Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-29
JOE WELSH, AT l3,
HAS SALESMANSHIP
/ DOWN TO FINE ART
Boy Tells How He Earned His
First $1,000 and a Good Deal
More in Selling
Magazines
WORK, HIS ToUcHsToNE
Five Months of Earnest Endeavor
Brings Abundant
Reward
BY M'LISS

Kings OF high finance tease US with the
assertion that the first thousand dollars
,s the initial step to fame and fortune.
This IL encouraging-if you happen to
have the thousand. A little less encour-
aging. however. is their statement that
This frst thousand Is the most difficult
a acquire. CAS- II we didn't already know
I'D
Joseph Welsh, OF Germantown, iS,
brlght-eyed and pink-cheeked, confirms
the hnanciers dictum. He knows all
about the thousand and the difficulty, be-
cause in experiencing the latter he has
acquired the former. Moreover. he has
s52s in addition to his FIRST thousand.
the story OF how he amassed this little
fortune reads like the biography OF a
money wizard.
Joseph Is a salesman, par excellence.
In ave months he has sold more than
1900 copies OF the Saturday Evening
POST. the Ladies Home Journal and the
Country Gentleman. In addition to draw
ing down the commissions from the sales
Of these magazines. he beat 10000 other
bovs who were working all over the
United States to win the S1075 prize that
was offered. He worked like beaver to
do II, Il is true; but then the lives Of
great people always sound like that.
TECHNIQUE OF JoE's ART.
When Joseph talks of the art of making
the public buy his goods, he analyses the
subject with the expert air of one who
has Just completed a scientific course in
the technique of salesmanship, and II
seems incredible that the pointers he has
picked up have been acquired on the
street, cleaned by lightning-like appraisal
Of a prospective customers attitude as
the boy approached him on the street or
bearded him in his office or home.
"If you're willing to work hard" he
said. crossing his legs like a little man
as he prepared to tell me all about 1t,
"it's awful easy to make sale. All you
have to do is size your man or woman
mn real quick and then go to Il. The
main thing is not to let anything the
grouches say to you make you feel bad
when you go up to the next customer.
You gotta look cheerful and act cheerful
and successful. 1t don't do to look like
you never made a sale in your life and
never expect to-"
I've never interviewed Diamond Jim
Brady the king of statesmen, but l feel
sure II he has any code for high-speeo
salesmanship, II Is not unlike Joseph's
This looking cheerful and acting cheerful
recipe somehow has a mighty healthy
ring to II
Every morning when Joseph sets out
from his home at 1885 East Rittenhouse
street to the Pastorius Public School on
Chelten avenue. he carries, in addition to
his school books, his magazine kit. The
early bird has nothing on him. Long be-
fore the other children in the neighbor-
hood are out of their beds. he is at the
railroad station doing business with the
commuters, and his pert face and enter.
prislng manner have gained Tor MIN q
clientele whose custom enables him tc
make as much in this one hour as many
another boy in a whole day.
In the afternoon Joseph canvasses-
sometimes In the city among the big Of
nce buildings and at other times in the
residential sections. And he finds 1t jus
as easy to get into a Main Line mansion
as into a well-guarded office building
bearing the forbidden sign: mo bool
agents permitted on these premises.
UNDAUNTED BY BUTLER.
"of course a butler is tough tackling,
he said with twinkle in his eye. ''bu
n ! know the name of the lady OF the
house never mind going up against him
And always find out her name from tn,
maid next door, or the chauffeur. Then
before ! go up on the porch of the man
sion hide my magazines down by thu
steps I always ask for the lady n
though I knew her real well, and whei
the butler goes up and tells her there
little boy downstairs to see her sh
usually comes down. After she come
down 1 tell her that I'm selling maga
zines. but that I've got them outside