The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-01-04
rHE RETAILER WHO FAILS TO
ADVERTISE :.
(By Roland T. Patten)

No doubt apple trees on a Maine
farm are more profitable than any
other source of income. When the
first cost, care and upkeep is consid-
cred It 81 very plan to be seen that this
is true An apple tree comes the near
est to rendering faithful service with
out wages and paying it's own board
of anything on the farm. Not-with-
standing this is good deal the worst
neglected department of all farming
ACTIVITIES. We will imagine
pleasant day in the month OF May.
The farmer knows that his orchard
needs spraying, but that he also
knows that he must plant his corn II
he hopes to have 1t mature before the
frosts of the following September.
The apples will grow anyway whether
the trees are sprayed or not, although
of course there will not be as many
and they will be very much less
valuable If the spraying Is neglected.
But with the corn it Is case OF now
or never There are only few days
when conditions are just right for
corn planting and II those are allowed
to- pass, corn for that season Is out Of
the question. Under the circum-
stances the orchard gets the go-by
and very likely does not get sprayed
at all.
1t IS Just the same with advertising.
There is no question but 1t Is the most
important thing in connection with
any business. We will imagine a
business man on Friday morning. He
knows he ought to advertise and he
wants to prepare some copy for his
newspaper ad of the following week,
but he has an invoice OF goods to
mark, customers to wait upon, and
correspondence to attend to. The
customers will not wait and the other
matters. IL delayed, cause immediate
loss and annoyance, so the prepa-
ration of the ad goes over until the
next day. Saturday morning finds
the same demands upon his time, very
likely even more insistant, ;,and he
decides that he will steal an hour or
two, Sunday, to write the ad.rs Sunday
comes with It's call to rest and get out
doors, and its demands ais to church
attendance, all very proper requisites
upon the business mans time, so Mon
day morning arrives and the ad has
not been written. He may make
desperate effort now and without the
proper time for thought, get outtanfa d
which will pass muster. and B6hdt IT
along to the printer, or IL the usual
duties are waiting at his elbow he
may give 1t up altogether for that
week. Either result lis undesirable.
About the only way to get by, this
ID to have hard and fast rule that.
ON every Thursday. "a beginning will
be made on writing a newspaper ad
for the following week and that tho
Job will be finished during the day,
Friday. regardless of consequences.
There are probably men of genius
who can dasf@off an ad with some
selling power in few minutes time
but I have never known one. The
most of us, anyhow. II we are to do
something creditable. must give the
same careful thought to it that we
would to other details of our business.
Advertising, which is no more than
suitable publicity with a selling
appeal, is unquestonably the most
important factor in any business. 1t
has greater possibilities for profit
! than anything else connected with a
commercial enterprise. 1t Is worthy
of the first consideration, rather than
the last. In any commercial establish
ment 49,,