Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-10-08
VALUABLE BUSINESS
POINTERS IN ILLUSTRATED
LECTURE FRIDAY EVENING
Jly23. sat- Tyr

POINTERS IN ILLUSTRATED
LECTURE FRIDAY EVENING
About 200 business men and others
interested in the business life Of the
community gathered Friday evening in
the assembly hall at Cony high school
and listened to an able lecture entitled
Getting the Most Out of Retailing"
delivered by George w. Sulley. rep
lresentative of the National Cash Reg
lister Co. of Dayton. Ohio, who came
to Augusta under the auspices of the
Augusta Chamber of Commerce. Mr..
Sulley was introduced by Supt. Of
Schools Herman H. Stuart. The lee
ture was illustrated with nearly 5000
feet Of moving pictures which were
very interesting and instructive.
The community welfare film showed
the results ofthis kind of work in
Dayton. Ohio. The audience mar
veled at the transformation of civic
conditions. a direct result of the con-
certed efforts of progressive citizens.
| The speaker made a vigorous appeal
! for better system in the operating of
every kind of business. 1T is only
| natural" he said. that each one of
US should want to get the most out of
the work we are doing, or the bust
ness we are in; yet we must not
Competition is proving that store
methods and store service must be
| improved to meet the demands of the
buying public. and at the same time
make reasonable profit. Experience
has shown that one of the best ways
to get more out of retailing is to study
and profit by the methods that have
enabled other merchants to get ahead
The National Cash Register Co.
always has tried to help merchants
solve their problems in this way For
more than 25 years we have been COL
lecting the best retail ideas, plans
and methods from successful store
in all parts of the world. We have
accumulated vast amount, of ma
terial, simplified, condensed and chart
ed it, and in such meetings as this VIC
have passed it along to those VINO
could use it. 1t indeed is one of the
hopeful signs of the times that mer-
such organizations as yours to study
these plans and to work for the COM
mon good
The store that knows best how 10
please the buying public will get the
most trade. but unless at the same
time it can make a profit it cannot
succeed To succeed. store must be
thoroughly organized. The help must
look after the details.
An especially interesting topic dis
cussed was newspaper advertising.
In this connection he said
among the important things to
which MANY merchants do not give
sufficient attention because of the
press of details is advertising. yet
statistics show that hundreds of mer-
chants have failed because of this
neglect
Newspaper advertising travels far
and wide. 1t is the medium through
which the merchant gets his message
to the people in their homes. Gus
toners like to read their store news
and general news together. The
merchant who fills his ads with store
about the goods he carries is sure to
win the favorable attention of the
| reader. Ask any merchant who his
strongest competitors are and he will
tell you, almost without exception,
the names of stores doing the great
est amount of advertising.
Unfortunately many merchants
are of the opinion that it is necessary
to eXaggerate to get the attention of
! prospective buyers. This is not true.
| Of course flaming headlines like
The Greatest Values Ever Offered
will attract attention, but used too
frequently will destroy confidence in
advertising. 1t is sufficient TO state
facts. If you have an exceptional
bargain. say so. but tell the truth
about the goods"
The pictures and lecture on per-
sonal selling were of especial inter
est The right and. wrong ways to
sell and to serve were pointed out
Newspaper advertising and displays
/ are valuable aids to selling" the
speaker said. but there is absolute
/ ly no substitute for personal sales
manship Nor is there any limit to
the earning capacity of successful
salespeople. Wide awake ferchants
realize the value of their salespeople
They know that in the eyes of the
| customer. the salesperSon embodies
the personality. policy and service of
the store; also that the good will Of
the customer often is based upon. the
treatment received at the counter.
| In conclusion a two-reei story Wa S
shown of a merchant who turned
! from guess work to facts and made
his business pay him the pleasure
q md profit that every man has a right
! to expect from work we'll done.
THE man who gets nothing out of
retailing but hard work and worry,
and bare living deserves our
heartfelt sympathy" the speaker
said. His daily work is constant
drudgery: at night it haunts him and
| in nine cases out of ten the cause OF
this worry is guess work. Guessing
is gambling. The man who CANDLES
worries, and the man who worries
can not hope to set all he should out
of retailing"
/
Charles Small, who with his fam.
ing on Cushman street, moved his
household goods Friday to Gardiner
where they will make their future
home.