The Washington herald., 1912-11-03
Contrast Found Success Secret
in Selling High Priced Goods.
Rv MARSHALL JEWELL BAILEY.

to his success he related its secret by one
word. That word wss-contrast.
There 10 hardly one success In ten the ele-
meut Of contrast has not advanced. From
the contractor who fsmod<is the old build-
ing to the prospect Who wearing rusty old
shoes, stopped to observe q trim display
In q shoe store window. contrast becomes the
motive force. II Is fundamental principle
necessary to success. The price card Of
nve dollars. red linked into . bargain at
three, was the simple method Of, the sales
mans success. He had brains and the orig
inaIity TO apply principle to the problem
Through contrast he made q high priced
scale seem cheap. Through contrast he
cEnehed . sale that otherwise seemed an
impossibility.
II business. big business Is based and de-
pendent on existence through the motive
which replaces the old for the new-then
that motive - certainly q dominant factor
In increasing the turnover Of any business.
There IL the incident Of . man in . north
erp city who had proeperst during the popu-
larity OF the bicycle. When Its popularity
began to wane so cid his business. He had
in stock number Of new machines for which
there was no market. He was like man
who. running at top speed. suddenly en-
counters a wall too high to climb anc must
stop whether or not he has energy to carry
him farther He had quick selling machine
ready to market at reasonable price. but
lack Of demand crippled its sale. He pondered
over the problem for several months and
then one evening on reading a newspaper
discovered where the trouble lay. In clas-
sifed advertisement Of q second hand ma
chine for sale he recognized a cross current
that had been subtracting from the demand
for new machines
Tbvarted BY Second Hand Goods.
The bicycle agent realized then that 20
long as demand remained dormant these
second hand machines must continue TO alb
sorb a good portion OF the demand heretofore
filled by agencies. During the boom that had
preceded this reaction the trade had reached
an abnormal condition. Ensuing months
were likely TO witness plenty Of second hand
machines for sale that would remain drag
on the market for the factory output. Also
he had a contract with the factory to take
over a certain number Of new machines at
the end Of the year. Unless he could dispose
Of the stock on hand outlook for next yeaT
would certainly warrant serious conadera-
ton OF closing out the business.
The thought spurred him into schemins
and in scheming he cleaned up his dead stock
by selling through contrast. He placed an
advertisement in the paper of a second hand
machine for sale. but did not mention price.
The replies came TO a box at the newspaper
once. and in answering he would request that
the prospect meet him on a certain corner AT
certain time. He then took one of the ne "
machines and used il enough to eliminate tn.
gloss Of newness. and kept the engagement.
4
Customer Is Hypnotized.
The prospect naturally met him with men-
tai vision OF a second hand machine that was
not nattering: he expected TO find a worn
bicycle-instead ad he had profered one that
appeared almost new. When he asked the
price the bicycle agent would name a figure
somewhat below the usual price received for
new machines. The scheme enabled him 10
clean up a big stock that was drug on the
market and face the next year carrying a
supply OF late models regulated to their de-
mand.
The principle of selling by contrast Is no.
new: 1t Is in application Of the principle that
are born selling plans and solutions Of prob
lens which daily face the business man. A
dealer in second hand books. for instance In
recently arranging his display conceived the
idea Of placing upon the top shelf a row Of
the best looking books in his stock The
second row held the worst books he had. and
display OF stock aIternated in th., manner to
the bottom shelf. He found It enabled him
TO dispose Of the new books at q much better
price thai II all were dtspla yed together. The
contrast eliminated danger Of losing a sale
through price: the customer was in truth
hypnotized out OF thought Of price by the
contras st Of the new among the old