The sun., 1919-07-02
TRAINED MEN ARE NEEDED
FOR OVERSEAS SELLING
Average American Unable to Adjust Himself to Gus
toms of Older Countries-Glib, Self-Asser-
tive Men Make Little Progress
ny CLARENCE e. noswoRTH.

NJ ChAhENCE E. BOSwOHTH.
When this new era Of war born inter-
national commerce dawned upon us We
found most OF our organizations desti-
tute Of men who were even safe PROPOSE
tons to send into foreign fields as sales
men. Those OF us who had to face tho
situation suddenly realized that despite
their remarkable ability as domestic
statesmen we had done nothing to make
this natural and developed ability At for
foreign fields We sent men; they got
business some of them made good" in
the fullest meaning of the expression
many failed miserably
AS n general proposition any sales
man who makes good at home will sue
coed in selling overseas, There are
enough instances of the foreign success
OF such men to command a certain
amount OF respect for the idea, but it
Is distinctly general proposition, and
altogether too general to work upon II
we are to perform in foreign fields with
that eficinecy which we consider so
typically American. The time has come
when we must train men for the par
ticular work of selling to foreign buy
ers.
Despite the fact that we have men
who succeed as statesmen abroad, 1t is
OF the work, their vision, prudence and
personality than because of any real
training they have received in those cr-
Plantations which sent them abroad or
through those educational institutions of
ours which fit young men for commercial
| careers. These institutions. by the way.
are the least responsive to~the law Of
supply and demand of any OF our fac
tories" II Is probably n matter of dol
lars and cents with them Just as with
| the rest of US, but our great educational
leaders do move too slowly. Before the
war was anywhere near its end a revi-
| sion and an application of our teach
| ings should have been made.
Must Think in Big Figures.
| To my mind the development of a
foreign salesman begins way back In
his boyhood schooldays, and the failure
abroad of some of our good men may
be charged to the size OF the figures
they deal with in commercial classes
and to the histories they study in our
public schools. OF course the small
ness of the figures dealt with in COM
mercial high schools and colleges in
| fiuences more Immediately the young
men, and the teaching they receive Is
chiefly faulty because 1t does not teach
these pupils to think big enough.
| Gross lots as mentioned in commercial
arithmetic may be big enough quantities
TO think about in domestic trade. but
| thousand dozens are the quantities to
put into the minds of youngsters study
| ing for export work. This point was
well illustrated by an American who
travels through Australasia. For years
he talked in gross lots. Then he took
this tip and talked larger quantities
but was rather doubtful at first as 10
how the idea would work out In coun-
try with only a million inhabitants. lie
was immensely gratified, however. to
make quantities on individual items in
thousands OF dozens.
Some months after he first talked the
larger quantities this salesman asked
one of his. buyers why he had never
placed any such quantities with him
before. The buyer promptly answered
l"You always talked gross lots to me
before. and 1 didn't think you were q
large enough house to supply US il
lquantity."
Buying conditions in foreign markets
are naturally very different to those a.
home. Importations are usually made
only once or twice a year and the mat
ter of distance from the source of sup
ply is often formidable, 50 the buyeI
protects himself on quantities. In lines
like wearing apparel the style elemen
is not as ubiquitous as at home and tn
absorbing capacity of the individual
shop Is usually many times greater thar
its appearance indicates, This last phas
of overseas selling often misguide'
statesmen. When l work with statesmen
In foreign markets l urge them to tall
quantities five times as large as the,
expect the new customer to order. Whel
our merchandise and quotations hav
been particularly attractive we haN
! been astonished to see unimpressiNe buy
ers raise even our bid for quantity.
Need of skilled Teachers.
Now as to that other influence-his
tory. The histories our public schoo
pupils read are dry, embarrassing. de
tached, and unfair things. Parenthet
, ically, the teachers behind most of then
|, are in the same class. but the presen
campaign for better pay for teachers. lie
us hope, will result in better teacher
! and remove this handicap under whic
Young America has labored for severa
, generations.
r Much OF our foreign business is wit
= English or British houses, and NATURAL
= in British territory or through ports Il
which the control of distribution rest
with British firms. Is 1t fair to the mar
, the firm he represents or the firms t
| wnOm ne tries 10 SCH " seIlu ouL
, representative who has had stamped in
ldellbly upon his mind 'England's or
preston of the American colonies" a
4 harped upon by our public school his
q tories and teachers? is 1t fair, espe
\ cially when both books and teachers IA
r through not telling who Englands rea
q rulers were at that time and that Their
: were stanch supporters of the colonie
r in England even at the time OF tho Revc
n luton?
Il II equal emphasis were laid upon thes
n two phases of the situation little woul
e remain of which TO complain, but tn
= present system engenders hate, an
e despite the perfect harmony betwe
: official Washington and official Londo
: the harmony between individual Amer
r leans and individual Brltishers durin
= our period of participation In the wa
J. was no thicker than a coat Of whitewas
Il and that Is about all 1t amounted u
| for the harmony between altogether to
| many of the two sets OF individuals ma
!. not returned even to a pre-war ba ST.
4 and very largely because Of the attitud
! OF the two peoples, who arouse antag,
q nism each toward the other whenever an
n wherever they come into personal cor
Il tact, This Is because of the bias bot
s peoples receive through early teaching
4 for the British system of history stud
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g for representatives. These introduction
70 will be handled with. discrimination, bl
u no responsibility will be assumed by II
g bureau. The advantage OF placing tw
N Arms in touch with each other who al
q actively seeking connections are man