Evening star., 1953-02-03
IN Monthly Contest
Mr. ondMrs. Shopper Pick 7 op SoIesperson
BY Betty Miles

To every shopper who has ever
left a store with blood pressure
soaring the Sales Executives
Club of Washington holds out
hope.
It has inaugurated a contest
in which the public is invited to
name the outstanding retail
salesperson of the months con-
test designed to raise the level
of local salesmanship while low
ering the customers pulse rate.
Here are the rules, according
to Whitney D. Watkins, chair
man of the clubs Better Selling
Committee. which is handling
the project.
Shoppers are asked to send a
letter to the Mark Evans TV
show. submitting the name of a
SaleSperson they consider OUT
standing, with the reasons for
their choice.
Each month the judges select
the nominee they think most de-
serving. after talking with the
SaleSperSon described in the win
ming letter and his boss. The top
salesperson appears on the Mark
Evans show on the first Monday
Of the following month, where
he is presented with $40 in cash
from the Sales Executives Club,
a 16-week scholarship in selling
in American University's Depart
ment of Business Administration,
given by the university, and ad-
ditional awards from a number
of Mr.. Evans sponsors.
The person who writes the
winning letter receives SIS from
the club and appears on the tele-
vision show with the winning
salesperson.
Two honorable mentions are
given each month, too.
The four-month-old contest
originated with the local Sales
Executive Club and is not yet
being carried on by any of the
other branches of the national
organization. They hope to make
the program permanent one.
Current Winner
This months winner, Miss
Florence Winter of the Erlebach-
er F street store, was named by
Mrs. Doris Evans Talbert. In
her letter Mrs. Talbert praised
Miss Winter, who had served her
for over seven years, for seeming
ito have a knack for suggesting
just the right thing for the right
person. have known her to
refuse to sell merchandise to a
customer that she felt was not
suitable. =. Many salespersons
are more interested in making a
sale than in having a satisfied
customer. A satisfied customer
win return again and again."
Two of the four winners to
date have been men, while small
shops as well as large ones have
produced winners. One Of the
men was an 18-year-old sales
man, Walter A. Notion, employed
by the Fortuna leather goods
store in Bethesda, who won on
the recommendation of a CRATE
full mother, impressed with the
skill with which he coped with
both her selling problem and her
Dennis the Menace" offspring
Managers and sales personnel
find many a tip from customers
in the letters. Last months win
ner, Mr.. Arthur Rather. en-
ployed in the furniture depart
ment of Lansburgh's. gave the
kind of service many shoppers
dream of getting.
A homemaker in Silver Spring
nominaed him because Of all he
did to make furnishing her new
home IS miles away a pleasant
and satisfying experience.
ITO me this was a big venture, F"
she wrote, land wanted every
thing just right for the little
cottage.
Service Plus
81 finally landed in the furni-
ture section. looking as usual
first at price tags. fearful of
budget and delivery problems.
Then. Mr.. Rather approached
and offered to try to settle my
problems. He never batted
an eye when I told him my
budgeted amount. (Others had,
! assure you. looked at me as if
I were trying to steal their mer-
chandise.)"
He helped her all morning
the woman wrote, never rush.
ing off to wait on another GUS
toner. Since she wasn't too
sure what she wanted. he jotted
details about her cottage down in