The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-01-23

ohsthibS. "a . SAopPSu liiit iuy pusl
ness would begin TO sag Immediately.
We will sell more merchandise this
year. Our overhead is all set. our
rent Is 50 much, our light so much.
our delivery service there. We would
do, yes. three hundred thousand dol
lars more with that overhead. | will
have to add a little extra help to
handle it. and | will make by this in
tensive advertising enough more profit.
so that my advertising will not cost
me anything. l will clean up on adj
vertiSing. This Is not a ridiculous
statement. If did not keep up ad-
vertising my business would sag. !
could not do 1t. My salary is there,
II doesn't make any difference. The
managers salary is there. If the sales
come up better. he may get more com
mission at the n Of the year. But
all In all, a trim profit accumulates
If you get to a certain stage. If you
can put on that extra effort, 1t is a
~well-knOwn fact that the cheapest
method Of selling merchandise today
Is by advertising. There is no other
method Of craftsmanship l know Of.
that will compete with 1t. | believe
absolutely that If nine-tenths of these
nOn-advertisers did advertise that
1t would cost them not one cent. In
fact ! venture to say, they would make
profit on it.
When you 60 into It, get In right.
| went into q small town and into a
newspaper office and noticed a chap
running a clearance sale, In July. ]
went over to the store to see how the
sale was going. There were no goods
displayed In the window. | stepped in
side and couldn't see anything of the
sale. Nothing on the counters. ! said:
Have you got a sale on? | saw an
ad in the paper" "Oh, yes, all those
goods on the shelf are on sale" I
Immediately went out and got q dis
patch to a newspaper in st. Paul to
show them just what my point was.
Then ! got the jobbers and showed
them how they must insist upon the
merchant connecting the ad he puts
In the paper with his business.
Must Get Together.
was down in Muscatine, when an
ad mar told me he got the merchant
to advertise. That morning of the
sale, the clerks didn't even know what
was on sale until they looked in the
newspaper. If we could only get to-
gether once in a great campaign and
agree TO advertise! Don't do it hap
hazardly. Do it thoroughly.
When re come to the store In the
morning the managers come in to see
me. Planning all around. we talk
it Over and plan It. 1t is done con.
structively. 1t isn't just putting in
something and throw in a few cuts.
The same way In groceries. If yOt
are going to advertise and sell a GER
tain line of picked goods, or canned
goods, put in the price and set them
out. Have a little table or stand and
put them out. Tag them up. In our
sale last fall I asked the National Bis
cult company to give us a demOnstra-
ton. A IA came and brought along
about S 1900 worth Of sample crackers.
Every lady that came in vas asked
to sample the crackers. We said they
were on sale, so many pounds for so
much on that day. On one day we
sold over $500 worth Of crackers. II
will surprise you how people will come
in, help themselves and take away
orders with them.
Discussion ls Held.
At the conclusion Of the address. 1t
was announced that Mr.. Mann was
prepared to answer any questions that
might be ~propounded to him by his
hearers.
"What have you to suggest about
Community advertising, something
that will help the communityT hN was
asked.
ITO bring business to the town, l
believe If you could have cO-opera-
tive advertising it would pay. Get ont
a big edition to your paper, everybody
put in a special. If you could arrange
it," he replied. zone thing | notice
In the paper; l don't see any Of the
smaller merchants. l think that a
great mistake. ! believe that the small.
err merchants can get just as much
value out Of 1t as the large ones. |
suggest that you all get in. Nothing
builds a town faster. The advertis-
ing reflects the spirit Of the town.
Suppose all you men would spend,
grocery, say ! per cent, department
stores 3. clothing 3, and the rest along
l or 2 per cent. You have some good
ad men In this town. You must have.
Gives an illustration.
I'm q Minnesota town there was a
real live commercial secretary who
induced all Of the merchants to unite
In q cooperative advertising cam
paign. The first merchant approached
was q grocer who demurred at the cost
of the ad. The article to be advertised
was -four. on which a discount of %
cents was offered. The secretary
asked:
0sIJou mopv cacka do Won sell on