Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-03-27
ELLEN YOUNG
DOCTOR OF SALES
BY Ruth Leigh
Author of THE Human Side Of Re-
tail Selling" "Ths A B C of Retail
ing" etc.

your store tnlS ~tefnOoH WI. Ddf-
ringer" Ellen Young told the pro
prietor of the Barringer Department
Store, II noticed n thing about
your sales people. they don't try lard
enough in selling. In other words,
they let themselves lose too easily.
Now, for instance, / asked for a pair
of long brown suede gloves. and was
told that YOU didn't have my size.
That saleswoman did not even at
tempt % interest me in something
else ?"
"You don't mean to say she just
let you walk away" The white
haired founder of the Barringer De-
partment Store leaned forward earn
estly.
absolutely. She asked me. weak
ly if anything else would do and
took my mo- with rather a breath
of relief"
That's bad business" The store
owner was serious. I'VE must get
| some educational work done among
! our sales people. Isn't it funny how
people are satisfied just to give GUS
toners what they want-and never
to SELF"
Funny? 1 think It's a tragedy.
Why, Mr.. Barringer, you have no
conception of the number OF orders
lost every day, both by retail sales
people in stores and by travelling
| statesmen. all because they are will
| ing to give up toe quickly"
IT always say to my staff, Miss
Young, that any one can be an order
taker, can give a customer what he
| wants, and wrap it up, but 1T k
a real, honest-to-goodness salesman
to convince a customer of a need,
and make him buy the goods"
Ellen Young agreed. 1.-The thing
I can't understand is why, when a
| salesperson tells a customer that the
| article she wants is not in stock,
she SO stupidity says, Won't any
| thing else do?' instead of coming
| out with a specific article of mer-
| chandise, not waiting for the Gus
| toner to ask for it, but bringing
J it out on her own initiative, n
\ showing it,"
oh, WELL" Mr.. Barringer shrug-
| ged. II suppose they'll be sales
| people all their lives. It's only the
exceptional worker; the really am
| bilious man or woman, Who gets
| promoted because he doesn't give up
too easily"
You're right. 1t seems such an
| obvious thing to mel wonder that
more statesmen don't realize tt-that
once a customer has gotten to the
point of asking for merchandise he
| doesn't take advantage OF that IN
terest in buying to sell something
on the spot. 1 don't mean that he
should Just bring out something, but
he should actually convince the Gus
toner by his confidence and his
knowledge OF the goods that his ar
ticle will be satisfactory. In the case
of my brown suede gloves, for ex,
ample, if that saleswoman mad
showed me those fabric gloves that
look like doeskin l should I'VE
bought a pair. AS a matter or 1act'
walking into Blimhampton's, up the
street, I saw a woman buying a pair
of those fabric gloves and was so
struck with them that l myseit
bought a pair"
Mr.. Barringer was irritable at the
stupidity of his employe.
"And we carry them. You could
| have bought them from us, without
making that extra trip, If the sales
woman who waited on you In the
first place had had sense enough to
bring out the fabric gloves instead
Of saying won't anything else do"
'It's my opinion" said Ellen
Young, that too many sales are lost
by the salesman asking questions
instead of showing goods. To say to
a customer, rs there anything else =!
| OF WOl L dIy tAiiliS OAoO
waste of time and breath. A sales
woman should bring out the goods
and hand them to a customer IN
stead of asking questions. And
above all, she should take advan-
tage of the fact that the customer
is on the spot. Certainly a customer
in the store is worth two on the
street." -,
"Wish my salespeople knew that
nodded MI. Barringer grimly.
Chatting with a young saleswoman
in the art needlework department OF
the big store next morning Ellen
young was interrupted by the ADVENT
of a customer who asked the sales
woman for some Information ABOUT
the making of a lampshade.
Later Miss Young said: DID she
buy anything? :.
'No. only a locker. Gee, it doesn't
nav to waste time with those peo-
pie" and the young woman chang
ed the subject.
In addressing the s~alespeople OF
that store the next morning Ellen
Young, who had been called in for
the purpose of delivering some sales
manship lectures, said, Selling Is
like casting bread upon the waters
You'll find out what she meant In
Tuesdays talk.
Let Miss Leigh answer your bust
ness questions on selling, buying, ad-
yertising, employment, etc. ASH
your questions clearly and give al
the facts. Questions requiring tech
nical will be sent by mail
Others will be answered in this col
umn.