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u t o m a t ic
experience was the first time in my life
that I had ever been on the purchasing
side of housebuilding, and I agreed to buy
everything that was based upon quality
and convenience, even though the cost was
greater.
In expanding the present uses of our
own product to the saturation point, we
found another help against obsolescence.
Ten years ago, realizing that women like
to give boxes of cigars or cigarettes to
men for Christmas presents, we made for
one of the great tobacco companies a dis
tinctive Christmas box. This manufacturer
thought it a good idea and ordered $85,000
worth of these boxes. He “cleaned up,”
as the trade saying is, and that idea has
since been developed to a point where the
Christmas package has extended into
twenty-two industries. Our last order came
from a firm in Ohio that never before
considered the Christmas package as an
aid to sales.
Then we also have
Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter,
Hallowe’en, Thanksgiving and birthday
packages for candy.
There is a signficant thought in this. I f
you have developed in your own business
this weapon which we are developing to
the limit of our resources, it calls for a
new standard of salesmanship. The day
of the old ballyhoo type of correspondence
school salesman is past.
The State of Connecticut has a Sales
Managers Association, and at a recent
Analysis, and Bettering Production Methods
Through Research. The Connecticut Manu
facturers Association has now reached an
agreement with the scientific department
of Yale University whereby a member of
the Association has all of the splendid
facilities of that department placed at his
meeting, a four-hour argument took place
on the question of the ideal type of man
to sell industrial products. The conclusion
reached was that for those companies that
are relying on research in attempting to
sell a product which other companies can’t
make, or at least attempting to realize
profits before the other man discovers he
can make that product, the best type of
salesman is the fact-finding type, as illus
trated by two professions—the young
lawyer and the young engineer.
Two of the best salesmen in this com
pany came from the Legal and Engineering
departments of Yale University. They are
men who first must know the facts. A
© International Arcade Museum
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RAZOR BLAD E V EN DER
A reproduction of illustration used by the
Ammco Operators of Chicago in fu ll page
advertising carried in the daily papers. The
blades are guaranteed to give five perfect
shaves each, or money refunded. Here is
another example of a special product made
especially for sale through vending ma
chines.
lawyer is trained to find facts and the
engineer must know facts before he can
lay any plans.
Rewarding New Ideas
Another element which we consider ex
ceedingly important is that of stimulating
new ideas. We formerly had an “idea
box,” and all employees were asked to
write suggestions and drop them into the
box. I f we found an idea we could use,
the employee suggesting it was presented
with fifty or a hundred dollars. Today we
pay them a percentage of the business we
get as a result of the idea. We have a
72-year old employee who this year brought
us an idea which has resulted in $200,000
worth of business, and the old man has
received $10,000 in royalties instead of the
maximum of $100 he would have been
entitled to formerly.
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