New Britain herald., 1916-02-11
WOMAN EXPERT
 ON SALESMANSHIP
Vocational Training Conference
 Comes to Close

The joint closing session of the ing, held here in connection with the 1 Consumers League convention, took l place in the auditorium of the Gram ! mar school yesterday afternoon, the speakers being A. J. Birdseye of Hart ford Mrs. Lucinda w. Prince of Sim mons College, Boston, and E. N. Chopper of the national child labor committee of New York. Mr. Birds talk on "salesmanship." He thought all present had heard something of one of the most popular movements in this country, the salesmanship school. In actual life everyone is salesman all day and every day. The preacher is selling something each day and trying twice as hard on Sun day. One thing we are all engaged in selling is reputation. Every body likes to be well thought of and to do this successfully one must have and develop positive traits of character The best way to attain this object is by daily introspection, watching ones
 
 of habits either good or bad. One cultivates personality by building character which is built on habits The speaker defined reputation and character, reputation being what we are thought to be and character what we are.
 The essentials in salesmanship are to secure attention, create confidence and a desire to buy These, however are but a few of the requisites in salesmanship, which to the speakers mlnd Is one of the most wonderful things in the world. The class in salesmanship at the Hartford Y. M. | C. A. has become the most import | ant\1n that institution. People now ! adays demand good service and un- l less a clerk is trained to meet the de- l mands of the situation there is little l room for him in modern establish ! ments. l
 Salesmanship Classes.
 Mrs. Prince. whose subject was 'the l Department Store as Training School,' was introduced by MT. 1 Blrdseye. Mrs. Prince is the educa- t1onal director of the National Retail | Dry Goods association and she told | how the Woman's Educational Indus rial Union started to instruct girls n salesmanship. Mrs. Prince was 'ne of the first to undertake the movement and got very little encour- .gement from the store managers The managers took the ground that hey grew up behind the counter and 1 hat experience with the public was he only requisite necessary to make
 good salesman. Then she set to l york to prove that the rank and file ould be improved by training and Ient into a store to sell goods, finally aiming the cooperation of the lead- ng store managers in Boston.
 Mrs. Prince then described the 1 of her first class in sales nanship. She advertised for sirls and ecured a number who were out of l york, not the most promising mater al. At length she got a chance for hese girls on a Monday when the Boston stores are busiest. Their york at once impressed the store managers and they agreed to take the l irls three days a week and allow hem to attend school three days with ull pay. Next she took girls directly rom the stores to the school, this at he suggestion of the merchants them elves. Now the school is maintained there being three terms, he first beginning in September last ? weeks, the second beginning in anuary last three months and the hird starting April 1 continues three months.
 The next step was to establish 8 raining school for teachers and fin ,lly the taking up of the work by he public schools. She regarded the High school as the place for the great st development of the work, The Boston Girls High has 2,400 pupils md it's only commercial course was n stenography. Today there are nine High schools in Boston teaching but this was not ac- complished without opposition even