Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-27
montana RETAILERS Now
ABLE TO DEMAND RIGHTS
Continued from Page -

success in North Dakota, and brought
out many good suggestions which were
readily absorbed by his hearers. How
ever, most of his suggestions and his
talk of success in retailing centered
about judicious advertising, and The
made it apparent that it was his be-
lief that success in this line could not
be attained without the unstinted use
of printers ink. He told of his venture
in the retail business as a merchant
when a wholesale house extended him
sufficient credit to permit him to buy
a 81 800 stock of groceries. and, when
all his friends predicted failure, as
he had no cash resources. a newspaper
publisher came along. he said, and in
duced him to use the little utilized col
umns of his paper to tell the people he
had goods to sell. He took advantage
of the suggestion and proceeded to adj
vertise in n manner considered reckless
by other merchants who were clinging
to the old system Of running a card in
the paper.
Paid Him to Advertise
Business began to come in. Mr..
Mann said, and it was not long before
he had to employ help. During the
first year, which he had started with
a capital of $75. his sales reached
$23. 600 and his profits were between
$4,000 and $4,000. He continued to
advertise and to sell honest goods.
later adding additional lines.
Then he built a fine store building,
demonstrated his goods, served coffee
and lunch to his farmer customers on
Saturday in winter time. bringing his
ideas clearly before the people by ad-
vertising until he finally found it neces-
sary to enlarge his store, which now
occupies q building 100 by $50 feet,
and in which he has an investment in
fixtures alone of $4,000 to $4,000.
Mr.. Mann told of creating a demand
nothing by advertising. and of the i'm
mense increases of his sales of certain
lines by this method.
II always use the newspapers first.
said Mr.. Mann, land we use Il lot OF
space. Next to the newspaper comes
our mailing list. We send out gro
Gerry specials, personal letters. and de-
pend Il great deal upon solicitation.
Perseverance Wins
81 nave been told that mail order
houses never give up q prospective
customer until after % attempts and
that their average of success is with
persons whom they have solicited by
mail IS or II times. You have TO
educate the people to look for your
advertisements and our customers have
learned to look for our ads every
week"
Mr.. Mann said that after taking the
presidency of the North Dakota assoc
citation he sent out quastlonnalres
from which he learned that % per
cent of the merchants of that state
did not advertise and that 10 per cent
advertised only because they wanted
to help their local papers. At the same
time, he said. the mail order houses
were sending - carloads OF catalogues
into the state and II was reported by
wholesale houses that = per cent
of the merchants were insOlvent. lie
said he took up a campaign to induce
the county merchants to go on a cash
basis and to advertise. and he has
since succeeded in bringing 200 OF
them around to his system.
The opening session was called or
1870 a. m. by President Perra, with
about 50 in attendance.
Welcomed by Attorney
On behalf of the people of BOULDER
an address of welcome was delivered
by J. f. Kelly. county attorney of
Jefferson county. who directly repre-
scented the Boulder Chamber of Com
merce. In n very brief but cordla'
welcome talk he expressed the pleas
ure of the people of Boulder in having
the merchants of the state ID thelr
midst and promised the visitors every
hospitality his people could extend. In
the course of his remarks he said:
The welfare CT the community de
nends upon distribution. You people
represent. as YOU are well aware, one
of the greatest factors in our lndusrtiai
civilization, and wien you do something
that is Of mutual benefit to yourselves
the rest OF us hope you will likewise
do a great deal for rs"
The talk of Mr.. Kelly was responded
to. on behalf of the merchants. by wal
ter j. Akam of Livingston.
Presidents Address
There never was a time IN the
commercial history Of Montana when
r. was so urgent that business people
got together and discuss business con
ditions Thoroughly and carefully, SAID
Fred !. Perra of Great Falls, presl-
dent of the association, in delivering his
annual report.
1--WE must learn to do business to-
day oman entirely different basis than
in the last quarter of a century, SAID
Mr.. Perra. For about % years we
have been dong business on n constan,-
" rising market. and for the next %
wears this condition will be exactly re-
versed. Therefore, for the next quar-
ter century we will have to do business
on this new basis. H..
In the changing period just ahead
the era of advancement into which 1t
will be our fortunes to be thrown VIII
give us a big part to play in the pro.
gressive world. There will be more of
organization. more of gathering in
groups by men for the advancement of
their fellowmen as well as themselves;
more and more will merchandising be
developed into n science and the man
who is not abreast of the times will
be lost in the shuttle"
Mr.. Perra said ii was unnecessary
for him to dwell upon the unfavorable
general as well as local business con-
ditions of the past year. of which all
were entirely familiar, and he called at
~tention to the vast decrease in the bus
mess of some of the large mail order
houses of the country in demonstrating
that the slump extended far beyond the
business of the Montana merchant.
Body Doubled Membership
Notwithstanding this depression
he said, our organization has actually
doubled its membership. If your