Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-05-05
ELLEN YOUNG
DOCTOR OF SALES
BY Ruth Leigh
Author Of "The Human side OF Re-
tail Selling" THE A b c Of Retail
ing" etc.

The millinery buyers eyes twin
Killed. as he caught Ellen Young's
amused glance at a remark made by
a departing salesman.
Theme there models you or
dered will be a pretty classy assort-
ment." the salesman had said.
THE English of some of these
statesmen is appalling" the buyer re-
J marked. and Ellen Young agreed.
| Sometimes" the buyer went on. IL
get so prejudiced against a salesman
who can't talk proper English that
it prejudices me against his line. no
matter how good IL Is, and I don't
want to place an order with him."
IF I were a buyer" Ellen Young
remarked. II think I should refuse
to talk with any salesman who was
so illiterate as to remark, Them
there models you ordered are a
pretty classy assortment"
II agree with you, Miss Young
declared Mr.. Ames, the buyer. Nov
in millinery there are certain words
that Immediately stamp an unintelli-
gent salesman, n whose English is
poor. Those are the words classy
swell nifty 'spiffy' and ouch semi
slang adjectives hat most statesmen
who sell garments of any kind are
likely to USE"
Aren't they disgraceful? 1t seems
to me that any salesman ought to be
able to school himself to use such
words as smart fashionable
'good-1ooking.' attractive pleasing
Slang may have its place. but it
certainly does not belong to the
vocabulary of salesmanship. If I
were a buyer, I should certainly OBJ
49, a. A1sx- s-y 49, 5000
ment / had just bought was classy
I'd prefer to be told that I had
bought a smart looking assortment.
That would reflect better Oh my taste
and Judgment.
Another much-abused word in
craftsmanship English that I have
found" Ellen Young continued as
Mr.. Ames listened interestedly. lis
the use Of the word lady / have
told innumerable statesmen who have
thanked me later that the word
lady does not belong in business,
The word woman should be used.
Lady Is a purely social term tina
has absolutely no place in CONNER
cial life. Advertisements, salesman
ship talks, any printed OF spoken
word in business should employ the
word woman OF, If enc wants
another word in place of woman,
enc might employ, depending on the
text of the advertisement or the con-
versation, the words 'housekeeper,'
housewife shopper But the word
lady is never permissible in BUSH
ness. Nor, for that matter is the
word gent Use gentlemen II you
will, / tell statesmen, but never un.
der any circumstances refer to a
suanfc' frrptohfn0 cfnro ~ danar RI
ment.
Then, I hate to have statesmen
say to me, The party that bough.
this before YOU Party I always
feel, is the wrong word"
Certainly. Party does not mean
person One would speak of a din
ner party, but in the former cas- /.
Is best to say. The person who
bought one before you Then I have
had statesmen say, Can I show you
one?' instead of May I show you
one?' They forget hat can implies
ability, and. of course, the salesman
has the ability or he would not be
selling.
1T think the average salesman
certainly needs to improve his sales
manship English If nothing else."
concluded Mr.. Ames, in full agree
ment with Ellen Young.
Another thing I find that most
statesmen don't know" Mr.. Ames re-
marked later to Miss Young, sis how
to approach their customers. If I
didn't have a sense of humor, I'm
afraid I'd put some of these sales
men out of my place for the way
they approach me-"
Ellen Young and MIR. Ames discuss
c~Onstructtvely some interesting
methods OF approaching customers
tomorrow.