New Britain herald., 1928-01-12
MILLI0NAIRE TALKS ON SALESMANSH|P
Remington Arms Corp. Prsi- dtnt Addresses Biz Gathering

why hardware dealers lose money. were discussed at tho Burritt hotel last night by Saunders Norvell. mill . lionaire. president of the Remington Arms corporation and contributing editor Of Hardware Age. Nr. Nor veil. who was characterised n "a master salesman" addressed . gath ering of The Nutmeggers, an organ nation of hardware salesmeu doing business in Connecticut, the Connec- ticut Hardware association. the Paint Salesmen's club and . delegation of the New York Boosters club.
 MT. Norvell's talk was in anec- dote style. and he kept his audience amused and entertained as we'll n instructed as he drove hime num- Der of points which he told his hear CTS were worth money to them. He created considerable amusement by telling q story of . time when he had sold out large drug business for 8 million dollars and sat in 2 50 cent restaurant eating lunch with . million dollar check in his pocket. If had told the men on each side of mo that had . million dollars in my pocket they would have sent for the wagon" he said. Later he showed the check to the conductor on . train out of New York. The conductor refused to believe 1t was genuine and laughed 1t of with the expression. "What're you giving mel"
 Believes in Carrying Samples
 Show your samples" advised MT. Norvell. Show something. Don't sell from catalogue. The minute you show man a sample you have established a bond of friendship. He is interested. I carried three or four trunks full of samples"
 After my first three years of training I never asked a man Do you need anything today?' he stated. sometimes I carried closed basket full of samples. I would refuse to discuss the basket or its contents until the dealer actually forced me to talk about it and insisted upon giving me an order. Today salesmen travel in high priced automobiles and won't carry samples.
 Its a big mistake on tho part of the average salesman not to carry samples.
 T have never had any luck with high priced salesmen," he said. I'd rather have a low priced man. If a man worth $10,O00 year is out of . job. there is something wrong.
 "The fellow I want Is tho man who gets up early enough to get his store open at o'clock in the morn ing. He'll be successful because he doesn't know any better.
 T like to study the minds of salesmen. but find some of them have no minds.
 We gave our men two weeks in- jtensive training before sending them lout on the road. Sometimes would z call a man in and say: What kind of fishing tackle do We carry? After two weeks training some of them didn't know-they didn't re- member 8 thing, so we gave them 90 days pay and let them go. If d salesman has no memory, what good Is he:
 II know some good looking young men, who register at the best hotels and carry grips, who can't even re- member where they were yester- day."
 Murdcrers Not So Bad
 I've hired several murderers. They do we'll. Murderers are all right. But never hire thief. Once d thief always a thief.
 T once hired some sales managers to keep in touch with the trade and see how our salesmen were getting along. We had one man who was the finest salesman you ever saw. He knew the business thoroughly and could give the finest sales talk you ever heard. But he wasn't sell ing. We sent a man to see what was the trouble.
 Here's the way that man sold goods. He would sell his customer an order and then keep on talking aDOut the HleIltS Ol iIlc ulcl lCAduoisS. He never knew when to stop. The sales manger took him to his room in the hotel, hit him over the head a few times with pillow and said, Stop talking and sell goods After that he was all right"
 One problem of the salesman and sales manager, he said, was that of
  ware merchant who goes into busi ness for the first time. In cases of this kind. he said. it Is necessary to know the state of mind of the man who buys" Many of them are men who have sold their farms. or sons of men who have. died and whose mothers have started them ouf with fhe fnsura nce money s.I