The sun., 1916-01-30
FACILITY-A POTENT
FACTOR In TRADE
Analysis Of Competition
Shows Many Trades
Overlook 1t.
~ n. DUNBAR wEsTINGE.

one hears on all sides Of the fierce
composition in this age OF ours. In
every business the cry Is the same. Com
petition in trade, however, was just as
keen in earlier days. although We do
not seem to realize 1t. Competition
then was for the most part local in
character, due to the limited means
available at that time for the stimula-
ton Of trade. with the growth OF the
press and the advent Of advertising
forces, however. competition advanced
to n national and later world vide
scope. And 50 the increased tools avail
able for sales stimulation gave an en-
tirely new aspect To the situation. and
competition figures nightly in the coun-
try's prosperity.
Analysis OF the present state of COM
petition 'brings to light at least one glar-
ng fact--manufacturers and distrb-
Nters in many cases are sticking to the
came old sales methods and are neither
making use of the new tools at hand
nor taking into consideration the changed
conditions In trade,
The market is Hooded with competing
ertiCles which have merit and which.
on merit alone. are worthy. There Is
q demand for these articles, and their
manufacturers are able. through present
day production methods. to supply all
demand. Why, then, should 1t not be
Profitable to ma -ket them? The answer
j es in the fact that these manufactur-
icrs have overlooked the big factor IN
resent day trade--facility.
There are two kinds of facility FIRST
a. the article itself second. OF distribu'
ton In the first case ones product
must he designed - as To accomplish
its purpose with minimum EFFORT anc
maximum results. This has been recog
slzed for years and Is nothing new.
Facility OF distribution is the all i'm
rortant factor and depends primarily
upon making the public seek your prod
ict and then enabling them t. purchase
A. with ease. To divorce these two points
Is fatal. for of what use is demand tina
cannot he satisfied?
The best examples that one can cite
Of success through facility OF dls''i'
button are the careers OF our large bis
cui, companies Here Is the embodi
ment of facility both as regards tho
product. accessibility and the creation
OF demand
But let us take "A simple though i'm
aginary example Jones and Smith TO
gether supply practically all the pocke
note books for sale in America. Ter
years ago they Jointly supplied the de
mand Now improved methods OF pro
duction enable each 70 turn out enough
note hooks to MI the pockets Of all who
will use them. Demand has not kept stcI
with production. So the big problem o'
competition has cast its shadow over
their business Several courses lie ope
TO them. They can join forces and b!
monopoly control the business. or the
can devise methods TO freeze each othe
ou, ny price cutting. or by trade in'lu
encs However. either course is a hdz
ard
II they but stop TO work II out they
Will see the the real solution Is IN
creased facility" Not having "A markc
J for their product. they must go out An
make one They must revise the.
. whole plan so as to make IT easy at al
times for the public to get their produc
must produce note books OF adde
utility-must convince the public that
cannot get along without such an ar
r tic. ln other words, they must =
increase facility both rs to use an