Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
45
WHAT MAKES A GOOD SALESMAN?
Is the Interesting Question Discussed in the
Following Little Talk, Which Talking Ma-
chine Men Should Ponder Over.
"What makes a good salesman?" was the
question which a well-known ambassador for a
talking machine institution was asked the other
day. He replied, instanter, "What makes him?
Nothing makes him, he makes himself.
"What I mean is this. The gift of selling
goods as a traveler, and in building up and hold-
ing a trade, is not bestowed by the waving of a
wand, or any of this fairy godmother business.
It comes through natural adaptability, hard
work, reliability and a right point of view.
"For a dozen years I have been able to do one
thing. To feel sure that no matter what ques-
tions might be asked or investigations pursued,
I was in a position to make myself good at froth
ends of the line—with the house that sent me
out, and the one to which I sold the goods.
"In other words, I have reported each trans-
action just as it was. If there is anything un-
pleasant to explain, I would rather sit down at
the time and write the house all about it than
to gloss it over or evade it until I got home, and
then be hauled up about it. My people learned
long ago that they knew all about my deals as
I went along and that there were no strings
hanging out to be gathered up or afterclaps to
make trouble. And so with my customers. I
tell them the exact truth, and they have come to
take my representations as the truth. I have
lost sales by it, but have more than made them
up In the long run. A young traveler can make
no greater mistake than to believe that the bird
in the hand is worth more than all those other
ones in the bushes; the effort he may make to
get that one may drive the others away forever."
"That is as to reliability. How about indus-
try?" was asked.
"It seems almost needless to discuss that,"
was the answer. "It is an essential of our busi-
ness that a man should be industrious. No man
can last a year at It who is not a hard worker.
The house don't send a man out to look at the
scenery. His pay and hotel bills are going on all
the time, and other fellows are out looking for
the business he is after. The house don't expect
me to spend Tuesday night in bed in a hotel at.
Chicago when I can make time by putting it in
on a sleeper between Chicago and St. Louis. Nor
am I expected to spend the evening at a theatre
in Philadelphia, when I can save a half day by
going to Baltimore between dinner time and bed
time. Of course, if T have to remain in Phila-
delphia over night, my going to the theatre is
all right.
" *I like to see you loaf around,' said the old
man to me once, 'as you seem to enjoy It so.
But I want you to take your fill of it when here
at the store, as I don't want to feel you are doing
much of it outside."
"Yes, hard work; more hard work; and still
more hard work. That is the main thing in this
line.
"Is It a serious business? Say, have you no-
ticed one thing? The newspapers and the comic
papers don't have one joke on 'the drummer'
where there used to be a hundred. The public
conception of the salesman—and In many re-
spects the salesman himself—has changed im-
measurably in the past decade and a half. The
loud-voiced, drinking, dirty-story telling, flirting
and offensive drummer of popular fiction is never
heard of any more. He is gone entirely: if he
ever existed in as unpleasant a state as he was
painted. I admit that there were some men of
that sort, but they have been frozen out. or are
blacking boots somewhere.
"The traveling salesman who represents a
house of any standing has got to be a proper rep-
resentative of that house. He must, to win the
best success, be a gentleman; be clean miDded.
temperate, educated to a certain extent: a good
talker of good sense: a man who carries an im-
press of honesty of mind and respectability."—
The Talking Machine World.
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
To Victor Dealers:
What are we doing for you ?
This year we a,re spending for you $150,000 more in
advertising than last year, that we may more effectively
reach 56,000,000 people every month—everybody in
the whole United States who is able to buy a Victor,
We protect you from price-cutting competition,
by maintaining one fixed, fair price to the customer
for each style of Victor, and for each Victor record.
Your profit is just about 5 times our profit—figure it
out for yourself. For every dollar you make, we
make but 10 to 20 cents.
Now what are you doing for yourself ?
Are you keeping all the different Victors in stock ?
Do you get all the New Records each month?
Do you tell everybody what you have for them,
and make them want it ?
Are you seizing all your opportunities to increase
your Victor business by strong local advertising, the
most attractive window-displays in your town, and
frequent Victor concerts in your store ? Do you talk
"Victor" all the time?
If not, you are losing just 5 times as much as
we are losing in your territory.
Better think it over.
Victor Talking Machine Company^
Camden, N. J.
A profitable Idea :
Place standing monthly orders for new
records with your distributer, and push
this feature. (Keeps your customers
calling at least monthly—they look
for them.)
Artistic Monthly Supplements
furnished free for this purpose.
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