J.R. Watkins Sales Model
By: Adam Rechtzigel
Tags: Startup

Three prominent buildings stand tall within Winona; in the face of hardship a relationship turns cold, leading to a murder-suicide. What do these two things have in common? That is one name, a name within the cupboards of thousands, a name which is Watkins. In this essay I will speak about the Watkins name, digging deeper than the fame which has been attached to the seven-letter word and going into its history. That is a history to which I believe we can all relate.

On April 10th, 2019, the StarTribune released an article titled: Irwin Jacobs, wife Alexandra dead in murder-suicide, close friend says. In this article, the authors spoke to the recent death of Irwin Jacobs who was the owner of the J.R. Watkins company. As a student at Winona State University, the news of Irwin Jacobs’ death carried a weight different to me than if I hadn’t ever lived in this bluff-sided town. Every day I drive past the J.R. Watkins Museum and Store, and occasionally pass by the Watkins Manor House located in Winona. As I leave the city streets, moving onto campus I am met with the name Watkins as well. This is because of the Watkins Hall and Paul Watkins Art Gallery on campus. It is because of these three stone buildings in Winona that the death of Irwin Jacobs holds more significance to Winona’s residents.

The Watkins Manor House, Watkins Hall, and the J.R. Watkins Museum and Store are public symbols of a legacy which began in Plainview, Minnesota. In 1885, J.R. Watkins moved his now-famous company to Winona where the company is still headquartered today. Watkins products are bought around the globe, and the company has seen great success. Paul Watkins was the nephew of J.R. Watkins and became the J.R. Watkins company president in 1911. According to the plaque outside of Paul Watkins home, the Watkins Manor house located at 175 E Wabasha St in Winona, Paul Watkins “traveled the world” with his wife purchasing artwork. The Watkins Hall and Watkins Gallery on campus are then named after Paul Watkins, who donated part of his private art collection to Winona State in the 1920’s. These three buildings within Winona stand as a testimony to the company’s ongoing legacy.

As the J.R. Watkins company progresses into the future, and with it being in recent news, I would like to take a moment to bring you back to its past. For we can see a legacy, but what we cannot see is the story behind it. And I believe that the aspect to the J.R. Watkins story which is most relatable and most important to never be forgotten is its sales model.

The story of Joseph Ray Watkins’ sales model began in Plainview, Minnesota. According to a plaque within the Watkins Museum in Winona, Minnesota, Watkins was struggling to sell his liniment product to drug stores. It was because of this that J.R. Watkins began selling directly to consumers. In the town of Plainview, J.R. Watkins worked to grow his company for seventeen years before moving to Winona in 1885. According to a 1928 Winona Republican-Herald articled titled “J.R. Watkins Company Observes 60th Anniversary,” in 1892 Joseph Ray Watkins’ nephew, Paul Watkins, moved to Winona to help him in growing his company.

Between 1890 and 1900, the J.R. Watkins company saw great growth. The company grew from 250 salesmen to 2,500 salesmen. It was also in this time that J.R. Watkins invented the Trial-Mark bottle, which allowed for customers to try their product and return it at full price if they weren’t fully satisfied with it. During this time period J.R. and Paul Watkins also invented the “Watkins Way” in which they promised customers the best product at the lowest price, along with integrity and fair treatment.

At the time that J.R. Watkins passed away in 1911, his company was well on the way to success. Paul Watkins became the company president after J.R. Watkins passed. Paul Watkins ran the company for twenty years, growing it to over 10,000 salesmen.

Shortly after Paul Watkins left the company, the company released The Open Door to Success, the J.R. Watkins company promotional booklet. This booklet promoted the benefits of becoming a Watkins salesman. The promotional booklet described becoming a Watkins salesman as a very simple process in which all that needed to be done was fill out an application, no license or special training was required. The company didn’t even require previous selling experience for their salesmen. Instead, Watkins equipped their salesmen with a pocket manual, teaching them how to sell, for free.

Through hearing of these facts about the history of the J.R. Watkins company it may seem difficult to relate to. I believe the past is relevant because of its relatability and ability to bring forth lessons which are valuable in our daily lives. If you think of any old Shakespeare play, its significance remains because of its current “realness” and relevance. And we look to Shakespeare’s work as so highly valuable that it should never be lost. In a similar way, this story of the Watkins sales model is one in which we can relate to. One I believe we can best relate to if we put ourselves in the shoes of one hypothetical salesman.

The year is 1933 and the J.R. Watkins company has just released their promotional booklet. Your name is Harvey Johnson, you have a wife and two daughters. In the heat of the great depression you’ve recently lost your farm. You are also unable to find any jobs in town as they are all filled with bankrupt farmers like yourself. Everything in your life seems like it’s about to hit rock bottom if you cannot find employment. That is until a close friend who knows your struggle brings you a gift: “The Open Door to Success.” Your friend says, “you know Harvey, I think this could be your way out of this pit. I’d take the opportunity myself, but there’s a chance I’d have to move to be within one of the uncovered sales areas.” You take the promotional booklet and begin to make your way back home after another long day of searching for jobs that aren’t there.

That evening, after serving your daughters the last of your green-beans you sit down in your tattered chair. You look to your left, where lies the Watkins promotional booklet. Opening it to the first page you’re met with a picture of J.R. Watkins with text reading: “Come, join this fine organization. You will enjoy the work as thousands of others are doing and you will enjoy the satisfaction and success that comes from being associated with a big strong company.” You continue to flip through the pages and learn that in this business you obtain individual freedom and are your own boss. This strikes a chord with you as in being a farmer you have always been your own boss. Then you continue reading and find that “you have little or no investment; you can never become deeply in debt, because sales are made for cash; you get quick action on your money; you have no store rent . . . [and] you begin earning the day your goods arrive.” You begin to think that this is an opportunity too good to be true and begin to doubt that it is real.

With a mind filled with doubtful hope, you continue turning the pages to find stories of their salesmen. One of these salesmen listed in the booklet is Mr. Andrew Mitchell who was a Watkins salesman his entire life, and who earned two-hundred and fifty dollars per week. You read one of his quotes which states “‘The part that I like best is that a man’s income is governed by just the amount of time he puts in. The harder one works, the more money one makes.” By this and other salesmen’s narratives you begin to think that this is an opportunity which you would like to partake in.

After a week of thinking about the J.R. Watkins company and failing to find any other jobs, you meet with your wife to discuss filling out the application form. She is on-board, and so you submit your form. Within the next month you are allotted your territory and receive information on how to place an order for goods, as well as the “Watkins Pocket Manual” on how to sell. Upon moving closer to your sales territory, you place your first order of products and begin going door-to-door. You struggle in the beginning to find people who are willing to buy your products as they are struggling with income and are careful about where they spend their income. However, you remain persistent and eventually push through by relying on the J.R. Watkins company values of integrity and fair treatment. You are able to sell many of your trial mark bottles and find that many people enjoy the product. Slowly you begin building and expanding your customer base and begin to grow a steady income.

As a student attending Winona State University, my story of attending college is similar to J.R. Watkins’ in starting his company and to the many salesmen of his company who followed him. J.R. Watkins began his company with the hope of providing for his family and sought to sell a product to the public in a personal way, while relying on his values in doing so. I decided to attend college with the hope of furthering my opportunities in life so that I could accomplish my own personal goals and become successful. The story of J.R. Watkins company is one with humble beginnings and stands out through its unique door-to-door sales model. By selling door-to-door J.R. Watkins was able to grow his company to success. However, this was not the easiest method. The Watkins method of door-to-door sales required a “daily grind” of talking to customers and seeking to expand territory while remaining true to honest values.

As a college student there are many aspects to the history of the Watkins sales model which are relevant to me. One of these is simply the fact that I need to put in the time and energy needed to get my degree. It would be easy for me to cut corners and not always do my best work. Or with the help of Google there are many times it would be easy to cheat to find answers. However, through J.R. Watkins’ story one can look to see that through hard work and remaining true to one’s integrity you can see success.

The door-to-door sales model of the J.R. Watkins company was heavily reliant on a good relationship between the salesman and customer. Today we are mainly focused on the products which we buy in the super-centers we shop at. Our relationship with retail workers lasts for two minutes at a time as we pass through check-out lanes. An article in the Star Journal titled “Historically Speaking: The Watkins Man” describes the relationship of Watkins salesmen with their customers as a very personal one. In this Star Journal article, the author stated that the Watkins salesman “and his family were dear friends of ours, and I returned his greeting each time with ‘Hello Mr. Watkins Man.’” The article also states that the Watkins brand was a household name and that the salesman would visit his home once a month in the summer. This is far different from how we buy our products today. Even the J.R. Watkins company now sells to retailers and no longer sells products through their door-to-door sales model.

There are instances today where people’s relationship to their customers is similar to that of the old time Watkins dealers. This has come with advances of technology and can be seen in Instagram models. These models create a relationship with their fans through their use of social media. Models pair with beauty or fashion companies to help advertise their products. They do so through social media platforms, such as Instagram, by displaying their using the products. However, this is a little different from the Watkins salesmen in that the models are not directly selling and distributing the product. But in a similar way to the Watkins door-to-door sales model, the models create a relationship with the customers of the companies they are sponsored by to promote products. Rather than going door-to-door, these models are able to go person-to-person through the use of social media.

The recent news of Irwin Jacobs death in a relationship-turned-cold murder-suicide is very ironic. This is because Jacobs was the head of a company built upon its relationship to its customers through its historic sales model. Though this model is no longer present within the J.R. Watkins company, its story is still relevant to our lives today. It teaches us the foundations of a legacy. The Watkins Way demonstrates that by remaining true to one’s virtues and by working hard, success is possible. When passing by any of the three historic buildings within Winona, it may be hard to find a connection to them. You may be left awe-filled by their splendorous design similarly to how you may be left awe-filled by the success of the J.R. Watkins company today. However, it is only by digging up the past of this legacy that one can be left with a sense of hope. For the story of J.R. Watkins sales model suggests that anyone can leave a legacy through virtue and hard work.