Evening star., 1921-08-21
HOW u. S. EXPORTERS
CAN INCREASE TRADE
Intelligent Attention to Wishes of South
American Buyers Would Return Large
Dividends In Future Business.

order was exchanged three months
had elapsed and the season gone.
An exporter of shoes received an
order from a South American mer-
| chant for SO many shoes, to be packed
in ffty-pound cases. This exporter
saw the order and attributed the
customers request for the fifty-pound
cases to what he classed as South
American eccentricity. He sent the
shoes in 1,000-pound cases. Now the
exporter did not know his customer
had to haul these shoes by mule train
to the interior. nor did he know his
customer lacked the facilities for re-
| packing. But when he received the
| customers complaint he threw it in
! the waste basket with more words
about the South American craze over
minor details.
| Experience OF q Diplomat.
These instances are cited at random
from many which are told to illustrate
/ the Americans lack of understanding
of his customer in South America. .
They are true and there are many
more like them.
| A well known South American min
lister to the United States gives his
views on the lack of understanding
South American trade methods as fol-
| lows:
| Il have lived in Latin America most
! of my life. l am one of the vast num-
Der of people who have tried to buy
goods from firms in the United States
and have finally given up hope Of being
able to transact business with your fel-
low business men in a way satisfactory
to me. To recite my sad experiences
would take very long time. 1t will
suffice to say that I was disappointed
almost every time tried g-distance
buying from firm in the United States.
In this connection 1 will cite just one
of my observations.
| Catalogue English is not understood
in Latin America. Take a catalogue of
one of your mail order houses seeking
Latin American trade and turn to the
section describing stockings. for in
stance. You will find prices ranging
from 25 cents to $3.50 a pair. under
several illustrations and such descrip-
tions as these: This is the best in the
world No better manufactured at any
price, Satisfaction warranted or money
back Compares favorably with the
most expensive Nothing better to be
had regardless Of price
CataIosuk virtually Useless. ,
Perhaps the description will say that
the stockings are woven with the best
John, Harry or Peter thread. Maybe
there is no hint as to the material Of
which the stockings are made. In near
ly all tases the statement is SO worded
as to be misleading or obscure to the
Latin American. I have seen women
who wanted to buy stockings read one
of the catalogues, then throw it away as
useless. Perhaps the catalogue may be OF
value to the women in the United States,
where she can have the article ex-
changed in three or four days if it is
Unsatisfactory. But for the woman who
lives where it takes four months to get
the stockings, where there are no bank
ing facilities and no parcel post, the
catalogue. as know it. is virtually use
less. Therefore you cannot blame the
j woman Of Latin America for throwing
away her catalogue and sending her Or
der for silk. linen or cotton to Paris,
where Partisan dealers call bread bread.
| wine wine or cotton cotton"
What the minister says Of the Latin
American turning to the Partisan is
true He might add that he has the
choice of turning to the London mer-
chant, the Berlin merchant, the mer-
chant Of Venice or Of Brussels, and
the choice in each case has its induce
ments.
Why Germans Succeed.
One reason for. the success with
which Germany is winning back her
trade in South America today Is the
effort German merchants have made
Ito understand the needs OF South
America. You don't find German ex-
porters sending a cargo OF material
for palm beach suits to Peru. One
American exporter did that recently.
His investigation Of the field in which
he wished to market his product con-
sisted. evidently. Of a cursory survey
of a map which showed that Peru.
being south of Panama, where palm
beach suits are worn, must neces-
sarily be a fine place to sell his tropi-
cal climate clothing. Perhaps he is
wondering today why the project was
a failure.
| German merchants have made it a
point to specialize in studying the
needs in the various South American
republics, discovering. then creating.
the market. A German agent recently
sold several hundred small electric
motors in Mexico before his American
competitor knew that Mexicans needed
small electric motors.
! European exporters have been selling
in South America long time. They
have learned that South Americans
want their goods packed a certain
way, delivered in a certain way and
4 in a specified time. Once the South
American importer learns he can de-
pend on having his orders filled to the
letter, he is a satisfied customer.
! Selling a commodity is one thing and
delivering it is another.
| Goods Ready for Junk Heap.
The case is cited here OF an able
American salesman who visited a
certain country Of South America and
1 began taking orders right and left.
He found no dificulty in disposing
| - ht~ varoa m naner hut future