The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-12-10

sales manager was appointed, and
it took him a month or two to get
his plans under way. In July OF
this year the first automobile was
ready for inspection at the Long
Island plant, and about this time
an advertisement was rul. in the
trade press that. an opportunity
would be offered to purchase a
very good motor car at very
moderate price, 1t was just
after the New York district distrib-
utor had been appointed that an
incident happened which sold Mr..
Durant on the force of advertising.
The Test of Advertising.
AS many an advertising man
well knows, in his past history Mr..
Durant was never noted as a great
booster for advertising. He
thought more along production
lines, and he caused many an adver-
Using man sleepless nights thinking
up ways to sell him. This time he
sold himself. Twelve-hundred-lire
advertisements were placed in all
the morning and evening papers in
New York City and vicinity, stat
ing that on the following Monday
morning the new Durant car would
be on view at the Broadway sales
rooms of his New York distributor.
The result was amazing. It is
well-known fact that interest IN
automobiles was at pretty low
ebb in August, and yet more than
5000 people inspected the new
car during the first three days Of
its showing at the salesroom. And
it wasn't all curiosity crowd.
either. Cars were sold amounting
to one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars a: retail during the first
three Gays and applications were
received from more than 100 Of the
leading dealers i'll the Metropolitan
district for the right to handle the
car. This was conclusive proof 10
Mr.. Durant that advertising would
pay him and it has Influenced him
considerably in his later sales plans.
1t should be stated, though, that
recognizing t:7a news value of the
subject, the automobile trade pap-
ers devoted considerable editorial
space to Duran Motors, com~.enc-
ing early in th.: summer, nd paid
advertisln. had appeared in at
least one Of the motr qualifications.
The sales manager got busy at
about that time and he discovered
the announcement lad also had a
great dealer effect. lie was offer
ed practically the pick Of the terri
tory. Instead Of having TO go out
and find a livery stable man, f:r
instance. who might make a good
automobile distributor, he found
that there was keen competition cn
the part of dealers of standing for
the right to handle the new. car.
This. great interest aroused by ad-
vertising in a large list Of news :,
papers was not a flash in the pan.
The date &C the showing Of this
first car was August 4. 1921. The
actual signing of contracts for ter
ritory with the distributors whose
interest had been aroused was start
ed about September /, 1921. Up to
and including October %, 1921, a
total of 141 working days, the sales
manager. as he stated recently.
signed contracts with deposits and
signed shipping orders for 24,Si
Durant four-cylinder automobiles.
and 6.025 Durant six-cylinder au-
tomobiles, or a total of 30,S42
machines. These contracts speci-
fled deliveries dating from Novem-
Der j. 1871, up to and including
july q. 1922, a period of nine
months. All of this business was
obtained without the assistance OF
travelling men to sign up dlstrlb-
utors, all contracts being neGotia-
ted in the office Of the sales man
aser at the company's Long Island
plant. The volume Of business
represented by these contracts is
approximately s31,000,000, and the
total expense, including both the
sales and service departments, from
the time thes departments We're
formed was $15,416.94, or sales
cost of one-twentieth Of one per
cent.
The sales manager of the Du-
rant Motors Co, Of New York,
NJ. B. Leahy. also stated over his
affidavit in paid advertising space:
81. That the portion Of the ter
ritory not contracted for, and
which will be closed within the
next thirty days. will, in my judg-
ment, produce contracts Tor not
less than 5000 automobiles.
"2. That the territory controlled
by the one company Durant Mo-
tors Company Of New York; IS
less than one-qaurter OF the do
nestle territory covered by the
other companies mentioned.
"3. That on the basis Of the
$500 automobiles as total con-
tracted production for Durant
Motors Company Of New York.
the entire territory would produce
volume of business requiring the
production Of 100000 automobiles
in the next nine months.
Il. That contract for 6,025 SIN
cylinder cars. to be manufactured
by the Durant Motor Company of
Indiana. were executed without
one cent Of expense to that
company"
Sworn statements by the sales
manager in paid advertising space
add q new note to current auto
III