Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-28
MANN TELLS OF
BIG BUSINESS
IN SMALL TOWN


Fred Mann, business genius, who
has made and is making = success
full venture Of . $500, 900 business
establishment In . town Of $500,
addressed the Ad club OF Moline
and its $50 guests at the Moline
Commercial club last night. A
large group of Rock Island adver-
Using men and persons from other
lines Of commerce were present.
All received an inspiration from
the talk and heard of the actual
working out of the most advanced
business precepts when used on a
large scale. The speaker voiced
confidence Of having a $500, 900 bus
mess in 1920, and said he had set
million dollar company as his
goal.
The chief opponent, Mr.. Mann
said, that he found when starting
up the store on Main street. Devils
Lake, N. D., was the mail order
business, which he characterized as
a foe having the most beguiling al
lurements extended toward the
trade they both hoped for. His
original store was augrocery estab-
lishment, back in 81, which he OPP
Grated in SIS a month location
on Main street, where he maintain
ed a $1,000 stock.
Publicity Necessary.
Service, however, Mr.. Mann indi-
Gated, is secondary to publicity.
Systematic, consistent and varied
advertising brought people to his
store, and service held them. The
Mann field was not limited by the
"city" with its proud hope to at
tain 5000 in this census. but reach
ed out so miles and covered the
county. His advertised sales ran
coincident with Minneapolis and
Chicago trade bargains; his circu-
lar letters are man-to-man bust
ness statements, sometimes ar
ranged with idea Of their appeal to
the feminine or child trade. His
other publicity campaigns, which a
few months ago reached their eli
max in an aviation demonstration
are timely.
During his talk he showed a ser
les of typical ads used by the Mann
store, commenting upon the various
phases Of each, their relative
strength and appeal. During the
course of his remarks he said:
THE auto people were the frs
group, except Of course the mai
order houses. to get the idea of ad.
vertising. The ordinary business
man had heretofore watched the
mail order houses walk off with the
business.
Our paper has a circulation Of
1900 and we get a rate Of Is cent:
an inch on a $500 contract fol
this year. When l think Of your
papers with their circulation.
wonder at the results We might at
tain in such a field.
Ads Help Success.
"Seventy-five per cent Of the
failures listed in 1918 were firms
who didn't believe in advertising
Is per cent did periodical advertis
ing, and only 10 per cent of-tht
failures were advertisers.
Nothing is so great an asset tt
your opportunity as your newspa;
per, and if you're wise you'll bach
it up to the limit. Let me lool
over the files of your paper for two
years and nine times out Of ten
can tell you what sort of city yot
haye-whether it is progressive
coming forward and its merchant!
live crowd of business men.
"The majority Of merchants taxi
it for granted that because the,
have a store the people ought t.
come in and trade with them. TIT
mail order house doesn't. and II
bet they're getting surprising
amount of business right in you
own city.
advertising sells hardware jus
as it sells jewelry and plows.
know, for I've tried it and foun,
| it SO.
A "Social Center
I'VE try to make our store =;
| sort of social center for the who'll
community"
He told Of his fight against thu
Chicago firms and urged business
| survey to determine just what eacl
local situation is. In one town. Mr.
Mann reported that such a surve.
showed u carloads OF catalogue
distributed in a year in addition t,
thousands of circulars, letters ant
similar business-getters. He arous
ed applause with his suggestion
that there was plenty Of bushes
in the outlying districts when yo1
get your roads fixed up so tn
rural people can get in to you"