Semi-weekly herald., 1914-12-24
THE EXTRA SALESMAN.

III an aduress before the Retail
Butchers of Kansas at Topeka last
month, Marco Morrow, advertising
manager of the Capper publications,
gave some suggestions on advertising
that are well worth the attention of
the retail dealer, whatever his line.
In part he said:
You occasionally find retail mer-
chant who thinks and says that he
does not have to ADVERTISE "Why,"
he will tell you, everybody in town
knows me and my place of business.
Half the people in town pass my store
every day. 1t would be a waste of
money and effort for me to use news
paper space"
The trouble with such business
man is that he has never been shown
the fundamental idea of advertising.
'ie doesn't understand the chief func-
ton of advertising. No one has point
ed out to him that advertising is
craftsmanship and that its function is
much wider and much more far
reaching than merely "letting people
know where he is"
There are three things which ad-
vertisine must do for you:
First, it must let the people know
who you are, where you are, and
what you are. This is its simplest
function. The sign over your door.
your store front, the display in your
window-these help to perform this
necessary function; the little stand
ing cards which retailers sometimes
run in their local papers, and indeed
a greater part of the retail advertis-
ing in the newspapers, perform no
higher function than that They SIM
ply let the people know who you are,
where you are and what you are.
But your advertising must do more
than that. 1t must not only let the
people know that you are purveyor
.of food products, but it must also
give the buying public some reason
for coming to you for what they want
instead of going to your competitor
IN business. | do not mean that your
advertisements should "knock" a
competitor. A knocking" ad is sell
dom if ever judicious. But, if there
Is any reason why people should trade
with you, your advertisements ought
IN some way to suggest that reason,
even if it doesn't give the reason in
so many words. 1t ought to make
the woman who reads it think. "Ill
go there next tim I'll try that
shop In other words, it must at
tract trade to you, not simply LET
the people come to you if they want
to come, but PULL them toward you.
This is the second function of adver-
tising.
But, there is another duty, which
your advertising must perform, if it
is to be successful salesman for
you. And this third duty is the high
est and most important function of
your advertising. 1t is the function
which you and your clerks perform
every day if you are good salesman,
in calling attention to something spe-
cial, something extra, something
which the customer might not buy
unless you suggested it to her. Mrs.
Jones, who is a good spender, comes
into your shop, and you Immediately
think, Now what can | sell Mrs.
Jones today?" If she gives you a
chance you say: Mrs. Jones have
an extra nice roast here which |
would like you to have" or Here is a
mighty fine leg-o-lamb." You keep
suggesting to your customers pur-
ehases which they otherwise would
not make. Sometimes it is an extra
cut which you suggest Som -times it
is the less desirable cut which you
want to move, but in any event you
are constantly endeavoring to get the
customer at the counter to buy the
thing which you want most to sell.
That's good craftsmanship. That's
the only way you build up your bust
ness. There is a store in Topeka
which has brought this kind of sales
manship to such state of perfection
that know women who are afraid
to go into it; they say they prefer
TO order by telephone because if they
90 into that store, they are sure to
buy something which they do not
need, and, which, maybe, they can't
afford. Now the real purpose of your
advertising in your local newspaper
should be to put salesmanship of that
Kind before every possible customer
IN your community. 1t isn't enough
for the people simply to know where
your place of business is. 1t isn't
enough for the people simply to know
what you want to sell. 1t isn't enough
for the people to know that you have
the best shop in although these
things are of the highest Importance
but your advertising must make the
good hnusewifes mouth water for
what you have on sale today 1t must
suggest to her expenditures which she
had got th,nclt