The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-12-29
AUTO MEN PUBLISH
CONVENTION DATA
Book Gives Principles for the Proper
Conduct of Auto Business.


What is believed to be the most COM
prehenslve discussion on intensified
salesmanship and advertising for the re-
tail automobile merchants is the pro-
ceedings of the General Sales Conven-
ton, which has been issued by J. J. Cole.
the originator of the convention idea
which resulted n the formation Of the
Automobile Sales Association. This or
ganizatIon meets next year in Detroit.
The book is a full discussion OF the
selling of motor cars to-day and the
methods that the automobile dealer
should take in handling the sale Of cars,
how to properly advertise them, and
work with a viewpoint of pleasing his
customer and. at the same time, to make
money.
Summed up, the book gives principles
for the proper conduct Of the automobile
business, taken from the opinion Of
some OF the most successful men in the
automobile advertising and other lines
OF business, the whole thing being back
ed up by intensified craftsmanship and
advertising. The principles are:
Helping the dealer to form a money
making sales organization with truth as
the nucleus Of a sales talk.
Advising all automobile dealers to CO.
operate in the establishment OF a local
exchange or clearing house for second
hand cars.
Backing up the local dealer by adver-
Using along intensive lines in news
papers.
Following up national advertising
campaigns by the use OF local adver-
Using.
Advising the employment OF smaller
territory backed up by the use of more
concentrated sales effort because Of the
proved efficiency OF this method in other
Industries.
The convention was held in October,
automobile dealers and manufacturers
from all over the country attending.
Extracts from the book are as follows:
C. F. Kettering, OF the Delco Electric
Lighting, Starting and Ignition plant
said:
when Billy Smith says: I have all
kinds OF trouble with tires just make
him understand that he could not do
without them. Show him that IL he did
not have them he would have more
trouble than now. II you can get thai
| fellow to recognize that those things he
| looks upon as utterly bad are really the
good things about it, he will begin tC
| talk about it, and he will grow from a
crouch to a smile"
Leroy Pelletier spoke on sales and ad.
veTtising. Briefly. he said:
There is nothing that SO absolutely
destroys all possibility of a sale as tC
| have a person come into a show room
which occupies the front part OF the
! store, and hear a car back there splitting
on two cylinders. When a thing like
that is going on. the customer goes back
to see what is the matter, and the dealer
hurries after him. and says: No. that
is not the car 1 want you to see; this is
| the one l want to show you Yes, but
this IS the one I want to See says the
| customer, and the effect is bad"
]. J. Cole. in reference to the automo-
bile business as a game, said:
"Th automobile game is gone. In it,
place stands a young and powerful in
dustry.
up to this time automobiles have beer
| shipped. and ordered, and delivered-but
not sold.
Il believe that the dealer does all We
let him do, or encourage him to do.
| believe that the dealer is the most i'm,
portant single factor in the automobile
| industry.
The automobile 'game'-the time Of
speculation in autOmObiles-has gone. II
its place stands a young and powerful
industry. From now on automobiles mus
be sold along the same scientific line:
which prevail in all other industries.
The idea of helping the dealer to mas
ter his problems is worthy OF the best
| efforts that we can put forth. This Is
| the first time in history that this sound
practical public method has been agreed
| on. and l, for one, want to repeat that
this convention is one OF spontaneous
combustion; that it is a composite ef.
| fort"
William Boyd, of the Curtis Publish.
! ing Company, said about advertising:
| when your dealers come to a manu-.
! faPfnrRr make {
car, you. of course, go all over the points
! of the car. You want to get the best
| car that you can secure, and you don't
close with him until you have gone over
that car point by point: talked abou
| every feature of the equipment, anC
have satisfied yourself that you have
got the best car that you can get. But
| want TO say. gentlemen. that there Is
| one thing that I don't believe very many
OF you talk to your dealers about and
it Is just as important as the question
OF the car itself. and that is advertising
Advertising adds a value to a piece
| of merchandise which the merchandise
does not have in itself. This is almost
a corollary to the statement that a good
| salesman adds a value to a piece of
merchandise equivalent at least to the
amount of the salesman's salary, or the
amount Of expense that has to be charged
| to him fer his services"
John Wetmore, dean Of American auto
mobile editors brought out some peril
nent truths about newspaper advertising,
| saying:
Now when you sell cars you want to
| be a good seller yourself. II you are big
enough you employ a salesman, but ev-
cry man and dealer in the United States
needs one salesman and he can't get
along without him, and that is the daily
newspaper"