Smyrna times., 1929-07-10
Dealing With the
Customer
By CORONA REMINGTON

trip had been unsuccessful.
Father, l guess I'll never get to
be vice president of the firm, no
matter how hard l work. | SIM
ply don't seem to have a business
head"
Nonsense. Just because you failed
once is no reason for talking that
way"
"Yes, but all the time l sat there
talking to old Anderson | kept
thinking, If dad were here he'd sell
him twice as much as he origin
ally wanted and I'm going back
without a thing.''
Something's wrong with your
methods, son. Now, you've handled
this prospect from start TO finish;
suppose you tell me about it and
we1l see where you got off the
track"
Jim Norton, president and owner
of the Norton Boiler works, leaned
back in his chair and listened.
swell, Anderson wrote us a let
ter about six months ago asking for
rates and so forth. | answered im-
mediately and offered TO run down
and talk it over with him. |
made the price as attractive as ]
could"
"You stressed the price pri-
marily?"
Yes, l got a lite inside tip
he was in correspondence with the
Outlast Boiler people and knew
we'd have to cut pretty close to
meet them"
That's just where you got on
the wrong track When l was on
the road | never talked much about
prices. You have got to make the
prospective customer want your
boiler because Of something about
that boiler that appeals to him, and
it's up to you to create the condi-
tiOns. That's true of everything in
life. You young folks are too
prone to try for results instead of
for conditions that will bring about
the results. l never tried to sell
one of our boilers in my life. tried
to make the customer want to buy
our boiler, and then the selling did
itself. If, instead of talking prices
to Anderson you had ignored the
money side and stressed the merits
of our product, YOU would probably
have got the order. It's up to you
to make him want YOUR stuff. Gre
ate the conditions-see?9
Young Norton went to his Office,
his head whirling with new ideas.
Why hadn't his father told him
sooner and thus saved him from
making this blunder all his life?
That little talk had thrown light
on a hundred different subjects.
In his eagerness and impatience he
had been continually trying to
force things. and his every effort
had defeated him half the time.
Dad, may l have my two weeks
off soon:" he asked his father as
they went down in the elevator to-
gether
Pretty early in the year for a
vacation, son. What do you want
to do with it,"
"Created some conditions" the
younger man said.
well, | see no particular reason
why you shouldn't go Saturday aft
ernOon if you want to-
1t was nearly three weeks later
that young Norton burst into his
fathers office and flung his hat into
the air.
Il did itw he exulted. 81 did it :"
Did what?'
I'm engaged, dad. I'm engaged
to the loveliest, prettiest girl that
ever lived. Wait till YOU see her.
I've been in love ever since 1 first
met her"
You! / didn't know you'd ever
been in love in your life"
NE? I've been i'll love continu-
ally for the last four years and I've
proposed to Katherine every time
I've ever seen her, including the
first night / met her"
"That shows how much a father
knows about his son. But suppose
you tell me how you did it and who
she is"
Il created the conditions" he
quoted. II made her want to marry
me. This time | didn't say word
I about love or marriage until last
+ night. We went everywhere t0geth-
4 er, and / treated her like a chur
i or a sister. 1t was the hardes
/ thing l ever had to do in my life,
4 but somehow ! got through. Then
+ | proposed again and she accepted
me. i can't believe it yet"
Mr.. Norton rose and put a gentle
hand on his sons shoulder.
I'm mighty glad for you," he
said. "But you haven't told me
+ yet who my new daughters to be?'
"Katherine SedgWick."
"Not the daughter of old Sedg-
wick of the Outlet Boiler COM
pany!" exclaimed Norton.
Eyes. That's where l got the in
side tip about old Anderson
81 didn't even know he had a
daughter. Where did you meet her?"
"At one of the varsity dances.
I've loved her ever since. She says
her father'll want to consolidate
with u.s."
Mr.. Morton thought a minute.
81 would not have my son marry
for business reasons, but nothing
could have been better for US. He's
the worst competitor we have"
"You can have the business side
of it, dad. All ! want is Rather
ine," laughed young Norton.
Funny. I've always dreamed of
getting hold of Sedgwick somehow,