The Mankato free press., 1923-06-29
Mankato Will Entertain the
State Dry Goods Dealers
Convention Concluded At Hibbing; J. E. Brett
Read Paper At the
Gathering

Mankato has been chosen as the
meeting place for the seventh semi
annual convention OF the Minnesota
Retail Dry Goods Merchants associ-
, ation to be he'd sometime next June.
J. E. Brett, who has just returned
from the sixth semi annual conven-
tion of the Minnesota association.
who is a member OF the executive
board, was largely influential in
bringing the convention to this city.
two days, June 19 and 20. There
were between seventy and eighty
merchants at the convention. There
were many interesting features on
the two days program and round
table discussi On Tuesday ev-
ening a banquet was given by the
Hibbing committee. On Wednesday
afternoon a visit was made to other
range towns and at six o'clock pic
mic supper and musical program was
held at Bennett park. The supper
was served by the Y. NJ. G. A. At
eleven o'clock on Wednesday morn
ing. Mr.. Brett gave an unusually in
teresting and educational talk on
Training of Salespeopie."
1T is only in recent years that the
people in general have begun to re-
alize the importance of knowing the
science of salesmanship and the art
of selling. This great knowledge
until today it is considered one of
the most important subjects in the
education of our people. Cores
pondence schools, Y. M. C. AS, Y.
W. c. AS and many Of our high
schools have the course. Today al
most every large department store
in the country has one or more indi-
viduals who are interesting them
selves in the training of their sales
people.
Through these instructions the
leaks of business caused by illegible
hand writing. incorrect addresses,
errors in mailing out sales and in
different stock keeping, are gradu-
ally being checked.
Improper methods of showing
merchandise, lack of understanding
of human nature and of goods on
the part of salespeople, the lack of
knowledge Of what real service
means together with indifference
and disloyalty, are conceded to be
lost sales and the keenest merchants
means of correction"
Mr.. Brett believes that the proper
place to start the education of sales.
manship is in our high schools and
should be encouraged to put In this
course.
Selling goods is steadily becom-
ing more difficult for the sales per-
son who is unframed Competition
is so keen now days that il is al.
most impossible for unframed sales.
people to keep the PAGES. We tho.
roughly believe In giving salespeople
the best possible training for the
work they are to do. In my estima-
ton they cannot have too much OF
the right kind Of training.
''In these days of strenuous com.
petition customers demand more ex-
acting service than ever before. To-
day the service the customers want
Is merchandise service, merchandise
knowledge, today they demand over
the counter craftsmanship. That's the
kind of service we must install and
installing 1t means training our
salespeople.
Now comes the importance of
conducting the regular classes or let
us call them weekly meetings. If
you were to have a big sale or birth
day celebration one of the first things
you do is to call all your employees
together and explain the whole thing
what it's for, what you are aim
ing to do, the splendid merchandise
you are going to offer and every
thing you could think Of to give them
the enthusiasm to put the sale
across. Now if this will work for
Gne occasion how much better and
more successful will be the store
that uses the same methods to pro
mote general sales the year around
Meetings just such as this are
held in our store every week during
the year. Every Friday morning the
force is divided into two sections
| The frst one meeting at S.45. the