Evening star., 1924-08-12
FLAy
AUTO statesmen
Commission Basis Causing
Observation-Disclosures
Salaries Favored.
BY J. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. August 12.-Executives
or retail automobile sales organizations
are complaining bitterly Of the quality
or motor car statesmen. which they say
has deteriorated badly since the war.
Some of the executives assert that new
methods as well as new blood are need
ed, and are agitating having statesmen
placed on a straight salary basis Under
this system of pay. they would have
full and complete control of the sales
man, would direct and regulate his
activities and be entitled to his entire
time during busi ness hours.
At present about 95 per cent of the
men in the selling end of the retail
automobile business are on a straight
commission basis and the major part
OF that percentage have drawing ac-
counts. To a large extent, however,
they control their own time, dig up
their own prospects, and handle them
IN their own way, although the or
ganization through which they work
offers counsel and assistance when
ever possible.
Too Much Haste shown.
Retail sales managers in many in
stances have come to the belief that
too much importance has been de-
voted in the past to CLOSING the SALE"
to getting the name on the dotted
line, too much emphasis placed on the
personal influence of statesmen with
large lists of well to do friends and
acquaintances and not enough on
placing the merits of the car sold be-
fore as many prospects as possible.
FORD has the right idea" said the
sales manager of a company handling
a car which is one of the main Ford
Nd
maoe big reputation as salesman.
me FORD people say. Let the pros
pect sell himself We know that
there is a demand for certain num-
Der or cars, we know that some
or our statesmen will sell more
cars than they sold last year. and
that some will sell less, but that the
company will sell about so many this
year. In other words. the demand
Will sell that many. We can help
create demand and so can statesmen,
but a prospect does not become a
prospect until he can buy car and
wants to buy one.
Selling Made Easy.
When he has reached that stage if
a salesman can show him that the
company he represents has a meri-
torious product. can show him its
merits. answer his objections and con-
vince him of his own honesty and that
of his company. the prospect will sell
himself the car.
There is no mystery about selling
automobiles. Two of the best sales
men l ever had did not know how to
drive one and never learned. In my
own case / found my principal diff
Guilty in so arranging my time as to
see as many prospective purchasers
as possible.
That is why I would like to have
statesmen under me on a direct sal
ary basis SO that they would be re-
sponsible to me for their time"
Eastman to Sell Factories.
The entire Photographic trade is
watching with keenest interest for
the results of the auction sale in
Rochester August Is of two subsid-
laries of the Eastman Kodak Com
pany, TO discover who is anxious to
compete with the kodak company in
It's own front yard, and how much
they are willing to pay for the privi-
lege.
The two factories located in Roch-
ester are Folmer & Schwing-Century
plant and the Premo Camera factory.
me sale comes as outcome of litiea-
ton started in 1913. Dissolution of
the Eastman Kodak interests, alleged
to be a combination in violation of
the antitrust laws, was ordered by
Federal Judge John r. Hazel in 1921.
The company was given two years to
dispose of the two factories, and the
Aristo plant, in jamestown, with the
various products made in the plants
in question, together with all formu-
lac for such products.
Names Alone Worth Thousands.
1t was also stipulated that failure
to dispose of the plants within two
years would be followed by a forced
disposal at public auction. In ac.
cordance with provision of the de.
cree. minimum price was fixed by
the attorney general and the com
pany. This was set at $796,O416O for
the Folmer & Schwing and Century
divisions and $5S9,449.20 for the Preme
concern, with it's business and tangi.
Bile assets.
These prices do not include anything
for good will, trade names and de.
signs The Century division has man,
valuable trade names, and the Premc
name is recognized as being worth
many thousands of dollars. At the
time of the signing OF the decree the
plants and lines represented a totaI
investment of approximately s3,7S6..
900. and total sales for the lines ir
the year previous to the handins