
purchasing power you make up for
in other ways such as lower rents.
cheaper help, lower taxes and then
being nearer to your customers.
Must Go After People.
But one thing is certain. you must
get after this business. 1t is a mis-
take to assume that these people must
or should come to your store. The
public at large admires the merchant
that is after the business You must
get in line with all your progressive
competitors and show your customer
that you appreciate his business. 1t
is not enough that you keep stock
of goods such as your customers like
TO purchase. but you must let them
fDow that you have these goods. Your
customers are busy people; they have
no time to inquire about your goods
and prices. Yon must advertise, and
advertise right
Your ads should contain cuts OF
the articles at your stores. They
should tell all about the quality of
these goods and tell the prices. Be
sure to say something in your ads.
The same principle holds true wheth
er your store is large or small. You
should constantly keep. your goods be-
fore your customers. 1t is a good pol
icy to tell in your ads where they can
find these goods in your store; in
this way your customers will con-
stantly have in mind picture of
your store.
"The cheapest and most effective
way of advertising is to advertise In
your local papers. You reach all the
people that are interested in your
city and that do some trading in
your city and that possibly might be
induced to buy from you.
Forget Your Competitors.
do not make the mistake that go
many advertisers make. especially