The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-21
VARIANCE IN WAYS
 OF THE SALESMAN
Persistence at Times Helps in Securing Business From
 a Reluctant Buyer.

Had King Solomon lived in more
 modern times he might easily have
 those of which he knew not-the way
 of a salesman with a buyer. If the
 average salesman is to be taken as the
 authority, the mystery of the topic | menti is greater than any of the
 four which the ancient king enumer-
 ated. Although a less biased judge | might not agree, the fact remains that
 the way of many sa1esmen with buy
 CTS, if not mysterious, Is interesting. One of the best known shoe men in
 the country is fond of telling how, in
 his "salad'' days, he opened an inn pOrtant account by eYerlasting1y stick l ing to it. Every day for months this | man used to call on the buyer for a certain important shoe store between 4:30 and o'clock. in the afternoon. Every day he made the same little speech: I'm going over to the fac tory now. Isn't there something I
 can tell the folks you want?" The
 buyer was as familiar with the lines | as the salesman himself, so no selling talk was needed.
 Every day the answer was the same, and the salesman went away empty gave him an order for a dozen pairs of certain style of mems shoe. The salesman was so surprised he could scarcely speak, but he proudly deliy- cred the order to the factory. It proved to be the opening of an ac- count which now runs into thousands of dollars annually. The incident hap pened Q long time ago. yet the shoe man ayers to this day that the ac- count would never have been opened if he had not been "on the job'' every day.
 ''The buyer knew everything about our shoes except the way the public would buy them,' he remarked re- gently. eff I hadn't got that sample order for the first dozen he never would have found that out. If I hadn't been there every day I would not have got the order for that first dozen. To this day I don't know how happened to get it. I like to think. though, that it came as reward of ently."
 Several years ago a young salesman ment of a prominent jobbing house called regularly every week on the buyer of hosiery for one of the Fifth avenue stores Week after week he he never failed to ''come up smiling." Week after week he made a smiling exit after saying, Sorry. MT. Something next week, perhaps" Ac- cord1ng to the buyer, that little drama was enacted weekly for a full year without the salesman ever selling a dollars worth of goods or without los ing his cheery smile. Yet when later a well known hosiery company, one of the first men taken on the staff was the smiling salesman 'I figured I couldn't go wrong the ex-buyer said yesterday, 'in hiring a man who could be disappointed for a solid year and keep on smiling"
 Directly contrary to the tactics that won out for the smiling salesman are those practiced by another hosiery drummer in opening a very worth while account. This man had been calling on the buyer for certain store Dor a long time, but with no sue cess The buyer made frequent ap- pointments with him, but invariably failed to keep them
 A last, the salesman decided to risk everything on a final drive He en- tered the buyers office one afternoon without any appointment and, before the later could say a word, the sales him. You're through making a fool out of LZ," he stormed, and went on to deliver himself of a choice assort- ment of unusual business diction. some samples out of his pocket and threw them on the buyers desk. There are three numbers you ought to have in stock" he asserted loudly You've lost a lot of money already by stalling me, so you better get busy and make me out an order"
 The buyer, who was a meek kind of person at heart, made out an order and gave it to the salesman. planning to cancel it as soon as he could get stenographer into his office. The statesman IeIC at once, but either by accident or design left his samples ly- ing on the buyers desk The latter found them there and, his business instinct coming uppermost, looked at them carefully. Having done this he looked at the duplicates of the order he had given and decided to let it stand.
 He could not let the matter pass without some kind of comment, how ever, so a day or two later he dropped into the offices of the salesmans con- cern and filled the sales managers ears with a long tale of how he had been Urea ted The sales manager who is as canny as they come, decided not to sympath thize with him. When the buyer had finished he asked him if he liked the merchandise and if he was satisfied with the price. Receiving af- frmative answers, he asked if the buyer wanted to cancel. The latter said that he did not whereupon the saleSmanager demanded, Then what in Sam Hill have you got to kick about ?" The buyers mouth opened with surprise; then, with a sheepish grin on his face he answered: Moth ing now. but I'll raise if you don't rush those deliyerieE-''