The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-06-22
THRILLING TALE
OF MOTOR CAR
WILL BE ONE THRILLING CHAP
TIERS IN THE HISTORY OF THE
TWENTIETH CENTURY - LAT
EST ARvELous STORY OF Sue
CESS.

When the industrial history of the
twentieth century is finally written,
its most thrilling chapters will almost
surely be those that tell the story OF
the motor CARTS sudden dash to
popularity, its marvellous manufactur-
ing successes, and its costly tactical
failures. So say men learned In the
lore Of the business world. Certain
1t is, at any rate, that no department
Of the worlds manufacturing history
has yet furnished so great an amount
Of industrial romance.
News OF the latest feat of this kind
comes, as has learned to expect,
from Detroit. In one week, a firm man
ufacturing annually an output mar
keted at $780, 00 200, completely re-
organized the executive personnel OF
its system Of distribution N then,
with the new organization in charge,
scored a sales success during the first
month, that eclipsed all It's former
records for a similar period.
How this was done, without in the
least disturbing the progress of a
busy selling season, is a story of vital
interest to every business a
The firm is The Studebaker Corpor
ration whose mammoth automobile d.
vision, manufacturing EMF go"
and Flanders 40" cars, maintains a
round dozen plants. The Studebakers
market their product through a sys-
tenn OF forty branch warehouses and
service stations in the main trading
centers. Each Of these supplies cars
direct to that part of the 1900 Stude-
baker dealers in It's territory. The
branch managers make all contracts
and, to all practical ends, each Is The
Studebaker Corporation in it's own
region.
A combination of circumstances
made it advisable, in the Judgment OF
the Studebaker management, to elm
mate q certain element in the sales
department. The change involved the
sales manager, his assistant and the
managers of nearly a third OF the
firms branches.
To the automobile world the emer-
gency seemed unexpected. Such was,
however, far from the truth.
When Germany decided to go to
war with France, General Won Moltke
took from a certain pigeon-hole in his
desk a complete plan of campaign,
drawn up months before. When this
emergency came, General Manager
Gum of the Studebaker Corporation
did virtually the same thing.
An experienced sales manager, Err
nest r. Benson, was already in
/ "dlLA46s WALL AAAh4g d. c@1GAoNGAAANs
came Arthur /. Philip, also a man pc
culiarly fitted for his work For ev-
cry branch in which a change was
necessary, there was ready the as
signment of a manager, every APP
pointee carefully schooled for his par
ticular job.
The change was made during the
first week in May. Almost on that
exast date, the automobile buying
public made a concerted onslaught on
-Studebaker dealers, which disposed OF
virtually eyery car on their floors
and this despite the fact that the
company had made most generous
provision for the expected rush.
Several Of the branches where
changes were made, were among the
| sales leaders for the month.
Incident to the revision and har-
monizing of the sales department
Sales Manager Benson a
complete list of the new branch man
ager appointments.
An these men r now firmly es-
tablished in their new positions, the
change having been effected without,
so far as known, interfering with the
sale Of a single car or the disaffection
Of a single dealer.