Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-03-30
ELLEN YOUNG
DOCTOR OF SALES
BY Ruth Leigh
Author of .'rhe Human Side Of Re-
tail Selling" The A B c Of Retail
ing" etc.

Walking back to the hotel with
the young travelling salesman whom
had met in the Barringer store,
Ellen Young asked him about his
experiences in trying to sell his line
OF handbags to the leather goods
buyer.
"Oh, the buyer looks at my line,
sIys she likes it, then she Keeps tell
Ing me that she hasn't enough left
ii her seasons allotment to place an
order with me now" Walter Baker
tle young salesman began irritably.
did the same thing ON my last
visit, too. It's true, in both cases.
J came a little too. late, but it just
happened that 1 couldn't make this
town any n I'm not going to
waste any more time with this
store. l believe she gives that as
an excuse just to get rid of me.
Honest, Miss Young. you don't know
how dis~couraging it is to have buy
ers turn you down again and again."
Don't /, though" Ellen Young
exclaimed with a laugh. II know
many more discouragements. But
this point Mr.. Baker, of going back
after your first visit is interesting,
because l have found many statesmen
i'll ILLS POlIlt.
We'll, isn't it a good idea? /
don't"
Eyes, it is. You don't expect. do
Iyou, that every buyer will place an
order or a salesman's first visit ?
Often it is necessary to call again
and again On a prospect just to win
his confidence. Because you don't
lget an order on your first visit -
Ellen Young said, lis no reason to
consider your sale lost or impossible.
In some novelty lines l have known
statesmen to make five DR. six calls
before they got an order"
But Miss Bangs, the leather
goods buyer, has looked over my
complete line twice, Walter Baker
insisted.
That's all right. A buyer who
shows enough interest In your goods
to take her time to look at them and
ITO ask questions is a much more
likely prospect on your third OF
Fourth visit. By that time she knows
you, regards you as a more familiar
salesman, and probably has more
confidence in you. Here's the i'm
portant point, Mr.. Baker, about the
second, third or fourth call on 9
prospect. You can't always go back
with the same arguments or the
same selling appeal" They haG
Preached the hotel and sat down II
the lobby to finish the talk.
AT each new visit" continued Ell
len Young to the interested youns
salesman, you must have a new
new facts and selling appeals every
time you go back. It's no argu'
ment to a buyer, I hope you know
to hear the same selling argumen
lagain and again. You're only re
peating what he has heard before
"Oh, you mean l ought not tt
try over and over again to get hin
to buy?"
Eyes. That makes a prospect i'm
patient. He doesn't want to heal
the same thing each visit. You cal
always get a hearing if you will tel
|your prospect something he hasn'
heard before about your line. Flo.
EXAMPLE," ELLEN Young sat bacl
thoughtfully, you might have talk
ed to Miss Bangs about the manu-
fracture of your handbags: your ex
lcellent styles. You probably pre-
sented these arguments to her during
your first two visits. Now suppos
you went back to her n instead o
talking styles and workmanship o
your goods you talked, well, wei
SAY advertising or selling ideas. Sup
pose on this next visit you don't g.
to her with the direct appeal of so
liciting an order, but ostensibly t
tell her that Smiths department
store in another city turned thei
stock of your line over three time
in a season. Give their merchan
dising methods
Gosh that would get her, Ell ?
l yIY-1A-r DeIrAr rryaa AvthrVci ofiN
surely. If you don't win out o.
your first call adopt a. differen
mode of appeal in each s%ubsequen
one. Tell your prospect somethin
Iyou hadn't told him before. In shor'
study each sales call you make. Fin
out why you didn't succeed. Their
when you go back, vary your meth
ODDS. No prospect will give you a
audience two or three times unles
you tell him something new eac,
time. 1t holds his interest"
The proprietor of the Success Flu
lnishing Company, who had hear
Ellen Young deliver a talk at tn
lChamber of Commerce the evenin
before, nodded brightly to her tn
next morning as she passed HI
store.
! "Just putting up my signs" he eS
| UldlIlcu, NO . SlCoLAbo WV Oo1 ~
; lines. Big price reductions, to
: even though we lose money on 'em.
Ellen Young stopped a minute t
, chat-and as a result that merchar
, Learned something about storekeeI
j. ing that had never occurred to hir
before.
7 Perhaps you, too. never heard c
the points that Ellen Young brougf
ont i'm this talk. See tomorrow
paper.
Let Miss Leigh answer your busi
ness questions on selling, buying, ad
Iyertising, employment, etc. AS
. your questions clearly and give a
: the facts. Questions requiring tech
!. meal W will be sen by-mal
: Others will be answered in thi
Icolumn.
: business Questions Answered