New-York tribune., 1921-01-30

The lack of buying mood has stirred
the creative faculties of statesmen, and
the marketplace now seethes with tales
of how exceptionally capable purveyors
of merchandise have surmounted oh-
stacles. The stories are the human
expression of the great changes in in
dustry during recent months of re-
adjustment. Business is now RETURN
ing to basis of narrower margins and
heightened competition.
The following story is vouched for
by the president Of the concern whose
salesman participated in the deal:
salesman for a firm making ONE
Of the highest grades OF mems sbosa
produced in this country dropped in
on a customer, a shoe retailer in
small town in the South. The retailer
greeted the travelling salesman atfahlv
enough, but told him that he was not
in the market for shoes at present
IN fact, that he had carried over suf'
nclent stock from last year to run him
during the coming spring season.
Gets an Order
II can't send in a report like tho,
to my Office" replied the salesman
III! have to back it up with facts
Let's sit down here now and take an
inventory of your stock Of our shoes
on hand and see how many YOU have y
The retailer called off the sizes and
styles while the salesman marked them
down on stock sheet. AS q result if
was discovered that although the re-
taller had fair number of pairs in
stock he was short on the sizes and
widths in which his greatest volume
OF business was done A small order
but an order-followed. Helpins
the retailer take an inventory is now
included in the list of things eyerv
salesman for the shoe house in cues.
ton is required to do.
Another authentic story related bv
the buyer in question shows some in
tenslve methods in selling automobiles.
whlch, as is we'll known, are not sell
ing themselves at present, as they
did year ago.
A Memphis business man owned
certain make of car and met with an
accident. utterly demolishine the
vehicle. The accident was serious
enough to be published in the news
papers. The following morning every
automobile agency in town, except the
one handling the make of car demol-
lshed, had salesman on the Job bright
and early. About II O'Clock dupli-
cate of the demolished car was driven
up to the mans door, the chauffeur
alighted, walked in to the store and
handed the man the key to the car.
There must be some mistake" said
the man. II didn't order a car"
One Way to Sell Auto
mo mistake replied the chauffeur.
Il was told to drive this car around to
you and give you the key"
The man telephoned to the automo-
bile agency and repeated his assertion
that he had not ordered car
1--WE know that, Mr.. Blank" came
over the wire, "but we know that your
old car was wrecked yesterday, and
that you will need another to use until
you decide to purchase a new one. We
hope, of course, that you will want one
of ours, but our lending you this car
does not obligate you to buy. We ap
preciate your past patronage and want
you to use the car we sent you until
you make up your mind what kind Of
car you want 60 purchase"
A check for the car went out in the
next mail.
Convincing the customer against his
will by actual practice has worked in
one notable instance in the silk trade.
Sport silks have been a dead issue in
the trade for some months, and, in
compliance with the hand to mouth
policy of purchasing, retailers have
been chary of buying them much be-
r,f
spring and summers upon them.
The sales manager of large silk pro-
ducing concern mentioned sport silks
to a retailer who was making some
purchases. "Can't use 'em yet" said
| the retailer.
"How do you known" asked the sales
manager.
Cant sell 'em."
Don't say can't. Try them out
Take twenty pieces Of our best styles
here, put them in stock on memoran-
dunn, and if you don't sell them. return
them to US. The price is right and
the goods are right"
Comes Back for More
The retailer stocked the twenty
pieces, displayed them judiciously and
sold every yard he had in stock and
came back for more.
"The time has come" said the head
Of a manufacturing firm that dis
tributes its products to retailers d.
rect, "for the salesman to DO some OF
the buyers thinking for him. The
buyer has seen only one side of the
situation and is likely to be thinking
in q groove. He knows it has been
hard to sell goods lately, and buying
fresh stock looks little bit like
throwing good money after bad. 1t is
the extra under-the surface idea that
gets across to the buyer now. He has
to be handed an idea that hasn't oc-
CURED to him before if he is to be
jolted back into the buying mood"