Part 14 (1/2)
”Your forty-five years in the hardware trade hasn't got you into a rut then, La.r.s.en?” I said with a smile.
”You bet your life, nix, Boss! You are the first man that let me speak right out to him, and you know I don't mean to be--to be--you know what I mean--bossy like. But it gets my goat how hardware folks has let good things get away from them!”
I had sometimes wondered why La.r.s.en, with all his experience and knowledge, and many good ideas that I had found him to have, hadn't got farther ahead in the world. I had decided that it was perhaps because he was lacking in a certain independence of spirit--and while he spoke freely to me, and wasn't afraid to correct me, it was more because I was young and inexperienced compared with him, and because I had got so I didn't take offense at it. Perhaps under an older and sterner boss he would have been rather afraid to give expression to his views. However, he certainly was valuable to me.
The conversation ended there, because the salesman from the Cincinnati Pencil Sharpener Company came in again. I didn't wait for him to say anything, but beckoned to him, and said:
”I can give you a little time now. I was really busy before, and I am afraid I spoke a little more sharply than I meant to.”
”That's all right, Mr. Black,” he replied. ”I think I owe you an apology for losing my temper. A man in my position can't afford to lose his temper. I'll tell you now my proposition. Mr. Sirle of _Hardware Times_ told me you were a coming man in the business and suggested I show you this line.”
”Well,” I replied hesitatingly, ”it seems to me that a pencil sharpener is not just the thing for a hardware man to sell.”
”Mr. Black,” he responded, ”I am not going to try to persuade you what a hardware store should or should not sell; but I want to show you, with your permission, what you can make by handling this line. I have spent most of the day around here calling on some of the residents and other people. I have taken orders for eighteen of these pencil sharpeners. I will turn these orders over to you and you can deliver them and make the profit on them.”
He pa.s.sed me over eighteen orders for the dollar Cincinnati Pencil Sharpener, ”to be delivered by the local hardware store.”
”These sharpeners,” he continued, ”cost you 69 each f. o. b.
Cincinnati. We will turn these orders over to you on the condition that you buy an additional eighteen. That is three dozen in all. In addition to this, if you wish to use this 'ad' in your local paper”--and here he showed me a very attractive advertis.e.m.e.nt for the pencil sharpener--”which will cost $4.00 an issue in both your papers--”
”How do you know?” I broke in quickly.
”Because we found out before we came here.--We will pay half the cost of three insertions. You notice the 'ad.' is already prepared, except for filling in your name. We don't provide electrotypes because, if we did, your local paper might not have the type to harmonize with the rest of the 'ad.,' so that it would look like a regular filled-in affair; but by having the paper use the nearest type to this that they have, the advertis.e.m.e.nt has the stamp of your own individuality.”
That was a pretty good thought, it seemed to me.
Well, the upshot of it was that I bought the three dozen and agreed to run the advertis.e.m.e.nt on the Monday, Wednesday and Friday following the arrival of the sharpeners.
I shook hands with him as he left the store, and couldn't help thinking that my foolish haste and rudeness might have lost me what I was convinced would be a valuable agency to me.
As he left the store--Mr. Downs was his name--he gave me a little booklet, which he said might refresh my memory on a few points which I was doubtless familiar with. The booklet was ent.i.tled ”A few reminders on selling methods for Cincinnati Pencil Sharpeners.” It outlined methods of approaching schools, private houses, business offices, etc., giving samples of form letters and a whole lot of useful selling information.
It seemed to me on looking it over that no one could help buying those pencil sharpeners!
It never occurred to me, until after he had left the store, to ask about the quality of the sharpener and I wondered why, and then I realized that I had bought the pencil sharpeners, not because of their quality, but because of the sales plan which had already been worked out for me.
If other concerns, who sent salesmen to see me, had presented worked-out plans like these they would have had more business from me. I don't know how it was, but I seemed to be rushed all the time with so many little things that I hadn't had the time to try to think out plans and ideas for selling; and the fact that it was easy for me to go ahead to sell these pencil sharpeners was the main thing that induced me to buy them.
La.r.s.en was unquestionably pleased, and the man had hardly gone out of the store when he said:
”Couldn't one of our fellers go to folks and sell some? . . . And couldn't we sell pencils, . . . and while we are about it--”
”For heaven's sake, La.r.s.en,” I cried, ”you're trying to run me off my feet!”
The thought of sending salesmen out to get business for a retail store had never occurred to me, although on thinking it over it seemed so reasonable that I decided to think it over some more, and maybe I would send one of the boys out to see if he could not drum up some business on those pencil sharpeners, and perhaps some other things.
CHAPTER XV