The Detroit times., 1912-05-16
The Long Distance Telephone
AS a Business Getter

INC alleIuOOu Important lulOInh
ton came to the New York newspa
pers. II was necessary to get the
Views OF a prominent corporation Of
fetal. Reporters hurried to his of
fce. He would not see them. They
followed him home but with the same
result. Only single newspaper
printed his views next morning, and
that was Journal whose editor had
his Pittsburgh correspondent call up
the official by long distance tele
phone. When word was brought that
long distance wanted him he got out
of bed, and the dignity of the ap-
lroach was such that he talked free
".
In these days, competition is keen.
Methods of approaching people must
be carefully considered The mails
are padded with circulars and imita-
ton letters. Signs and hand bills
follow the average man on the street.
The best salesman doesn't always get
'an interview. People are expert in
lodging.
But everybody is always at home"
to the long distance telephone.
II is a means OF approach that has
never been overdone. 1t always i'm
plies business OF Importance. The
man who has something to sell be-
slows a compliment upon his poten-
tial customers by using It, Even the
most tactful personal letter may be
regarded as an intrusion, but never
the toll call. The party calling is
there In person on the other end OF
the wire. able to talk. give full ex-
plantations, and manage every detail
Of the conversation In skalful way.
Assume that there are half dozen
customers scattered over territory
10 or 20 miles from the office, but
conveniently reached by trolly lines.
II will take a salesman fully half
= day to visit them, and there is the
cost of his time, car fares and ex-
penses.
Every customer who happens TO be
out or too busy TO talk, costs just as
much pro rata as those who were
successfully interviewed Place these
six customers the same distance In
ethe country, of tropy lines, where
team or motor must be used for traV-
cling. The cost OF visiting them WIFI
easily be doubled, and there are whole
months In the year when the state
Of country roads makes 1t Impossible
to keep in touch with such trade.
/, In canvassing trade Of this char
acter, the business man must go
largely by the cost. Very often there
are small customers he would like
work frequently through his sale
force, but the cost Is prohibitive, or
pressure of other matters prevents
Now, with the long distance, prac-
tically every customer OF this sort
can be reached at the mere expense
OF trolly fares The salesman can
cover q whole outlying region in two
hours. The directness and efficiency
OF the canvass are as great as In
personal visit.
The extent to which the telephone
may be used to increase sales, says
System in q recent issue, Is limited
only by the salesmen's ability to orig
mate and apply schemes for getting
customers into the habit Of ordering
goods by that method. Few business
concerns, large or small, can AFFORD
10 neglect the possibilities Afforded
by the telephone for keeping In com
munication with their customers.
One great store In Philadelphia, at
a conservative estimate, credits at
least half OF Its 20 per cent increase
81 business during 1911 to a persist
emit campaign for telephone orders.
Dvery letter written In a business
house costs somewhere between 20
and so cents. This may seem bit
startling, for ideas on correspondence
costs are pretty generally bound up
Aith the two-cent stamp. But II the
items Of stationery, postage, stepo-
grapher's time, filing copies, princi-
pals time and so forth are faithfully
set down, II will be found that bust
mesa correspondence costs good
deal more than most people imagine.
The cost OF sending out the simplest
sealed printed circular to list o.
several hundred OF prospects Is about
i've cents per piece.
Add 10 this manufacturing cost
the delay OF correspondence and the
F, valuable time of a busy man taken
from more profitable work, and 1t be
comes we'll worth while TO weigh
each letter against the telephone ser
vice and decide whether a long dis
,tance message would not be cheaper
than writing. II the inquirer Is any
where within 500 miles, II Is usually
b possible to talk with him by tele-
phone. Investigation OF the mail
that comes into the average office
VIII show that he probably is within
his speaking distance, for about
hree-fourths OF business mall
ONES from within much smaller
/. adius. II he wants to know some
hing about prices or goods, there
III usually be two or three letters
all. and the matter will be strung
n week or two. Very likely he
IN correspondence with other
fuses on the same subject so that
ere will be competition TO see who
give him the best explanations
d do Il the quickest. On the whole,
business is going TO hang in the
lance for a considerable period,
d the man who writes him letters
Is. ~ dealing at a distance and at q dis